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Eldercare Review | Friday, April 29, 2022
Seniors can sometimes be looked out for without a human presence with the help of technology.
FREMONT, CA: For centuries, seniors have been managed somewhat routinely: there's a doctor (who analyses and supports medication needs) and a caregiver (a family member or a team of nurses who look(s) after the everyday requirements). They may then need assistance because of a variety of problems, which include:
Deficiency of mobility
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Memory loss
Loss of vision or hearing
Solitude
Fortunately for baby boomers, however, they may just be aging at the right time. That's because technology has never been better for elder care. In the last 10 to 15 years, with the growing development of smartphones and advanced GPS, senior care has greatly bettered thanks to the technology connected with these developments.
The IoT(Internet of Things) is quite an easy concept: it's the relationship of devices that can be switched on and off through an Internet connection, allowing for data sharing. This also applies in the medical world, thereby creating the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT).
The medical world has begun to use this type of information sharing to support seniors with their medication schedules, vital signs, and embeds to help their health. We'll look at a lot of the other senior care technology—seven of them—including the IoMT. They concentrate on quickly spreading details and supporting seniors in the best feasible ways.
For decades, GPS (Global Positioning System) has been around. Still, in the last 10 years, two characteristics have greatly improved: location accuracy and the details the satellite system can convey.
GPS can aid in locating a senior who may become lost. Elders with memory issues from dementia and Alzheimer's disease have a practice of wandering, which could mean getting confused or lost even if the senior knows the location well.
The necessity to locate seniors is enormous, and having upgraded GPS services and technology can help with that. For instance, some companies produce GPS trackers that can be ironed into clothing, placed in the soles of shoes, or put in handbags. You can position these systems in seniors' standard clothing accessories, and they can be found if they aren't where they're supposed to be.
Phone applications are one of the greatest technological advancements that have helped seniors and caregivers in several ways. With any fundamental smartphone, seniors can watch things such as their medication, heart rate, and location (if they're somebody with memory loss and may abruptly not know where they are).
Just as significant, though, apps are quite helpful for families and caregivers. The details they assemble can be transmitted to doctors to see how seniors are affected as they age, from their mobility to how the medication affects them. Apps also enable family members to monitor their seniors and know where they are at all times. This can be especially helpful if they witness the family member's action has reduced.
In their easiest forms, apps also support keeping seniors occupied. A study uncovered that most seniors like to engage their time with reading and "pursuing religious actions." Endless apps have been designed to help seniors stay notified with news, and other apps allow seniors to read their favorite books.
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