According to the US Census Bureau, 43 million seniors are living in the United States today. As the baby boomer generation continues to age, that number will rise. The increase in the elderly population creates a need for better tools, including improved types of technology for senior care.
Thankfully, there are plenty of technology-based products that can make life easier. Many of these are available to the general public, making things much simpler for caregivers and seniors.
In this post, we’re covering 5 different types of technology that can all make your life easier.
Important Technology for Senior Care
Medication Reminders
Elderly adults are taking more medications than in the past. Four prescriptions per day is the median for this population. Fully one-third of people over 60 take at least five prescription medications daily.
The timing and dosing of each medication can be different, so keeping track of multiple medications requires managing a large amount of information each day.
At the same time, elderly adults are more likely to have memory challenges. These factors often lead to underdosing or overdosing medication, which can create even more medical problems and life risks for elderly adults.
In the past, elderly adults who had difficulty keeping up with their medication requirements often needed a physical caregiver to help them. With the advent of medication reminder apps and pill cases with timers and alarms, remembering to take each prescription correctly at the right time every day becomes much easier.
Technology also provides the option to send alerts to others when a pill bottle is opened. These alerts can go to a family member, a caregiver, or a medical professional. The alert helps ensure that the elderly adult is taking their medication on time and at the correct frequency, providing peace of mind for both the caregiver and the patient.
Glucose Monitors
More than 15 million seniors in the United States have diabetes. Not only is that a huge percentage of adults 65 and over, but the numbers have been steadily increasing.
Elderly adults who suffer from diabetes are at risk for several other serious medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, kidney failure, and adult-onset blindness. Clearly, managing diabetes well can play a huge role in the overall health and longevity of the elderly.
The key to managing diabetes is to maintain blood sugar levels within an acceptable range. In the past, the only way to test blood sugar was to prick your finger and test a drop of blood with a specialized testing strip.
Technological advances have created glucose monitors that do not require a finger prick. These Continuous Glucose Monitors have a tiny flexible cannula that is snapped onto the skin of a diabetic patient and is worn as a patch on the skin.
A monitor reads the information from the implant or patch and tells the patient their blood sugar level. The ability to determine blood sugar levels without finger sticks helps the elderly to monitor their health and avoid further medical complications more effectively.
GPS Tracking Services
The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that over 6 million adults 65 and over have Alzheimer’s dementia. As dementia progresses, seniors are more likely to get confused and lost.
What was once a short walk to the store can quickly become an opportunity to get lost and wander the area looking for something familiar. Caregivers and family members often worry about the consequences of an elderly dementia patient losing their way.
Technology for seniors is powerful here, as GPS tracking devices can literally save the life of an elderly adult with dementia who gets lost. These devices can be small and discrete and can be used with or without the knowledge of the patient.
Many seniors with dementia cannot reliably remember to take a GPS device with them when they leave the house, so options such as sensors that can be attached to the sole of a shoe or woven into the fabric of clothing can provide an extra level of protection and peace of mind. There’s even a product called GPS Smart Sole, where the GPS device is in the sole of a person’s shoe.
As technology advances, there will be even more options for using GPS to keep track of the elderly who are at risk.
Smartwatches
Smartwatch technology allows people to carry powerful applications right on their wrists. The watch can work hand in hand with the apps that monitor blood sugar, manage prescription medications, or track the location of the wearer.
Pill cases with timers and alarms can send messages through a smartwatch app straight to the wrist of the senior needing to take the medication. Smartwatches are typically equipped with a vibration option so that elderly adults who have experienced hearing loss can still get the notification.
Glucose monitoring devices can show the blood sugar levels of the diabetic patient right on the watch. The availability of this information makes it that much easier for seniors to make appropriate choices for managing their diabetes.
Smartwatches can also have tracking turned on so that caregivers know where the wearer is. This is especially helpful for elderly adults who are experiencing the early stages of memory loss.
Telehealth
Regular and routine health care for the elderly is vital to maintaining health and independence. The technology that allows seniors to use telehealth for some of their routine health needs takes away one potential barrier to accessing the care they need.
Elderly patients can schedule video appointments with their doctors as well as use online platforms to request medication refills, receive test results, and receive medical advice from the comfort and safety of their homes.
In addition to physical health concerns in elderly adults, people often struggle with mental health issues like anxiety and depression as they age. The aging process can feel unknown and frightening to many as they experience new limitations and challenges.
Telehealth appointments with mental health professionals can help seniors to manage their anxiety or depression discretely and conveniently. Elderly adults who are struggling with mental health issues can get the help they need as they adjust to new and often changing realities.
Helping the Elderly use the Technology
All of these types of technology for seniors require the user to learn a new application or device. For the elderly, learning to use the technology that is available often feels too challenging, causing older adults to be resistant to embracing the new technologies that can aid in their care. It is imperative, therefore, that they are educated well on the technology tools they have so that they feel comfortable using them correctly.
Caregivers can help by providing instructions in a way that seniors can understand, recall, and implement the tools. They must be careful to use language that connects with them and practice patience as the elderly learns to use the new technology.
Educating seniors and helping them to develop routines around using these technology tools can remove this barrier, allowing the elderly to embrace the technology that can help them navigate their needs as they age.
There are many other examples of exciting new technology to help seniors and caregivers – and more will be developed with time. Such tools can keep seniors safer and give them the information they need to manage their evolving medical challenges. The technology can also give both the elderly and their caregivers peace of mind at a time that can be fraught with worry.
This post includes sponsored links.
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