It’s funny how technology has literally changed the way we all live, and yet those who may need it most are the most reluctant to use it—seniors and the elderly. While it might seem like an impossible task to help the senior in your life learn and embrace new technology, it may just be a life-saving action. Here’s why ...
Smart Home Technology Can Change the Game for Keeping Seniors Safe at Home
Think about the various smart technologies that have been made easy to access in recent years:
- Video intercom systems, which let a senior inside the home talk to and see someone outside before they come in. Nobody would argue that this is safer!
- Thermostats set automatically. A senior’s central air and heat can be set to automatically come on, so they don’t have to worry about adjusting it themselves. This is also useful if they are away from the home for any length of time.
- Smart technology for lights. This is another way that helps seniors lower their utility bills and save money on that pesky light bill. It also adds to their sense of safety. Smart lights work off sensors and come on and go off as someone enters or leaves a room. This can be especially helpful in preventing injuries that could come from searching for a light switch in the dark during the night.
Technology Helps Seniors Stay Safer
Here’s one of the best parts about smart technology—it can be managed from cell phones or other smart devices. Smart alarms are one such technology. You can control and change the alarm system far beyond it just going off when no one is at home. The smart alarm will track the times the doors are usually opened with people coming and going and send an alert if something is out of the ordinary. If you have a senior loved one who wanders, this can bring a huge peace of mind.
Smart smoke alarms are another fantastic technology for seniors. If the smoke alarm with smart technology is activated, it will alert proper authorities or family to make sure the senior is safe. You will be able to program a list of people to notify in this instance, which adds more layers of safety and assurance for your senior loved one.
You probably already know about personal alert systems. The less sophisticated systems might conjure the old commercials of elderly people wearing a necklace with a big button that they can push if they are in a crisis of any kind. However, the new smart technology keeps seniors even safer by utilizing full detection for falls and other odd movements. It also will alert proper emergency response personnel, along with a customized list of family and friends.
Technology Can Help Seniors Stay Socially Connected
Research tells us that one of the top reasons that seniors decline in health is depression and loneliness. This is especially true if family lives far away. The internet has now provided ways for seniors to not only hear the voice of their loved ones but also see their faces in real time as they chat! Social media has allowed the world to reconnect with long-lost relatives and friends that probably would have never found us otherwise. Imagine the joy this would bring to seniors to be able to enjoy meaningful conversation with old friends. There’s no better therapy!
It might be a bit tough to help your older adult embrace these different forms of smart technology, but if you are patient and take the time to demonstrate to the senior in your life just HOW these technologies can empower them, enrich their lives, and keep them safer, we just bet they will be open to considering it! The old phrase, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, has never been more untrue!
To find out even more ways to get your senior loved one connected with smart technology, call or contact us today!
Home Helpers is a locally-owned, trusted home health care agency and offers quality, compassionate senior in-home care services including home care assistance, personal care, companion care, respite care, 24-hour live-in care, Alzheimer's & dementia care, Parkinson's care as well as homemaker services in Downers Grove, Addison, Glendale Heights, Glen Ellyn, Lisle, Wood Dale, Bensenville, and Plainfield, Illinois.
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