As follow-up to an article we published Feb. 17, 2012, The New York Times reports the first MEDCottage will be delivered this month to a family in Alexandria, Virginia. As an alternative to placing aging family members in a nursing home, this 12-by-24 bedroom-bathroom-kitchenette modular unit, designed to fit in a backyard of a family home, is outfitted with high-tech monitoring and safety features comparable to those found in nursing homes. The special rubber floors provide a relatively soft landing in case of a fall, and 24-hour video cameras sweep an area 12 inches from the floor up, affording residents’ privacy while monitoring their movement. A floor mat from the bed to the bathroom lights up when stepped on for nighttime trips to the toilet, and tracks on the ceiling can accommodate a lift. MHProNews.com has learned more elaborate medical equipment can also be installed with information fed into the primary residence, and a voice will tell the resident if they have forgotten to take medication on time. Developed by N2Care in collaboration with the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, the MEDCottage sells for $85,000 and N2Care will repurchase it after two years for $36,000.

(Photo credit: N2Care)