7 Ways Technology for Elderly People Has Made Aging Easier

Aging is inevitable. But slowly getting out of the loop with technology isn’t.

Technology for the elderly has vastly improved society’s ability to care for its senior citizens. It can help to offset some of the impairments seniors have and can also help to make the lives of carers significantly easier.

How? This article highlights 7 ways technology for the elderly is helping keep people younger for longer.

1. GPS Services

GPS technology has been around for a while, but in recent years, it’s improved significantly. GPS devices can now determine your location with outstanding accuracy and detail. So how could this technology help with senior care?

Many senior citizens have conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. People who have these conditions have a tendency to wander off and get lost. If they’re not found quickly, the chance of injury is high.

Companies now make convenient GPS trackers that can be ironed into clothes or placed into the soles of shoes. If a senior goes missing, GPS tracking makes it incredibly easy to find them again. Instead of spending hours searching, you can figure out exactly where they are within 30 seconds.

2. Emergency Response Services

Everyone in the US is familiar with Life Alert. We’ve all seen the commercials: “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” This service revolutionized care for the elderly when it first came onto the market 20 years ago.

Lack of mobility or difficulty with sight can put seniors in a lot of danger when they’re at home alone. Thankfully, technology is making things a lot safer. This means help can be sent for a lot quicker.

Examples of emergency response technology includes things like a belt that deploys an airbag around the hips in the event of a fall. The belt then immediately signals for help.

3. Cameras

Unfortunately, elder abuse is a very real and serious issue. But technology enables us to combat this problem.

For instance, it’s now possible to get very small and incognito cameras. These cameras can also integrate with other technology to do things like send you text message alerts. For example, cameras can detect that your elderly relative has not gotten out of bed and send you a text alert.

4. The Internet of Things

In the near future, you’ll be able to connect a lot more of your devices to a wifi network. This includes things like your fridge or your coffee maker. You’ll be able to see how full your fridge is when you’re out of the house.

This technological revolution also has some great implications for senior care. For example, this could include implants that can wirelessly monitor vital signs and send out alerts if something is wrong.

5. Technology for the Elderly Medication Assistance

A problem faced by many seniors is the sheer number of medicines they have to take. Almost 40% of senior citizens have to take five or more prescription drugs over a month-long period, quite often daily.

This is a problem because many seniors are forgetful and might have trouble remembering if they’ve taken their medications or not. This could lead to missed medicines or in some cases, accidental overdoses.

Technology is helping to eliminate these problems. There are now pill boxes available with built-in alarms which alert senior citizens as to when they need to take their medication. They can also send out other alerts in the form of text messages to let people know it’s time to take their medications.

This kind of technology can drastically reduce the number of accidental double or missed doses.

6. Phone Apps

There are phone apps to help with all kinds of issues, which can help both senior citizens themselves and their carers. For example, seniors can use phone apps to monitor their health and their medication. If they’re someone who suffers from sudden memory loss, they can also use their phone’s GPS to check where they are.

Carers can also use phone apps to track the activity of their loved ones. If someone’s activity suddenly decreases without explanation, it could indicate there’s a medical issue that needs addressing.

Helping Them Feel Connected

Many seniors like to spend their time reading, and phone apps can certainly help with that. The majority have visual impairments, meaning it’s very difficult for them to read regular text. E-reader apps allow you to make the text significantly bigger, which makes it easy to read, even if you’re heavily visually impaired.

Sometimes, visiting your loved ones in person isn’t always possible. You might live on the other side of the country, so you only get to make infrequent visits.

Video calling using apps such as Skype is a great alternative to meeting in person. While nothing beats a face-to-face meeting, these kind of apps are a lot more personal than a phone call.

They also allow you to share your screen with another person. This can be useful if your loved one is having technical issues but you can’t be there to help.

They can simply show you the problem on their screen. There are even apps that allow you to take control of your loved one’s computer for them.

7. Access Ramps

Access ramps are certainly less cutting-edge than some of the other technology on this list. But for many senior citizens, they’re essential for getting in and out of their homes.

Access ramps make it incredibly easy for a senior to get in and out of places and they can be easily fitted onto almost any property.

It Can Only Get Better

Technology is enriching the lives of senior citizens and their carers and it’s only going to get better in the future.

For instance, soon seniors may be able to get augmented reality glasses. These will be able to overlay digital graphics on top of the real world. For example, an arrow could appear, pointing you in the right direction.

As our understanding of technology advances, technology for the elderly people is only going to improve.

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