Testimonials:

It's been 6 years since I was asked to participate in a project aimed at older people who want to live longer at home. I really enjoy showing others around a house with all kinds of modern gadgets and getting them excited about what technology can do for them. I myself have already seen many new aid products and I hope that I can be part of this iZi project for a long time to come.

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I am Annet, 29 years old and became deaf due to a nervous disorder. From the age of 21 I slowly lost my hearing. So I've had the chance to adapt to it more and more. At home I have a wake-up and warning system. There are a number of flashing lights scattered around my house that alert me when, for example, the doorbell or fire alarm rings.

It is also possible to connect a baby monitor or alarm clock to it. The latter works with a vibrating disc under the mattress. I found that waking up rather intense, so I came up with a different solution as an alarm clock. I now use my sports watch for that. It vibrates around my arm and I like that better than the vibrating disc. Ideal, because I wake up quietly, on time and my hearing friend can sleep through my alarm clock if I have to get up early. I also use my sports watch as a kitchen timer or if I need a timer for something else. I also had a flash lamp installed at work that is connected to the fire alarm.

To be able to communicate, it is important for me to have enough light in the house so that I can read lips or refrain from gestures. In addition, my friend often uses a light switch to flicker a lamp. With this he gets my attention so I know he wants to say something. Handy for when I'm upstairs and he's downstairs!

I also use an app that converts speech to text. I don't really make phone calls anymore. I use whatsapp a lot and to contact companies I use their chat or social media. Suppose it is really necessary to call, for example in an emergency, I use the Tolkcontact app. This allows me to call via an interpreter who translates the conversation for me. You probably understand that I always make sure that I have my phone with me and that it is sufficiently charged. Even if, for example, I have a miscommunication or lip reading is not going well (think of face masks), I can communicate with my phone everywhere!

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My name is Ans, I am now 81 years old and I have worked in various positions until my retirement, of which the last 20 years as a personnel officer in the office. Due to knee surgery, I joined iZi a little later after the start, but I was immediately enthusiastic. After closing the old people's homes, iZi managed to fill the 'gap' nicely with all the possibilities to continue to live safely and comfortably at home for longer. In addition, the guided tours that we offer for different visitors are especially nice to do and are also very popular.

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I'm Ernie. I can still see 1% in a very small field of view (0.05 degrees), so I'm always careful not to bump into anything. By comparison, people with a normal field of vision can see about 140 degrees horizontally and 80 degrees vertically.

I haven't always been so visually impaired. 'My brain keeps filling in spaces based on what I've been able to see before. My brain is working overtime and that makes me want to limit the signals I receive, because otherwise I get overtired. So that's why I dose the signals I receive through equipment and keep it on a certain basis'. So technology is very important to me as a basis. I currently mainly use the iPhone for reading a book and playing music. I also use my iPhone to operate the lighting, the heating thermostat and the blinds. In addition, I use Google Home, so that I can do everything spoken.

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