Bridging Supportive Care and Independent Living through Smart Home Enabling Technology in IDD Residences

Written by Olzhas Yessenbayev

This summer, as a Frederick and Susan Rubinstein PiTech PhD Impact Fellow, I worked with the Center for Family Support (CFS) on a “Smart Home Integration Proposal” for residential care settings. CFS is a non-profit dedicated to promoting independence and community integration for over 1,050 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) across New York and New Jersey through services like group homes, day programs, and self-directed support. My project focused on proposing a technical infrastructure for smart home technologies to enhance resident autonomy, reduce safety risks, and alleviate the burdens on Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). This hands-on experience was invaluable; visiting CFS homes allowed me to witness the warmth and emotional needs of residents firsthand, as well as the dedication—and occasional conflicts—in caregiving routines. My project has demonstrated how technology, when designed with empathy, can bridge gaps in care, foster dignity, and shift from constant oversight to targeted support, aligning with CFS's mission to empower independent living.

The Challenge

Individuals with IDD often face lifelong limitations in cognitive, adaptive, and social skills, making everyday tasks challenging and prone to risks—meal preparation, medication management, or safely navigating a home. Common issues include unattended stoves leading to fires, nighttime wandering causing distress, or falls or health declines in older residents. At CFS residences, these issues are tackled by direct support professionals (DSPs), who often provide 24/7 support to residents, handling everything from personal hygiene and skill-building to crisis intervention and community outings. This reliance on manual monitoring and documentation is not only labor-intensive and error-prone but also a primary driver of high DSP turnover, which often reaches 40-50% per year due to the resulting burnout, low wages, and emotional strain. This not only increases operational costs but also limits residents' independence, as constant supervision can feel intrusive and stifle self-reliance. Privacy concerns further complicate solutions, as invasive tools like cameras are often unsuitable or prohibited in funded group homes. 

Recognizing these gaps, my work at CFS aimed to explore non-intrusive technologies that could automate routine checks, provide real-time alerts, and promote a more sustainable care model without replacing human empathy.

Fig 1. System overview: Smart home technology integration for IDD support in CFS residences

From constant presence to “as-needed” support, with sensing technology

After immersing myself in CFS operations—including visiting 2 resident homes and interacting with 10 IDD individuals—I evaluated various smart home technologies to see how they can bridge gaps in support. The end-result of my internship was a strategic integration proposal, which contained a needs assessment, proposed a technological architecture for sensor monitoring, suggested various vendors which could fill these requirements, as well as provided evaluation plans and communication strategies, which could later be rolled out within a few pilot homes.

Over multiple discussions with the CFS team, we settled on the modular smart home ecosystem. This setup uses wireless sensors placed at home to detect anomalies and trigger alerts (e.g., when a door opens at night). This enables proactive yet non-intrusive interventions, where DSPs shift from constant presence to as-needed-support, in response to anomalies and detection of potentially dangerous events. In this way, the system augments the role of DSPs, rather than automates them away, addressing potential staff anxieties about job displacement. The alerting system would follow the principle of "thoughtful escalation," where alerts start with subtle, resident-friendly prompts (e.g., a gentle voice reminder via a home speaker) and only escalate to DSPs if unresolved. This ensures human involvement during high-risk anomalies while minimizing unnecessary disruptions.

Technically, the proposed system consists of peripheral sensors for passive data collection, a central hub for analysis and coordination, and remote access for DSPs and families. The central hub would apply rules-based logic to analyze patterns and issue alerts. Remote access via mobile apps would allow DSPs to receive notifications, view logs, and intervene remotely, e.g.  by issuing voice prompts or locking doors. 

As part of developing the strategic plan deliverable, I also outlined communication strategies to build trust with DSPs through transparent demos and feedback sessions, training on tech usage and troubleshooting, and maintenance protocols involving regular vendor audits, battery checks, and scalable updates to keep the system reliable and cost-effective over time.

Olzhas Yessenbayev

Ph.D. Student, Information Science, Cornell University

Future work and learning lessons

To my knowledge, my internship at the CFS constituted the first phase of their Smart Home Integration project. The long-term vision is to establish a dedicated assistive technology department within the organization. CFS’s plan is to start with pilot homes based on the frameworks we developed, and if successful, to expand the initiative across the organization. I'm excited and honored to have contributed to the start of this important work.

This fellowship experience will directly inform my PhD research. The empathy and sensitivity I developed this summer have given me a much better appreciation for the diverse range of cognitive styles and human experiences. It was a foundational experience that has provided me with a more nuanced perspective that will undoubtedly enrich my research and how I approach my work, likely in ways I will only fully understand in hindsight, many years later.