Aging is one of the bittersweet realities of adulthood, but it shouldn’t stop you from living life the way you want. This is especially true for aging seniors who want to make their everyday lives meaningful by keeping up with the hustle and bustle of modern life. But stereotypes about seniors make it appear that they cannot adapt to new forms of digital technology, although in reality, they just need devices designed for them.
Technology offers different benefits for our seniors at home. It eliminates feelings of isolation and loneliness because they can easily contact friends and family members. Gadgets also make their lives easier by sending medication reminders or performing tasks they can no longer do themselves. For example, if they want to perform important matters such as applying for a pension or retirement financial service, technology can make the process less burdensome for them.
Being older doesn’t mean you have to accept the reality that you are likely to become technologically inefficient. Since gadgets have become so advanced, seniors can live a comfortable life with the help of a few devices. Here are some tech solutions to help seniors live a happy, independent, and healthy life.
Technologies to beat loneliness
One of the harsh realities of being a senior is their world constantly shrinks. Even if they want to spend more time outdoors, their health and physical abilities limit them to do a wide range of activities. Aging is more difficult when you slowly lose friends and a loved one passes away. This increases feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression.
Learning Interface for Senior Adults or LiSA is a program featured in Amazon Alexa designed to imitate two-way interactions between a device and a person. Since many seniors struggle to use tiny keypads and touchscreen displays, LiSA offers a remedy by using voice to send messages. The program works by converting the voice to text form and vice versa. The app also comes with other useful purposes by sending reminders about medications, doctor’s appointments, and exercise schedules.
Tapestry is another platform that helps seniors stay in touch with their family and friends. If a senior finds social media websites overwhelming and confusing to use, Tapestry will keep seniors connected with their loved ones minus the hassle. It comes with a very simple interface accessible by desktop browser or tablet.
If you need extra help in caregiving, GeriJoy is an online caregiving companion that ensures 24/7 interaction with a team of human caregivers who can provide seniors with gentle reminders, social interaction, and emotional support.
Technologies to assist in caregiving
An aging senior is likely to suffer from memory issues. This often happens when they take too many pills or skip doses in a day. Aside from their forgetfulness, taking the wrong medications can lead to serious consequences for their health. MedMinder and Reminder Rosie are recent tech solutions designed for seniors with memory problems.
MedMinder is a virtual pill dispenser to aid in medication adherence and management. Whenever a senior forgets to take their medicine in the dispenser, a prerecorded voice will send a reminder. If they didn’t hear it, the program will send a text, email, or call to their family members to remind them.
Meanwhile, Reminder Rosie is a talking clock with personalized voice notifications. Whether it’s time to go to bed, take meds, or see a doctor, a voice will send reminders depending on the scheduled activity. The voice command feature is also very helpful for seniors with mobility and sensory limitations.
Technologies to improve health and wellness
Tech companies have been introducing innovations to improve health and wellness through virtual care. VitalBand is a multifunctional smartwatch that provides SOS alerts and vital signs. The watch detects falls, sends emergency alerts, and monitors vital signs, such as heart rate, ECG, respiration rate, sleep quality, and activity level.
The watch comes with an application called the VitalCare app, where family members can track the senior’s activity and health condition, through historical readings, streaming vitals, and fall alerts.
For patients going through physical therapy, there’s Neuro Rehab VR to help them. The virtual reality program offers customizable therapy exercises for neurological issues, such as spinal cord or brain injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases. It also provides an immersive virtual 3D experience for seniors who want to improve their kinematic and physiological responses.
Growing old doesn’t mean you have to step back from technology. Our seniors deserve smart technologies that will provide all their essential needs, from safety, health, and wellness. So the next time you shop for gadgets, why not include our suggestions and surprise your elderly loved ones at home with the latest gadget?
