Seniors are living longer, healthier, more active lives, and Georgina Harwood is a prime example. Earlier this year, the great-grandmother celebrated her 100th birthday by sky diving and scuba diving with sharks. Daily we read stories about senior citizens doing amazing things, from working well-past retirement age to engaging in adventures often deemed fit only for young people.
Along with an active lifestyle is the strong desire to live out life at home, rather than in a nursing home or assisted living facility—even if that means living alone. According to the Administration on Aging, roughly 28 percent of elderly people live alone, and 46 percent of women 75 and older live alone.
That poses concerns for loved ones and doctors. Fear of seniors not taking care of themselves or hurting themselves drives many families to send them into nursing homes and other facilities before they are ready.
Luckily, Machine to Machine technology (M2M) is offering seniors the independence they crave, along with piece of mind for family members and medical staff. At-home screening devices with coverage of the whole home, such as the ones that follow, monitor seniors’ activity and relay that information to medical staff and family members, who can swiftly address issues, often before they escalate to major health problems.
- Lively. Sensors connected to objects throughout the home monitor seniors’ routines for eating, taking medications, going outside and more, sending that data to a website where family and medical staff can review it. Lively also sends an alert if there’s deviation from a routine, which may indicate something is wrong. Purchase basic equipment for $49.95, plus the monthly service fees, which is $34.95 for the “Pay-As-You-Go” package.
- Evermind. There are options for consumers and healthcare providers. For healthcare providers, devices monitor patients’ use of powered medical equipment, such as oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, wound care pumps and more, and sends real-time data to medical staff. Consumers can choose the Family Care Givers option, where devices monitor activity and well-being by detecting when electrical appliances are switched on and off. Contact the company for rates.
- BeClose. Promising maximum privacy to elderly residents, BeClose compiles data from discreet sensors located throughout the home and transmits relevant information back to family members and medical staff. The system operates on a cellular network, so no hole-drilling or wire-running is required. Family members and caregivers can monitor daily activity and receive notifications about missed medications, falls or other issues. Contact BeClose for pricing.
- HealthSense. Using wireless sensors in the home, HealthSense monitors activities and gathers information to establish patterns. It then updates caregivers when patterns don’t match past trends. The system detects behavior deviations that often indicate acute illness or exacerbations of chronic conditions, so that they can be treated accordingly. Contact HealthSense for pricing options.
For business owners in the healthcare industry, M2M technology is a huge time and money saver, preventing costly readmissions. M2M technology keeps medical personnel and family members connected to seniors’ day-to-day activity, ensuring they take proper care of themselves. That keeps everyone living happily, independently and healthily in their own homes well into their golden years.