A wide variety of new technologies aim to help family members monitor the health and safety of senior relatives who would like to continue living in their homes, HealthDay reports.Available DevicesSome of the new technologies include:
Computerized pillboxes that can track whether medication is being taken on time;
Devices that use global positioning system technology to locate someone who has wandered away from home; and
Sensors that track movement and can issue alerts if someone deviates from a routine.
Seniors’ ViewsElinor Ginzler — senior vice president for livable communities at AARP — said it would be incorrect to assume that older residents would reject the electronic monitoring devices because of a loss of privacy.
Ginzler cited a recent AARP survey, which found that nearly nine in 10 seniors said they would be willing to give up some privacy if they could remain in their homes longer.
Many seniors also said they would be willing to use specific home safety technologies even if they previously were unfamiliar with such devices.
Recommendations
Ginzler and Harry Wang — director of health and mobile product research for Parks Associates — offered three recommendations for promoting successful senior safety systems:
Companies and families should promote the devices;
The design of the devices should be simple so seniors can easily learn how to use the tools; and
The devices should be affordable (Thompson, HealthDay, 1/18).
