Technology helps seniors age safely in place in a number of unique and helpful ways.“You are always free to choose what you do with your life. To make changes in your future, make new choices today.” – Brian Tracy
Identifying where to live in our older age isn’t easy. Nearly all seniors would like to remain at home for a lifetime, but it is not without challenges. Can it be safe? How about mobility issues as well as other physical limitations? What if a senior falls and can’t get up?
Thankfully, there are a large variety of solutions that make aging in place feasible for older adults. Technology, for example, is regularly evolving and developing, offering answers to the difficulties that could arise as we grow older. Consider several of these tech devices and how technology for seniors can help improve life at home!
Remote Patient Monitoring
Remote patient monitoring connects individuals to their doctors in groundbreaking ways: wearable devices to trace vital signs, smart pill bottles with sensors, bio-ingestible capsules older adults can swallow, even electronic tattoos that can assess the progression of pneumonia. It’s a step above telehealth appointments, delivering more in-depth data on an individual’s health condition than can be detected via a video conference.
Home Safety
Smart devices provide peace of mind to an older person living alone – and to the family members who care about them. Seniors can select from individual devices that meet a particular need, such as a smart door lock, doorbell, or fire alarm, or entire smart security system with all of these features and much more.
Additionally, a smart speaker system such as Google Nest Audio or Amazon Echo works by voice command, an essential feature to a home technology system. The older adult can simply say what they need, for example, calling for help, and technology takes care of it.
Whole Home Automation
For individuals who prefer to jump into technology with both feet, a central control system will allow for a number of functions to be done at the touch of a tablet or smartphone, for example, lights, video security cameras, sensors, window shades, thermostat, music, Wi-Fi, and more.
Michael Miller, author of My Smart Home for Seniors, sums up the advantages of technology for older adults: “Technology helps all homeowners, but especially seniors, by automating things that are a pain or difficult to do.”
Needless to say, a human touch is always essential for independent and safe living at home, regardless of how many tech tools we utilize! Email or call Home Sweet Home In-Home Care’s experts in Portage home health care services at (866) 229-2505 for individualized in-home care support that will help older adults truly thrive. See our Locations page for all of the areas our services are available.