A HOME with the ability to look after its inhabitants using smart technology, first launched in Lewisham, has been rolled out at another housing site.

The Enabling Smart Home, designed for people with dementia and other long-term health conditions was first installed at a Housing 21 property in Lewisham and has now been unveiled in Bristol.

Its creators the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering (BIME) at the University of Bath hopes it will give those who are returning home from hospital greater independence.

The home uses wireless sensors which send messages to devices such as the cooker, taps and lights and by monitoring a resident's movements within the home, the system is able to respond to many different situations without having to contact care staff.

For example, if the occupant was detected opening the main door at inappropriate times, they would be given a prompt to let them know the time and encourage them to go back to bed or if the occupant got out of bed at night, the bedroom lights would be gently faded up.

The home at Hillside Court, a sheltered housing scheme in St George, Bristol, has been developed over several years in consultation with people with dementia and their carers.

Professor Roger Orpwood, director of BIME, said: "The whole installation is quite unique because it is designed to empower the resident rather than relying on outside help to deal with problems."