1. An automated personal assistance system comprising: (a) a plurality of environmental sensors positioned at a residence and sensing respective environmental parameters of an environment of said residence; (b) a plurality of occupant sensors sensing occupant parameters of an occupant of said residence including a current location of said occupant within said residence and a history of locations of said occupant; (c) a plurality of environmental actuators controllable to vary said environmental parameters of said residence; (d) a speech recognition unit including a microphone operable to receive and interpret vocal commands from said occupant; (e) an assistance controller having said environmental and occupant sensors, said environmental actuators, and said speech recognition unit interfaced thereto; and (f) said assistance controller being programmed to control said environmental parameters by way of said environmental actuators in response to values of said environmental and occupant parameters sensed by said environmental and occupant sensors and/or in response to vocal commands from said occupant.