Caregiving for our senior loved ones is truly an honor. They helped us, and we’ll do everything possible to keep them safe, healthy, and happy.
Helping those we love can present a dilemma: there are not enough hours in the day when we have families to support, jobs to attend to, and ordinary obligations that require our attention. Looking after everyone can fill every second of the day, and without breaks, caregivers can lose the sleep they need to keep going. Thankfully, technology can help provide security for our senior loved ones when we can’t be there.
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Here are a few examples of technology that can be used at home to help seniors remain safe:
Smart Devices
While “Alexa” is a common device that comes to mind for setting timers, reminders, and asking questions, there are even more helpful products that can help when you can’t. Smart kitchen appliances, heating/cooling systems, doorbells, music players, bed alarms, door locks, motion detectors, and smoke detectors are also helpful. They can often be managed remotely, offering caregivers a break once properly programmed.
Alarmed Medication Dispensers
Depending on the service available, a registered nurse or trusted caregiver can fill these dispensers with the appropriate medications. Dispensers can be programmed to alert users when it’s time to take their medications, and the devices can be monitored or unmonitored.
Unmonitored versions can help keep medications safely locked. The monitored versions, however, offer more. If medication is not taken from the box when dispensed and the alarm goes off, a loved one or caregiver is typically contacted to follow up.
Daily Call Services
Examples may include a daily check-in or wake-up call to a senior’s home. Call centers can also provide a reminder call to eat a meal or take medication. If the agency does not reach the person they’re calling, there’s a process for contacting loved ones so they can go check in.
Personal Response/Alert Buttons
Wearable pendants, bracelets, or watches can help residents receive a fast response in an emergency. When the resident presses the button, the system’s provider calls them to ask if they need help. If they don’t answer, the provider contacts an emergency contact or EMS, depending on each resident’s preference.
Personal response systems, including GPS tracking, can help quickly locate someone who is not responding to phone calls. Depending on the system, some require regular charging or replacing batteries, so these helpful tools may come with some daily management and regular test checks to ensure their accuracy.
Activity-Tracking
Edgewood Healthcare has been using CarePredict systems in several assisted living communities to enhance resident communication and safety. CarePredict provides each resident and staff with a watch. Utilizing an internet connection, the watch tracks movement and location from beacons installed throughout the community.
Staff can monitor residents for changes by tracking their regular activity. If a resident stops moving for an uncharacteristically long time, the system will alert staff to check on them to ensure their well-being. Even small changes, when detected, can potentially prevent larger problems like difficult-to-treat infections, significant weight loss, depression, and more.
Improved Communication Adds Peace of Mind
Technology in senior living isn’t a new idea. Walkie-talkies and call buttons have been standard communication devices for years. While these systems have been helpful, they’re not always foolproof.
Executive Director, Tiffany Boehm, has reported great success using CarePredict at Edgewood Village in Bismarck, ND.
“Edgewood Village is a very large and busy building where residents are not always in their apartments. CarePredict helps us locate and communicate with residents if we have questions or if their family comes to visit and they’re not answering their door.”
Tiffany added that communication with staff has also greatly improved since introducing CarePredict. Previously, they have used walkie-talkies in their community, which can be unpredictable, and call buttons would require someone to check in with a resident physically.
Watches from CarePredict work swiftly so that staff can quickly communicate with residents to triage their needs. Some might need a simple bit of help, while others might be experiencing a more emergent need for assistance. With swift, clear communication, residents can quickly alert staff if they have an emergency.
The data from CarePredict also helps support communication with families. Suppose a family has concerns about their loved one’s participation in social activities or meals as they acclimate to a new lifestyle and living arrangement. CarePredict’s tracking information can show how many times per day they’re moving around and which activities they’re attending based on what rooms of the building they’re using.
Proactive Health Monitoring
The CarePredict system can also act as a contact tracer if a resident is not feeling well. Tracking this helps to determine if a resident should consider a quarantine. It shows who the resident was around, for how long, and even where. CarePredict’s intuitive technology can also alert staff to common infection risks such as UTIs. Tiffany explained,
“We have seen multiple times that the system has predicted a UTI in residents before we had them tested, and it was right! A change in their restroom frequency and other factors led the system to prompt us to pursue further medical follow-up promptly.”
Tiffany explained, “Those are just a few things we already LOVE about this system. The team is very excited to see how we can use the data we are getting to support when there is a change of condition and much more!”
Would you like to learn more about how we’re using technology to help seniors stay safe or tour one of Edgewood Healthcare’s communities? Please email us at info@edgewoodhealthcare.com.
