Trends in Technology

3 Innovative Technologies for Seniors

November 1, 2018 by Bobby J Davidson
Read similar articles in: Industry Stories

Technologies for SeniorsAccording to the census bureau, senior citizens—65 years older, accounted for 47.8 million people or 14.9% of the total U.S population in 2015. This number has probably gone up since then. However, getting older is no longer what it used to be. The over 40 million of the senior citizen population in the U.S can now age gracefully at home thanks to the innovative tech for seniors available today. Here are 3 innovative technologies for seniors that can prove extremely useful!

Seniors make up a significant percentage of the U.S population and this number is growing every year as the baby boomer generation grows and outlives the silent generation. More than 70 million of baby boomers are not yet classified as seniors, but this will change soon. As more and more of these baby boomers become seniors, there will be a greater need for technology that can make old age less taxing and more comfortable.

If you’re wondering why innovative tech is important to provide optimal care to seniors, then here us out. For decades, even centuries, seniors have been tended to in somewhat a routine way: there’s a doctor who performs the diagnoses and prescribes medication, and a nurse or caregiver who looks after the daily needs of the seniors and ensures they are taking the prescribed medications.

Seniors have generally required the above help due to the following reasons:

  • Lack of mobility
  • Loss of memory
  • Loneliness
  • Loss in vision or hearing

The good news for baby boomers is that they have aged or are starting to age at the right time. Why do we say that? Because technology has never been better for senior care. Over the past decade, with the advancement in smart phone and GPS technology, senior care has improved vastly due to these advancements.

Innovative tech designed for seniors is the enabling the older U.S population to become more efficient and contain their healthcare costs. This is the reason emerging tech for seniors has the potential to disrupt the senior healthcare market.  Innovative tech has the potential to make the life of seniors easy in a myriad of ways.

Some products have already started to make their mark, while others on the horizon could make a big difference in years to come.

While predicting which technologies will be the most significant for seniors isn’t easy, we have come up with a few upcoming technologies for seniors that could play a vital role in how people age in the coming future. Here are the 3 innovative technologies for seniors that could make a difference to aging now and in the future.

VR Vision Enhancements

Most seniors would prefer to live an independent life, but this could be hard with vision impairments. The good news is that virtual reality (VR) technology is being developed to give seniors back that independence which they had lost due to weakening vision.

IrisVision and Relumino are examples of these visual aids. These aids integrate vision-enhancement software into Samsung Gear VR headsets with Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

You cantailor the software for specific low-vision conditions, such as macular degeneration, cataracts and severe myopia. This helps recreate images from the smartphone camera to be viewed more easily based on unique vision problems of the user.

GPS Services

While it has been around for decades, Global Positioning System (GPS) has improved greatly in the last ten years in two aspects: location accuracy and the detail conveyed by the system of satellites. So, how does this affect senior care? GPS can help locate seniors who go missing. Many older citizens have a habit of wandering due to issues resulting from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. So, even if seniors know a location well, they could get lost because of their underlying health condition.

According to the Alzheimer’s association, more than sixty percent of those with the disease wander off. More worryingly, if the person is not found within a twenty-four period, they usually suffer an injury or worse death. This should make clear how grave the situation is for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. The good news is that GPS technology has advanced to a level where it makes it easier to locate and keep track of seniors.

For example, some companies manufacture GPS trackers that you can iron into clothing, put in handbags, or place in soles of shoes. These systems can also be placed in the routine clothing accessories of seniors, which allows the seniors to be easily found if they’re not where they’re supposed to be.

Voice-Activated Smart Homes

More and more people today are trying to make their homes smarter. For most people, voice-activated smart devices in their homes are a convenience that they could survive without. However, these devices are critical in homes for the safety of seniors who suffer from mobility issues.

Thanks to innovative tech, seniors no longer need to get off from their chair to perform tasks such as switching lights on and off, putting the sprinklers on and off, and turning the thermostat up and down.

Instead, they can ask Amazon Echo to do that for them. Saving the trips for all such activities around the house can be the difference for seniors who have difficulty walking or have a serious risk of falling.

As innovative voice-activated smart devices continue to improve, more and more of the tasks in the home will be performed via technology or in an automated way and this is exactly what seniors have been craving for since a very long time.

There you have it—the 3 innovative technologies for seniors. There are other innovative technologies such as medical IoT and hearing enhancements are making life safer and easier for seniors. To know more about them, get in touch with us today!

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