Gadgets to Help your Elderly Parent Age in Place

Elder Care in Old Bridge Township NJ: Gadgets to Help your Elderly Parent Age in Place

According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), nearly 90 percent of seniors want to “age in place” or remain in their home through their elderly years. If a chronic disease or injury is affecting your parent, it may seem difficult to fulfill this wish. Fortunately, technological advances have made it even easier for a person to remain independent while fostering a sense of safety and security.

Personal Alert System

These devices are usually worn as pendants and enable the person wearing them to contact both emergency medical responders and their family caregiver should an emergency arise.  Some of these require the one in need of assistance to push a button which alerts a 24-hour call center. Others detect a fall automatically. They offer tremendous peace of mind to both the family and the aging parent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in three adults over the age of 65 fall each year. Knowing your loved one has the ability to summon help at the touch of a button is a tremendous relief.

Medication Reminders

As your parent ages, their medications have probably increased exponentially. Many of these are vital to their health and well-being and yet, according to an article in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, “50 percent of patients do not take their medications as prescribed.” Technology has come to the rescue –helping your loved one to remember both the time to take them, the dose required and any side information such as if they should be taking them with or without food. Medications are pre-sorted and an alarm goes off when it’s time. Some even provide a call to the caregiver should a dose be missed.

GPS

For those that are concerned their parent may wander off and get lost, GPS tracking devices have come on the market. These gadgets can be programmed with a set radius. When your loved one steps out of this area, the primary caregiver is contacted.

Elder Care Provider

People have not been replaced by robots quite yet. While these devices can help both parents and family members rest more easily, nothing really takes the place of another set of hands and eyes. An elder care provider can assist your loved one with the daily activities of living as well as accompany them on daily walks. And you can take the time you need to recharge and refresh, knowing your loved one is in good and capable hands.

 

If you or an aging loved one are considering elder care in Old Bridge Township, NJ, please contact the caring staff at Lares Home Care 888-492-3538 or 732-566-1112.

 

Resources:

http://www.iyhusa.com/AginginPlaceFacts-Data.htm

http://www.aarp.org/health/doctors-hospitals/info-11-2010/medical_alert_systems.html

http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)60007-4/abstract