Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash
Technology has longed played an important role in the lives of humans across the globe. The tools you use each day have a huge amount of power, giving you the opportunity to carry out jobs which you’d never have been able to do in the past. Of course, though, it’s easy to take tech for granted, especially when you’re surrounded by it. There is a whole industry which often goes ignored when it comes to electronics, despite being an area which can benefit hugely from it. To show you where this gap can be found, this post will be exploring the impact of everyday tech on elderly care.
Smartphones
Most people carry a smartphone around with them all the time, giving them the opportunity to keep in touch with all of their loved ones, while also enabling them to access powerful computing tools. In the field of elderly care, devices like this can have even more pressing uses, though. The location tracking capabilities make it possible to keep tabs on those who may not be aware of their surroundings all the time, while the network they are connected to can make it possible for someone to call for help with a single tap.
Speech Recognition
Devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home are becoming incredibly popular. Being able to take verbal commands, these tools can make home life far easier. For an elderly person, having the chance to shout out for information, help, or even entertainment is a great way to give them independence. With tools like IFTTT, you can create custom commands which will trigger preset responses. You could make commands to call family members, play their favorite music, or put them on the line with their doctor. The future of home care is likely to rely on this sort of technology, and this is a good thing. Of course, though, you will have to do all of the work on it for now, as it will take some time for companies to catch up.
CCTV
The idea of watching your parents probably doesn’t sound very exciting to many. Having the opportunity to check up on them without having to disturb them with a call, though, is something which a lot of people like. Modern CCTV systems can be found very cheaply around the web and can be set up to communicate with smartphones which are far away. This gives you the chance to place a camera in a spot which they are likely to use quite a bit, while also providing additional home security. Of course, it’s crucial that your loved ones are aware and consent to this sort of approach.
With all of this in mind, you should have a much better idea of where tech is influencing the lives of the elderly. As time goes on, this field is only going to expand and broaden, with more and more gadgets being repurposed to be used as tools to help those who can’t help themselves.
