CONCORDIA visiting patients at Smart Home

Are our homes becoming smart homes in the near future? Are hospitals and patient care moving to our homes soon? Innovation means different things to different people, depending on the context in which it is being reviewed. This blog reviews the emerging concept for new values for cybersecurity in Europe by focusing on the future of health care at Smart homes and its potential.

The smart home is not a new concept; in fact, the smart medical home for seniors including detecting falls was discussed in the late 1990s to early 2000s. As in all new technologies that are rising, smart home devices will take time to catch on. More devices -> more and more security issues to be considered in our homes. By buying different devices, we usually do not think about the security of the data we are providing with installing devices in our own homes or creating accounts and sending data to “someone’s” cloud. “At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security.” – by Jodi Rell, we should have this phrase always on the mind.

What else do we need to have in mind when we talk about security at the Smart home level?

There are lively discussions currently happening around the world where security should reside; at the device or cloud level. Now, for the majority of connected consumer products, it is in neither. Anyone can buy devices and play around by programming them to turn on lights, detect movements in the house and similar, but what about the security of these data? We need to consider moving the regulations and security of smart home devices on another level by building a European cyber-shield. More secure and digital Europe is needed!

Demographic changes – Hospitals moving to our homes?

If we take a look at demographic changes, we can see that the global population is aging. Some of the forecasts say that by the year 2050 the proportion of the world’s population over age 65 will double. For people who are elderly or with disabilities, smart home devices are not just a novelty but can become a necessity and can be used as assistive technology, providing more functional capabilities and independence. This means that more and more people will need additional care at their homes. Considering different highly secure health care services for people who wish to remain independent and live in their own homes is a must. This assumes that we would also need to share more personal – health – related data to our doctors, hospitals and emergency services.

The large diversity of needs in a home-based patient population requires complex technology, more regulations and a high level of cybersecurity. Together with universities and industrial partners, we are focusing on building a strong competence network to bring many benefits that will promote Europe’s digital sovereignty, boost security and improve quality of life. Let’s think about our future and improve Europe’s cybersecurity on all levels!

(By Anja Majstorovic, eesy-innovation GmbH)