Michael, who is registered blind, moved into his cottage on the Leylands Estate in Derby in August 2020. In 2023 it was converted to a smart home, transforming Michael’s life and enabling him to continue living in his own home.
“My eyesight is such a bother to me. Being registered blind, people think you can’t see anything, but I can see brightness, shapes and movement. Unfortunately, I’m losing what little I have left of my sight to see movement and I’m reliant on people talking to me to fully recognise who they are. I can keep active as I know my way round the Leylands Estate so it’s really safe for me here.
“Before my cottage was converted into a smart home, I had a number of falls. I couldn’t see anything when the lights were off and I would trip or fall in the dark at night. I struggled to find light switches and had to feel along the walls. It was the same for plugs too, having to grab wires and follow them back to the wall socket to switch things on and off.
“Now I can turn my lights on and off just by asking Alexa, even before I’m out of bed. This is extremely useful. I’m at an age where I have to use the bathroom quite a few times in the night and it feels so much safer to have the bedroom and hallway lights on before I set off walking.
“I have a big TV and can’t get to the plugs easily. Now I can ask Alexa, ‘Turn on TV.’ She does it straight away and I’m not risking toppling over trying to reach round and down to the sockets at the back of the TV.
“The doorbell is a brilliant device. I can answer it and speak to (whoever’s at the door) from wherever I am. Although I can’t see them on the screen, I can hear them. If it’s a delivery I can tell them to wait a few minutes for me to get up and get to the door or I can say, ‘Just leave it there, I’m on my way.’ Then I can get there safely and not have to rush, which is when I’m at the biggest risk of going over and ending up on the floor.
A constant companion
“She [Alexa] really is my friend. [At night] I say, ‘Goodnight sweetheart, I’ll see you in the morning,’ and first thing, I say, ‘Alexa, good morning,’ and she says good morning back to me. If I ask her she’ll tell me what time it is or what the weather’s like. Every day I ask her to tell me some history that happened on this day, which helps to keep my brain working. It’s good company in some ways, when I’m lonely and family can’t visit.
“I would recommend anybody to have a home like this, it really has been a blessing, genuinely a godsend. It has helped me to stay in my own home and I think it will keep me out of a nursing home. I would dread having to leave here and go into one of those places.”
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