It doesn't matter if you are trying to tune a guitar, learn a new language, or just add cats’ ears to a selfie, there is an app for that! And for seniors who prefer to age in place, technology may be an essential element in improving safety, comfort, and overall wellbeing.
Take Amazon’s Alexa, as an example. Whereas its current benefits for seniors are many, like the ability to track sugar levels, make medical appointments, and research information related to a certain health issue, it is actually poised to dig even deeper within the medical care arena – maybe even detecting heart attacks and helping doctors obtain precise diagnoses.
Here are several additional technology solutions you might want to consider for an older adult you love:
- Home Security: A motion-detecting security system provides peace of mind related to crime prevention; however, often it can perform a lot more tasks, such as alerting when sensing smoke, broken glass, or when temperatures in the house are abnormally high or low, just to name a few. They’re also good for individuals with dementia who may be vulnerable to wandering, to alert to an older adult's movements around the house.
- Telehealth: Save a trip to your physician's office through the use of one of a number of apps which allow for remote consultations from board-certified physicians, psychologists, and psychiatrists, many of whom are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
- Fall Prevention: One of many main contributors to older adult falls is insufficient lighting. Smart lights use motion detection to improve lighting in areas of specific concern, such as between the bedroom and bathroom, or on outside walkways, when triggered by a person’s movement.
- Fraud Protection: Senior scammers are unrelenting and consistently evolving their tactics. The elderly can enhance protection through apps that keep an eye on financial activity and neighborhood crime activity, reduce robocalls, catch any usage of a person’s Social Insurance number, and more.
- Health Care: A variety of health care needs can now be met without leaving home, including video chats with physicians to avoid a trip to the office, medication ordering, and medication management to make certain meds are taken at the recommended times and in the proper doses.
Contact Amy’s Helping Hands, the Windsor-Essex home care agency families trust, for additional ideas on enhancing life at home for older adults – whether with technology, our specialized in-home care assistance, or both! We’re always available to help set up and explain technological options, and to provide the tried-and-true, hands-on assistance in the home that enables cherished loved ones to live their best lives. Contact us any time at 519.915.4370 for an in-home consultation and let us know how we can help you!
