
Advertisement
Advertisement
Thomas Smallwood: No, I don't. They need to do more. Now me tell you this - they need to do that because they need to know that I'm OK. For instance, sometimes in the afternoon, I go to sleep in a chair in the living room, and then they phone me and I wake up and they tell me to move about a bit so they know that I'm OK.Do you feel like you're being watched?
Yes, I do feel like I'm being watched. But I'm glad that they do that. Because I'm a heart patient, have been a heart patient for 19 years. It's wonderful. I think that all independent people should have someone to find out how they're doing, because without this system you could've fallen on the floor no one would hear anything and no one would know where you are at.How broadly do you think it should be extended? Just to people with specific problems or to the more general population?
The population. Because if you're sick or anything like that it's a very serious situation. I could be talking to you right now and then right after that fall down and nobody knows.So that used to be a very big fear of yours?
Yes, it was because when I had a heart attack the first time I didn't know what was going on, whether anyone was going to find me in time.It is kind of like living in the future, isn't it?
It is.Do you think you're the tip of an iceberg? Do you see a lot of application for this?
I do. Because they need these things to make sure people are safe. I don't figure myself as elderly because I'm 73. I can still move and get around. But I have seen other people that actually need these things, because some of them can't do anything for themselves.Smallwood's also an ex-nursing home, and therein lies the crux. All technology above a certain level is indistinguishable from magic anyway. With such subtle sensors, eNeighbor-type systems are out of sight and out of mind. While we might all hypothetically fuss about moral implications, at a base level it's human nature to prefer invisible engines constantly watching over your life benevolently. Couple that with the massive savings in healthcare costs these systems bring, and a nation's seniors are about to become blinking dots on a control room gridmap. In the end, Big Brother loves you and you love Big Brother – what's the big deal anyway?GAVIN HAYNES
