When a family must make decisions about an elder relative’s ability to age in place at home, physical and cognitive health often are basic deciding factors. For the elder who can stay at home with some medical monitoring, technology offer an array of solutions that can interact with medical providers, send alerts, and summon help.
Recent Advancements
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on delivery of health care as medical consultation quickly evolved from face-to-face visits to virtual visits by Zoom, Skype, and proprietary systems. Most major health insurers offer coverage for virtual consultations and so does Medicare and Medicaid in most states. Spurred by quarantine and stay-at-home requirements, telehealth applications are gaining widespread acceptance and will likely remain in place post-pandemic.
Health Tracking
Beyond virtual medical appointments, technologies such as GrandCare Systems® offer a suite of monitoring, reminder, and messaging tools that track health conditions (e.g. glucose, oxygen, blood pressure, and weight) as well as daily activity such as meals and exercise. The system uses a large interface touchscreen that can also let the user watch videos, video chat with family and friends, play games, listen to music, and read the news. Worn on the wrist like a wristwatch, VitalBand® provides streaming health vitals, fall alerts, geolocation, plus a panic alert button and voice callout. The app streams real time monitoring to care givers and family.
Managing Medications
A search online for smart pillboxes produces a long list of medication management that sort pills by day and time and send automated reminders. Two medication management systems that include presorted automatic refills and reminders include MedMinder® and Amazon’s PillPack which issues reminders via Alexa or Google Home.
Healthy Meals
Good nutrition and regular meals are essentials for maintaining health, but grocery shopping and meal preparation can be a challenge for older adults who live on their own. With a smart refrigerator with a Wi-Fi connected camera, such as Samsung’s Family Hub®, a family member can check on an elder relative’s food supply
