And I thought personal alarms were the ultimate! When my elders were in their own homes, personal alarms like LifeLine and LifeStation were high-tech. And they still are.
My uncle, my neighbor and my mom all had personal alarms to wear when they were home alone. Mom wore her bracelet and pressed the alarm many times. A few of those times were accidental, and I'd rush out the door at suppertime, plow through a blizzard and burst through Mom's door, only to have her look at me like I was nuts and ask why I was there. I'd explain that I was there because I'd been called by the dispatch station and told she had set off her alarm. I'd then go back home.
Most most of the time, however, she set if off on purpose. And most of the time it was because she was lying helplessly on the floor.
My uncle also had a personal alarm until a major stroke placed him in a nursing home. And my neighbor Joe wore one, and because he did (I'd have to put it on him every day, but he'd wear it if I did), I was able to quickly summon help for him when he fell and broke his hip. I forever bless that technology, and it's still exceptionally useful.
However these days there is so much more. VOAnews.com ran a recent article titled, "Eldercare Specialists Ask Congress to Support New Technologies. Representatives pressing Congress for support for technology to keep elders in their own homes longer pushed their products."
QuietCare was one company represented. QuietCare is a monitoring system which is made up of sensors placed around the home. The sensors detect heat and motion and, once a baseline of normal behavior has been determined, potential health problems are picked up by the sensors and relayed to a monitored computer.
Dakim was also there. Dakim provides a computer-based cognitive training program where elders can exercise their "brain muscle." Elders using this system have said that if they miss a "workout" they know it, and they try to catch up when they get back at it. They enjoy the challenge and enjoy knowing they are keeping their brains working.
The GrandCare system, also represented, combines a home monitoring system with internet connection to family members that shows the elder messages from their loved ones, pictures and other social information. GrandCare combines this social content with sensors, much like QuietCare uses, to record activity and make sure that any unusual activity is detected and reported.
Another option, on the social side, that isn't mentioned in the VOAnews.com article is one I wrote about in an OurAlzheimers.com post titled "A Christmas Gift That Delivers ." Called Presto, the unit is basically a printer. The printer is set up in the elder's home, and through Presto.com, the family can send photos, emails and have puzzles and news delivered. Presto.com allows elders to get "mail" many times a day.
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