If you live at some distance from your parents, as I did with mine, a cell phone can or even a text message or email can be a great means of communication. In his later years, I received a regular, weekly call from my father—even when there wasn’t much going on to talk about.
As a result, even that tenuous link took on all the greater importance one weekend when I didn’t receive his regular Saturday morning call. And then I couldn’t get him to respond when I called later that day. And again the following morning.
Soon, a call to both the neighbors and the local police were in order. And, just as was feared, a health crisis had occurred. A trip to the hospital ensued. And his life was changed forever.
Even though my father managed a computer center for a major multi-national company, he wouldn’t have anything to do with a smartphone or even email, let alone an emergency pendant. Since that time, however, smarter systems have been developed—some that wouldn’t have even needed his participation to work.
By 2020, 45 million Americans just like you will need to provide care for some 117 million seniors. While some may wish to do that in person, it just may not be possible for you due to your location or health, finances or family commitments, work schedule or personality conflicts. Sometimes, it may even be all of the above.
Hiring a caregiver or moving your parent into a retirement community, while possibly good options, may not be wanted by your parent or even affordable. That’s where a dazzling array of sophisticated new technology is coming into use—benefiting both the seniors who wish to age in place and their children who want to support them in doing it.
No matter how safe you may feel in your own home, there is always the risk of a slip, trip or fall. That’s why a personal emergency medical alert system may be a good idea. They can be referred to by many names, including:
Unlike older systems, tied to a landline phone, today’s medical alert systems offer options that are cellular, work on mobile devices or even a smartphone app. They’re GPS enabled and can contact you to let you know exactly where your parent is—inside or outside.
Emergency pendants and bracelets are generally available through one of three pricing models:
The most basic system is available from $25 to $50 a month, while higher end systems including wearable devices, multiple in-home sensors, two-way communication, online reporting, emergency response, multi-party notification and add-ons can range from $500-$1000 for initial installation with a $50-$100 monthly monitoring fee.
The Senior List and Consumer Reports websites offer a comparison of the pros and cons of their recommended systems, including the costs and contracts.
Depending on the state in which your parent lives and their income level, there may be financial assistance available for Personal Emergency Response Services (PERS) of home safety monitoring through Medicaid HCBS Waivers or Managed Care Programs. Additional information and a detailed listing by state can be found here.
TruSense is a completely customizable smart home solution that works in homes of all sizes and can be personalized to both your parent’s needs and your concerns. It does not require an emergency pendant or bracelet because the passive monitoring system is instead installed throughout the home and works by analyzing data from a network of connected devices.
You can set up custom alerts to notify you when your parent has been in the bathroom too long, if the temperature has exceeded a given threshold, or any number of other personalized notifications using text messages, e-mail, automated phone calls or even through your Echo Dot. These notifications can include:
A starter kit is available with one hub, four motion sensors, a contact sensor, smart outlet, and Amazon Echo Dot for a one-time fee of $299 and a monthly monitoring fee of $39. A wide range of additional sensors, pendants and tracking systems are also available to enhance your basic package. More information is available at https://mytrusense.com/
The heart of the GrandCare System is a large, easily customizable touchscreen that would be placed in your parent’s home. There’s no worry if your parent’s computer skills are limited or non-existent for them to fully engage with the intuitive touch interface.
Through this touchscreen, your parent can access social communications, instructions, reminders (along with photos of pills and dosing information), as well as web-based entertainment.
You, in turn, access the system by logging in to the online Care Portal through any internet connection anywhere in the world. From there, you can add Tasks, Calendar Events, Reminders, Medications, Personalized Content, and Communications to the touchscreen. You can also check on sensors, view graphs, set up notifications and utilize care notes.Optional wireless activity sensors, environmental sensors, and digital health devices can be added to the system as needed. These devices can be used to notify you by phone, email, or text if anything seems amiss or if wellness readings fall out of range.There is a one-time fee of $999 for the Socialization/Reminder Touchscreen with a monthly fee of $99 afterwards. A package of three motion sensors, one contact sensor and one antenna is available for $599. More information is available at https://www.grandcare.com/
The National Institute of Health estimates that $100 billion to $300 billion a year in medication is wasted each year because people don’t take the medications they’re prescribed. Up to half the time, medications aren’t taken as directed—resulting in at least 100,000 preventable deaths a year.
To help solve that issue and ensure that patients take their medications regularly, a number of companies have created “smart” pill bottles, weekly pillboxes and medication reminder systems that could hold up to nearly a month’s worth of medication.
Do they work? The jury would seem to still be out. The fact of the matter is that you may be able to remind mom or dad that they need to take a pill through a variety of alarms, flashing lights and phone calls. That may succeed in getting them to take the pill out of the container. However, there’s one important step that remains completely out of technology’s control. Your parent still has to actually want to swallow the pill in the first place. Among available options are:
Pillsy is a computerized cap that replaces the existing one on a pill bottle. The system works through a smart phone to offer:
The Tricella Pillbox has seven compartments for medications, sufficient for once-a-day doses of medication. Each chamber has embedded sensors that can detect when users are taking their pills. Like Pillsy, it works with a smartphone to offer:
A monthly sized pill dispenser, the Med-E-Lert features 28 Compartment Trays that can hold up to 18 aspirin sized pills per compartment. While this does not offer you notifications if a pill is not taken or history tracking, its features are:
MedReady devices hold up to 28 doses of medication and can automatically dispense medication up to 4 times per day. If your parent doesn’t take their medication within a set time (established by you), the device then notifies the MedReady’s data center which, in turn, notifies you via text messages, email, and automated phone calls.
Available through purchase or rental, Livi promises the ability to manage up to 15 prescriptions and supplement of any size and shape—the highest capacity pill dispenser for non-conforming pill sizes. Other features include: