Smart Home Monitoring for Elderly, How Can It Help Aging in Place?

Home monitoring for seniors are getting more and more important. According to World Health Organization Report, the number of older people and their share of the population are increasing in every nation on earth. The percentage of people over 60 in the world will increase from 12% to 22% between 2015 and 2050.

Along with the increasing amount of aging population is the popularity of aging in place, the ability to age comfortably, safely, and independently in one’s own home or community. Aging in place allows seniors to keep their quality of life and control how they live while receiving support from their loved ones, friends, and the community. So what measures can be made to make it better suited for aging in place?

The Importance of Smart Elderly Home Monitoring

Aging-at-home technology has improved rapidly in recent years, in order to keep up with the rising demand for services and the necessity for more sophisticated remote monitoring. Home monitoring system for elderly gather a variety of information, including movement, temperature, patterns of activity and sleep, and more.

This gives families more assurance over the safety and security of senior family members, particularly if they are living alone at home. Meanwhile, the details give caretakers and medical experts crucial understandings into the wellbeing and daily activities of senior citizens. For example, the elderly care monitoring system is capable of learning the routines of elders and notifies caregivers when assistance is required or when unusual patterns of behavior are noticed, through the use of motion sensors.

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Ways to Improve Home Care Monitoring

Eliminate Social Isolation and Helplessness by AI Voice Assistant

Once the elderly are comfortable in their beloved recliner (especially if they have mobility challenges), they typically like to stay put. As a result, the older person who lives alone is inclined to stay inside their home or apartment more and more, becoming lonely and isolated. Smart home monitoring systems with AI elements can help enhance relationships with elderly friends and family members, and bring comfort and convenience while aging-in-place keep their freedom.

Artificial intelligence (AI) devices can facilitate virtual interactions with friends and family, and enable senior parents to carry out a variety of duties from anywhere in the house, so that they won’t feel isolated and helpless, especially for those with vision problems or tremor, and have trouble in reading and manipulating keys on a screen. Placing multiple smart voice assistants throughout the house, connecting them to a Zigbee gateway hub, training your loved one to use verbal commands to manage any number of connected smart products or is undoubtedly a fantastic start to unlock limitless potential.

Guarantee the Security and Safety by Home Automation

All ages can benefit from a home automation system, but there are a few items that older citizens should give top priority. In order to help with potential decreased mobility, higher chance of falls, and diminished vision that can occur with aging, we need to consider adding extra safety precautions in the house. Family members can also monitor the safety and security of senior families using a variety of smart devices.

Fall Detection and Alert

One of the major risks facing elderly people nowadays is falling. An automatic contact for assistance is sent when a senior slips and falls thanks to a fall monitor. Additionally, it can function as a life alert necklace that the user manually taps to summon assistance.

Intelligent Care Assistance

Many elderly folks begin to require “help” as they become older. Example like when someone is taking a bath and forgets to turn off the tap while they “do something else”; as a result, the water overflows and creates a major mess. A well-planned smart home can help care for the elderly by automating the usual “checking in” tasks and sending out warnings when the care recipient’s abilities begin to decline.

Senior-friendly Home Security

Living alone may be challenging for anyone, but it can be particularly challenging for older adults who spend the night alone, since many elderly persons are more vulnerable to fraud and crime, especially house burglary. A good technique to let burglars know they’ve been spotted is to install a home security system with entrance sensors for every external door and motion sensors for each room and corridors.

Positioning the Wandering Elderly with Dementia by GPS Trackers

Older persons with dementia may occasionally feel disoriented or lost, which may prompt them to leave their room or house in search of a familiar place. This is known as wandering, a frequent but potentially harmful sign of dementia in elderly, including Alzheimer’s disease. A GPS tracker for dementia patients can help you immediately orient them if your loved one wanders, giving you peace of mind that they are always within reach and safe. The nicest part of it is that it gives elderly people their long-lost independence.

Final Words

Worldwide healthcare systems could be put under more stress than they already are as a result of the aging population that is still expanding. A user-friendly alternative to assisting the elderly in growing old in the comfort of their own homes has quickly emerged in the form of smart geriatric care and monitoring systems.

Smart senior monitoring systems assist in the early identification of medical and cognitive health issues, provide caretakers and their loved ones with peace of mind, increased home security and safety concern monitoring, etc. There is no reason for healthy senior folks to leave their beloved houses for an institutional setting because contemporary geriatric monitoring technology helps aging in place seniors lead long, happy, and independent lives in their favorite surroundings.

Reference:

https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WorldPopulationAgeing2019-Highlights.pdf
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/aging-place-growing-older-home

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