Firm behind wireless alert buzzer for seniors wins DBS award; device coming to more rental flats
Firm behind wireless alert buzzer for seniors wins DBS award; device coming to more rental flats
SINGAPORE – A local firm has clinched a contract potentially worth more than $50 million to extend its emergency buzzer system for seniors to 170 additional rental blocks over the next five years, after a successful pilot since 2019.
The wall-mounted, wireless red button lets seniors – particularly those living alone or without family support – reach emergency services with a single push.
The expanded roll-out is part of a second contract awarded to Singapore-based tech firm iWow Technology in early 2025 by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) to procure wireless alert devices for more seniors in Housing Board rental flats over the next five years.
The devices are developed by Buddy of Parents (BOP) – a subsidiary company of iWow – which on May 29 received a $1 million grant under DBS Foundation's Impact Beyond Award for its efforts to support seniors and caregivers through smart technology.
The award will support the development of new products and the firm's outreach to vulnerable seniors and international growth, said BOP executive director Chen Jer Yaw.
Mr Chen said: 'As part of the grant, there are milestones that we will have to hit, such as the number of people (who will benefit from) our products and services... We are committed to fulfilling these milestones and to support more seniors.'
The company will focus on the distribution of emergency buzzers for HDB, which is expanding its initiative to provide wireless alert devices to seniors.
Some 36,800 seniors aged 60 and above are expected to have the devices installed for free by 2030, according to a spokesperson in a joint statement by HDB and GovTech.
As at February, at least 10,000 seniors living in 50 public rental blocks have had the wireless devices installed, the spokesperson added.
Seniors with older models will soon receive a new device, which has improved durability and performance.
Each BOP button is connected to a 24-hour hotline, giving vulnerable seniors, especially those who live alone or lack family support, a way to seek help in life-and-death situations.
(From left) BOP executive director and iWow senior vice-president Chen Jer Yaw, iWow CEO and executive director Raymond Bo and iWow chief marketing officer Ashokan Ramakrishnan with the new wireless alarm system for seniors.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
The alert alarm devices have been triggered around 20,200 times since the system's roll-out to rental flats in November 2019, according to HDB and GovTech. Roughly 1,600 required emergency help, while the rest were non-urgent calls or accidental presses , they said .
The button is an upgrade of an older pull-cord system, which seniors use to activate an alarm at their block's void deck to alert people in the vicinity or an active ageing centre during working hours.
The new devices come with better batteries that exceed five years, and two-way voice calling for users to speak to operators over the phone.
They are also resistant to water and dust – a requirement under GovTech's tender – so the devices can be placed reliably in bathrooms, where the risk of falls is higher.
Announced by iWow in February, the contract with GovTech includes the option to purchase its fall detector module and portable alert device over the next 10 years.
BOP's catalogue of devices includes a wall-mounted infrared scanner with image-recognition software to tell when someone has fallen and is in need of assistance.
The DBS Foundation also gave the Impact Beyond Award to three other businesses, which are tackling urgent needs among ageing residents, from nearly 100 submissions worldwide.
One of them is Hong Kong's Evercare Health – a health tech platform which developed a mobile app for patients and caregivers to schedule appointments, contact staff members and make payment.
The award will support the firm's development of artificial intelligence-powered medical notes to improve the efficiency of healthcare services.
Another award recipient is India's Life Circle Health Services, which operates a mobile app that connects families with trained caregivers based on their needs.
DBS has disbursed $21.5 million in grant funding to more than 160 social enterprises and recipients since 2015.
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