In the interest of aging in place when I'm old-old, I dream of building a house that will use cutting-edge technology. Such a home is apparently called a "smart" home, but since I haven't been smart about much in my life, I am approaching the whole project with some caution. By cutting-edge, I don't just mean a wheelchair-accessible home with low counters and wheel-in showers. When I say cutting edge, I mean a home with floors that respond should I fall on them. They'll be electronically attached to a call station that will alert an emergency crew who will immediately respond. I hear "bouncy" floors (a raw egg can bounce on them unbroken) are now available to soften my future falls and, as extra protection, I will, of course, wear hip-protectors to help me bounce back up, should I trip. Such devices are called assistive domotics and they include devices already in use for security and energy conservation. Examples of these are stoves with induction heating that can cook a meal but will never burn a hand; cupboards that descend on an hydraulic arm, at the push of a button, so the contents at the back of the cupboard can be reached easily; a bed that monitors bodily functions, and another that can roll a person over to prevent bed sores. As baby boomers threaten to overload the health-care system, the government is, a little belatedly, seeking ways to reduce the need for costly nursing homes and health-care facilities. They're investing some energy into the research and promotion of just such tools to aid the old-old to stay in their own homes.

Tesla had already demonstrated remote control even before the 20th century began, by startling people with a remote controlled boat. And already gadgets have lightened our load: food preparation is done in factories; machines wash our clothes and dishes; electricity and gas have simplified our lighting and heating, and thermostats our temperature control. We are already used to machines, so how much further can that idea go? However far, I want to incorporate these ideas in my old-old home.

Furniture in my home for when I'm really old, and even my clothing, will have micro-devices in them to recognize when I am at risk. I might find it useful to wear a Smart Shirt to pick up my vital signs and send them to a 24-hour control medical centre, which would also store my medical records. This transmitter would somehow not be dependent on batteries. I wonder how such a shirt would be washed.

Security tools, fall prevention devices (did you know that not having loose rugs is probably the biggest fall-prevention action you can take?) and automatic- timers will all go a long way to alert nearby caregivers. I'm not wild about having video cameras installed; I rarely do anything embarrassing now, but I may in the future. However, a tracking device that would pinpoint where I am as I move around my new home is fine with me.

My oven will recognize the ingredients in the dish it's cooking and switch off at the right time, thus preventing wastage of food because I was in the garden weeding and became so absorbed that I completely forgot about the meal. Controls that could distinguish a dry floor from a wet one would be useful should I be unable to deal with pipe bursts, taps left on accidentally, or flooding from outside rains.

Of course, cameras are already available to tell who is at the door, and I would use a cellphone to let the new arrivals know if they weren't welcome. A remote would let visitors in and lock the door behind them.

In a fire emergency, for people like my husband who have lost their sense of smell, the usual smoke alarm would sound, but also, the lights would flicker wildly and if the danger was extreme the fire department would be alerted.

An automatic reminder system would be a handy addition to my ideal home, connected either to my computer or a loudspeaker system to announce "time for your pills," or "your library books are due." Perhaps it could also turn lights on as I enter or leave a room. It would be great if all this could go on a Dick Tracey wristwatch.

Elsewhere in the house, the central computer system will also control lighting, temperature and everything else. I have seen a photograph of a patch panel for just such a system, and it is daunting, but then my robot would take care of the repairs.

Should I get rather feeble, there will be devices to dispense pills. I believe there are already glucose monitors for diabetics. I hope I will never need a spoon-feeding robot, although it might be welcome in other homes. I recently saw a truly amazing automatic arm that offered a glass of water to a quadriplegic.

A vacuuming robot is already available and apparently, there are care-providing-robot-friends who can help me prepare meals and might even be able to help me meet my writing deadlines. Of course, it will be a long time before such technology will totally replace caregivers, and for those of you ready to rush out and throw money at such devices, I should warn you that they are meant to augment, not replace.

All these devices would be able to tell when I was home and when I was away and adapt suitably. Since I am an environmentally-conscious being, I would have a smart grid to minimize power usage and, of course, it would all be Green Automation to guard against my misuse of community resources.

For amusement, a machine would sense my mood and offer classical music with a touch of country music thrown in. DVDs like Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth), Easy Virtue (again with Firth) and Born Yesterday (with a magnificent performance by Judy Holiday) would run continually. A book-reader (should my eyes fail) would entertain me with the very same Pride and Prejudice, 84 Charing Cross Road, War and Peace, The Uncommon Reader and a few other titles to keep me in a pleasant mood.

I don't drink coffee, drive a vehicle, have indoor plants, pets or an outdoor pool, so, I could at least eliminate electronic controls that would make coffee at a distance, chauffer me around, water my plants, walk my pets or clean my pool. For those of you who do and have, I've been told such devices already exist.

Folks do warn there will be a learning curve to all this. Since I don't even own a cellphone and have trouble beyond word-processing on my computer, I honestly think mine will be a very steep curve. All these novel aids, while welcome, may be too much for the uncomplicated life I have established for myself. I know I should be flexible, but my joints tell me this is getting more and more difficult. So, I think, on due consideration, that when I am old-old, I might just move to the garden shed at the bottom of the yard, where there is just room enough for a bed, with a small table for my yellow writing pads, a jar of yellow pencils, and a large shelf for my favourite books. There I will live on bread and cheese and raid our garden when I needed veggies or fruit. That appeals to me as a much more reasonable personalized shelter than a robotized house for when I am very old. Thoreau, move over.

AUGUST 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER ISLAND