This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/homeassistant by /u/Affectionate-Tea-650 on 2026-06-09 22:35:14+00:00.
I am exploring an early-stage idea and would appreciate thoughtful criticism, pointers to related work, and advice from people who understand Home Assistant better than I do.
My name is Mark Shea. Years ago, I owned and operated a small in-home care agency in Washington State. That experience left me with a problem I have never quite stopped thinking about:
How can families notice when an older adult may need attention without turning that person's home into a surveillance space?
Many families face an uncomfortable choice. They want reassurance that a parent or neighbor is okay, but they do not want cameras, constant monitoring, or a system that treats a human being as a collection of risk scores.
The idea I am exploring is called the Caring Sensor Community, or CSC.
At its simplest, CSC would use modest, consented household sensors and locally controlled processing to notice meaningful changes in ordinary routines. A motion sensor might notice that the kitchen has not been active during the usual morning window. A temperature sensor might notice that a home has become dangerously cold. A door sensor might notice an unusual pattern.
The first response would not necessarily be an alarm or an emergency call. It might simply be a gentle suggestion to a trusted care circle:
“Someone may want to check in.”
The principle I keep returning to is:
Sensors advise. People decide.
I am particularly interested in designs that keep household data local, share only the minimum necessary information, and make consent visible and revocable. I am not trying to create a medical device or a substitute for family, caregivers, or neighbors.
One small prototype I am considering is a modern version of a paired “presence lamp.” A lamp in one home glows softly when ordinary activity is noticed near its paired lamp in another home. The signal is deliberately small. It is closer to noticing a porch light across the street than checking a monitoring dashboard.
Home Assistant seems potentially important because so much of the local-first infrastructure, device integration, and community knowledge may already exist. I do not want to reinvent good work that other people have already done.
I also do not assume that this broader idea is original. Someone may already be doing something similar, or doing it better and further along. If so, I would genuinely like to learn about it.
My questions for this community are:
- Are there existing Home Assistant projects, integrations, blueprints, or community efforts focused on aging in place or gentle care-circle check-ins?
- What technical or ethical problems do you immediately see?
- What would you keep local, and what, if anything, would you allow to leave the home?
- Does a small prototype such as a presence lamp seem like a useful place to start?
- Are there people or projects I should learn from before going further?
I am at the listening stage. Questions, cautions, references, and constructive skepticism are all welcome.