Aged care technologies have never been more mature, plentiful and even affordable, so what tech is out there?
Whether it is personal alarms and fall detectors, wearable health monitors, medication reminders, smart home technologies, or just things that aid you in your daily life to be more independent while living at home, the choices are endless.
IMPORTANT: If you are on the NDIS, many of these devices are available to buy from NDIS providers, but there have been lots of stories of inflated prices. Get a trusted family member and do your research to get the right price.
Also I am not endorsing any of the companies link in this article, they are there for reference only, if you do a Google search for any of these items, a very wide range of options emerges.
1. Existing smartwatches and smartphones are the first step for those who are familiar with technology, but there are a wide range of dedicated technologies for the eldery that are much easier to set up and use.
For regular smartwatches, they are already able to offer
– Fall detection and automatically calling 000
– Act as personal alarms when you need to call 000 urgently
– Able to deliver reminders to take medication, drink water
– Detect atrial fibrilliantion
– Measure blood oxygen levels
– There’s even a smartwatch out there that has a dedicated and genuine blood pressure monitor cuff in the wrist strap from Huawei
Smartphones also have apps to log medicines, reminders to drink water, check heart rate (but not blood pressure), but the wearable smartwatch is much better.
The biggest “con” to a smartwatch is that it needs to be charged on a daily basis, some last for 36 hours, some can last longer.
2. Dedicated wearables and wearable health monitorrs
– Cardiac sense wearable watch – first TGA approved for cardiac issues
– Wearable pendats and watches with multi-day battery life, built-in 4G, water resistant, fall deetction – alarm is raised when you fall, can call 000 and multiple people, can be a watch, can be a pendant
One example I found online is here, there are plenty of others.
There are many others out there.
More examples of wearable health monitors, with the info below copied from this site:
– CaT Pin (Bolton Clarke): This pin can be used to track the wearer’s conversations and send alerts to family or care workers if there are signs of social isolation.
– The mCareWatch: This smartwatch can be used as a personal alarm to contact family members and emergency services when required and support older people to live independently.
– Oura Ring: This smart ring can be used for continuous health monitoring including heart rate and sleep.
– WearOptimo: This sensor can be used to measure hydration levels in older people, detect dehydration and reduce the need for frequent blood tests
There are a range of “consumer” health monitors and other connected health devices from the major retailers, such as here:
3. Medication reminders – dedicated devices
There are all kinds of dedicated medication reminders.
See examples at this Google search
You can find devices which store the medications, have alarms, show when the next medication is due to be taken, there are even devices with cameras that can detect which medications are taken and what dosage is being taken
This website has plenty of examples, this from a company called TabTimer.
These can start from under $50 and go up to over $200.
4. Smart home technologies
Smart home tech has advanced in many ways over the last two decades.
You can have lights, blinds, open doors, garage and gate openers control appliances by voice commands or physical wired and wireless controllers, and more, whether you use iPhones, iPads, Androids, Google Nest speakers, and Amazon’s devices.
There are also dedicated smart home solutions, here is a company that offers them, you should find other companies in your area that offer the same services.
5. Aids for Daily Living
There are also sites that feature a range of technologies to make in home life easier. Devices that make it easy to pour hot water from a kettle without you needing to lift a heavy kettle full of water
Devices to lift you out of a chair, or bed.
Devices to help you put on socks, affix buttons, have a comfortable shower, use toilets more easily, and more
Without mentioning this company by name, you can see plenty of examples here.
They have all kinds of cool gadgets and tech at affordable devices to live an easier life with personal care, clothing and footware, exercise and therapy, mobility and well being, and inside and outside the home.
