Caring for an elderly relative is often a challenging period for all involved. When a loved one approaches the end of their life and can no longer live at home or look after themselves, making the decision to move them into a nursing home can be distressing.

One alternative has always been to have the relative move in with a family member, but a US company, N-2-Care, has devised a clever solution - the MED Cottage.

A MED Cottage is a mobile, modular home designed to be temporarily placed on a caregiver's property for a period of extended care.

The room has many features of a hospital room. It uses robotic technology to remotely monitor vital signs, filter the cottage's air, and is electronically connected with the outside world to enable easy communication. In-built cameras and specialised lighting allow you to watch over the occupant from a distance. A MED Cottage also has specially designed sinks, toilets and showers, emergency pull cords, and support rails.

The cottage has a small kitchen, with a sink, stove, and microwave, and is attractively finished to make it as comfortable and home-like as possible.

Reverend Kenneth Duplin is the founder and CEO of N-2-Care, and developed the product in 2009. Since then only a handful have been built. But recently, David Wolfe, a nutritionist with millions of followers posted a video of the MED Cottages on Facebook, and it went viral and has since has 25 million views.

Duplin's office has fielded thousands of calls from prospective customers who want to order MED Cottages. "You never really know whether or not an idea's time has come," said Duplin. "I think (the attention) said to us that what we've been working on for the last eight to ten years - it's day is finally here. It says to me there's a lot of people that want to do this, and I want to help them do it."

Watch this space.