Cathy Cress

Expert in Aging Life and Geriatric Care Management

6 Technology Ideas For Long Distance Care Providers

Long-Distance Family Stocking Brimming with Coal

Christmas and Hanukkah are upon us, and many long-distance families will be celebrating with elderly parents. They may call an aging life or geriatric care manager after coming across piles of junk mail, consistently dirty clothes or a house and/or aging parent that looks like lumpy turkey gravy.

 Technology Pushes Coal Out of Stocking

If you get that call, there is excellent new technology for caregivers at a distance. When they visit you might suggest one of these high tech items a part of an older family member’s life. These gero-technologies can help an older parent or relative age in place and improve communicating with loved ones.

Videoconferencing

Videoconferencing is a great way to keep elderly parents connected. It can also be a good tool for adult siblings who live apart to have chats or meetings about Mom or Dad.  Free programs like Skype or another parent-friendly plus easy choice Facetime and the built-in webcams on many computers, make this easy on elders. Amazon Echo uses Alexa, by activating Amazon’s voice. An older standard telephone conference service is still highly rated and still free, as well. Freeconferencecall.com

Med Dispensers

 

Medialert automatic pill dispenser This product is recommended is recommended by the Alzheimers Asso and working well with dementia.   

A device that is very appropriate for elders who have medication abuse problems is Hero Electronic Pill Dispenser   

Alexa of Amazon has a new medication management feature for Alexa owners 

A more modest choice is Electronic Pill Box with Flasing Reminders 

Caregiver Video Cameras

Cameras like Google Nest can monitor an individual’s activities of daily living and provide caregivers with direct video feed on a smartphone, tablet app, or the Web to check on the status of a family member. You should know why as a caregiver you need a camera and how to evaluate the best one.

Monitoring sensors

Wireless systems. Cameras can be viewed remotely from a smartphone or computer. You may be able to get video motion alerts and the ability to pan and zoom

Canary Care. lets you place wireless sensors around the house to monitor the activity of an elderly parent who is declining, while the family is long distance. The information is sent to your Canary Care portal. The sensors are battery powered and the hub uses mobile data to send the information, so no need for a landline or broadband.

TruSense  – can alert long distance or even local adult children if a probable fall occurs. An alert is triggered when TruSense detects that your loved one has not moved from high-risk fall areas (such as a stairwell or restroom) in an unusually long time. Other alerts include doors where the older person could wander.

 

 Sensor Products

Sensor products can check a number of items within a house: motion patterns, stove on/off status, carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide levels, air quality, and presence of smoke or fire. They can also lock doors and control other items in the home remotely.

Daily activity monitoring. Activity sensors can be placed on the refrigerator, stove, door, and other objects around the home. Your relative may also wear a watch that monitors activity. You can allow caregivers and physicians to access the data. Set up notifications to be delivered by e-mail, text, or mobile app.: Live!y is a good choice

 GCM Technology Guide

Technology moves in nano-seconds and changes almost as fast. Give clients and their families the updated information. For a totally overhauled technology chapter,” Technologies That Support Aging in Place “, by GCM Julie Menack and Berkeley’s head of the Center for Aging and Technology, David Lindeman Ph.D. Get the new Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition 

Social media links

YouTube channel:  Website: https://cathycress.com/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaoHdozwS0RvKD23YPpuHIw

 

Blog: https://www.cathycress.com/blog/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Gerontologist/Cathy-Cress-MSW-633836950007072/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cathyjocress

Email: cressgcm@got.net

 

 

 

 

Uber Technology Transforms Senior Transportation

PDF-Cover-of-11-10-12My-Geriatric-Care-Management-Agency.jpg

 

 

      According to Julie Menack  and  Dr. David Lindeman in their new chapter on GCM Technology ,in Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition ,senior transportation  has been revolutionized by technology. 

New technology-enabled services and programs are emerging that are creating significant new opportunities for older adults and their family caregivers.  Ride sharing services such as Lyft and Uber are reducing the cost and increasing accessibility for individuals to improve socialization and improve access to care and services. 

Variations of these programs have begun in California through Lift Hero and  Silverride, that provide scheduled pickups and specially trained drivers.  In the foreseeable future, the greatest game changer that care managers should monitor will be self-driving cars.  This technology breakthrough will result in significant independence for older adults and greater support for family caregivers.

ChoosingThe Right Technology for Aging Clients- 4-5

PDF-Cover-of-11-10-12My-Geriatric-Care-Management-Agency.jpg

Dr. David Lindeman and Julie Menack, in their new chapter on Technology in the Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition offered 5 steps to choose the right technology fr aging clients.. Here are 4 and 5

 

4.     Follow-up problem solving: Schedule follow-up visits and/or contacts to determine if the technology is being used appropriately.

·4.     Evaluation: Determine whether the initial goal has been met, and if not, evaluate whether additional training is required or if the technology should be modified or removed.

Potential impediments to technology implementation should be kept in mind during this process. The care manager should anticipate that many clients are not familiar with specific technologies, have not used new technologies (including smart phones), and may not be comfortable with technology in general. 

Even more fundamentally, clients may resist the use of technology because they are in denial that they need care or may resent the loss of independence that the technology signifies, and thus may try to sabotage or avoid using it.

A client’s limitations, such as physical impairment (e.g., vision, hearing loss), technical difficulty, and impaired cognitive ability may limit the use of some technologies, but support from a care provider can easily help overcome some of these limitations. Consideration should also be given to balancing a client’s need for privacy, autonomy, and dignity with the usefulness of certain aging in place technologies.

Contact

Use the form on the
Contact page to email Cathy.

Email

Connect with Cathy

Get Cathy’s “10 Critical Success Steps to a Profitable Aging Life or GCM Business”