It’s a nightmare scenario: You leave your aging parent alone at home after an evening visit. You return the next afternoon to find them helplessly sprawled on the bathroom floor after having fallen in the middle of the night. Seniors, especially in the 70-plus crowd, have a high probability of being injured severely even from a small mishap, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center. And it isn’t just the risk of falling that puts seniors in danger.
Thankfully, today’s technology has made it easier for seniors to live alone without being completely cut off from the rest of the world. Keep reading for tech innovations that can counter everything from mobility issues to visual impairments and cognitive decline.
Communication
In the scene above, the senior was unable to call for help. This never needs to be the case again. Smart home devices, such as Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa, offer far-reaching voice recognition and can be linked up to apps and services that allow a senior to call for help. Apps such as Ask My Buddy can ensure that your senior loved one always has a listening ear. Video calling is another option to help caregivers stay in touch with elderly or disabled family members. Fatherly.com claims that Loop, a retro-style video calling monitor, even has the option of sharing photos instantly, which may provide a much-needed morale boost on lonely days.
Remote Security
When a senior lives alone, their safety is a concern always looming at the front of your mind. A number of remote-viewing security cameras can help you keep an eye on grandma even if you’re miles away. REOLink discusses the best types of remote viewing security cameras in this post. If you are concerned about your senior’s overall wellness, something as simple as a fitness tracker can help you keep an eye on their health. These devices can track and report on when there has not been enough activity or when heart rate becomes too elevated.
Fall Prevention
One of the simplest updates you can do to help the seniors stay on their feet is to install motion-activated lights throughout the home. Further, seniors with mobility issues will benefit from technology that prevents having to navigate multiple rooms to lock up for the evening. Recent engineering innovations can also prevent seniors from falling in the bathroom, which is one of the most dangerous locations in the home. Walk-in bathtubs are readily available and feature a chair-height seat, grab bars, and slip-resistant bottoms to reduce the risk of slipping when entering and exiting the bathtub.
Medication
According to Pharmacy Times, approximately one-half of the two billion US prescriptions filled each year are taken incorrectly. Seniors with memory issues are at the highest risk of over- or under-dosing themselves. Medication reminder apps are an invaluable addition to your senior’s home-health arsenal. If they do not have access to a smartphone or are uncomfortable using one, an automatic pill dispenser and organizer is an option.
Quality of Life
In addition to safety, there are many technological advancements that can improve a senior’s overall quality of life. Large screen computer monitors and tablets, voice-controlled televisions, and even smartphones designed for those with visual impairments and arthritis can have a positive impact on a seniors day-to-day comfort.
Older Americans are increasingly electing to live independently. Colonial Life estimates that by 2050, there will be nearly 84 million seniors (defined as persons over the age of 65) living in the US. Fortunately for this and all subsequent generations, the world is a much smaller place and help can be reached in an instant thanks to the ever-evolving world of online connectivity.
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