House of the present: Doing is believing

The “House of the Present” is located at the NHL University of Applied Sciences in the city of Leeuwarden in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. It is a 90 m2 apartment with a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. In the “House of the Present” more than 100 objects, solutions, gadgets, and “quickwins” are presented, which can support elderly people in their daily lives in their own homes. The “House of the Present” is a living lab: a presentation and communication instrument. It is designed to inspire students, professionals, and elderly people to use innovative solutions for supporting “staying at home longer” with the use of technology that lessens the care burden for caregivers, increases the quality of care, decreases the financial impact of care, and increases the quality of life for the elderly. The name “House of the Present” was chosen to reflect the fact that the eHealth and home automation technology and solutions on show are already available today. The technological innovations in eHealth and home automation services are identified as part of the solution for supporting elderly people faced with the challenge of a changing society. Society is asking the elderly to take on more responsibility. Platform GEEF has been initiated to support elderly people in the choices they have to make about solutions that can help them. Platform GEEF developed the “House of the Present” and related projects in order to reach its goal of supporting the elderly in their own homes. The information gathered in this chapter provides an idea of what a living lab like the “House of the Present” and its supporting projects can do to support the elderly, nursing assistants, nurses, and caregivers in creating smarter homes equipped to support the elderly in their last years.