Monaco’s Princess Grace Hospital (CHPG) has unveiled a groundbreaking connected apartment simulator designed to help patients transition back to independent living. The project was made possible thanks to a generous €150,000 donation from Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.
The facility, inaugurated on September 15th, recreates a realistic home environment within the hospital’s geriatric service. The two-room setup includes essential living spaces – bedroom, kitchen and bathroom – all fitted with furniture equipment specially destined for patients with motor and sensory impairments.
“The idea is really to adapt to patients and their lifestyle habits at home,” explained Dr Ingrid Laurent, psychologist at CHPG who spoke to Monaco Life about the new facility. “Whatever the pathology, we can help patients maintain their living habits while adapting their accommodation.”
The simulator features motorised furniture that can be adjusted to individual needs, grab rails that fold away when not required, and smart lighting systems that respond to movement or emergency calls. For patients with hearing difficulties, the system uses coloured lights to indicate when someone is at the door.
In the kitchen, sinks can be raised or lowered electronically, while the bathroom includes a shower chair that retracts when not needed and grab rails that fold away. The toilet can be adjusted to the optimal height for each user, and there’s a transfer chair similar to the bath tub. Voice-activated controls allow patients to operate lights and blinds using simple commands.
Psychological benefits
Beyond practical training, the apartment serves a crucial psychological function. “If a patient can no longer envisage returning home, they easily become depressed,” Laurent notes. “But if they can see it’s possible because it resembles their home and they can do things again by adapting to their current vulnerability, they can reimagine a possible life.”
The apartment simulator represents the latest chapter in Sir Stelios’s longstanding support for the hospital. During the Covid-19 pandemic, his foundation distributed €2,000 worth of shopping vouchers to healthcare workers, and has previously funded cutting-edge medical equipment including ultrasound scanners, robotic surgery systems, and cardiac treatment technology.
Dr Sandrine Louchart de La Chapelle, head of the geriatric service, and hospital director Benoîte Rousseau de Sevelinges demonstrated the facility to Sir Stelios in the presence of Monaco’s Health Minister Christophe Robino and hospital board president Caroline Rougaignon-Vernin.
For many patients, the facility offers hope and confidence in their ability to adapt and thrive in their own homes, supported by technology that makes daily tasks more manageable.
See more in Kyriaki Topalidou’s reel below…
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