Architect with ALS designs Chelsea apartments controlled by blinks
An assisted living center in Chelsea now has 100 bedrooms that allows residents with limited range of motion to control their environment through blinks and facial twitches, STAT reports.
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The systems at the Leonard Florence Center for Living were designed by Steve Saling, a 47-year-old landscape architect who was diagnosed with ALS, a neurodegenerative condition also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, 10 years ago. He designed the system because he was unwilling to accept a life completely dependent on caretakers, according to STAT.
The ability to open and control doors, control heat and air-conditioning, and turn on and off lights gives patients with ALS, multiple sclerosis, and other disabling conditions some control over their living environment.
Saling also started the ALS Residence Initiative, which aims to build more automated assisted living homes to serve ALS patients across the country.
Read the full STAT report here.
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