Caregivers in Maryland are always searching for ways to keep the seniors they love at home for longer. However, as aging adults get older, their medical needs can get more complex. Between mobility issues, medication management confusion, and moving in-between hospitals and rehab centers and home, older adults can not always cope with the realities of chronic and complex medical management.
Fortunately, we live in a time where “there’s an app for that”. Technology advancements are not just for the younger generations. In fact, there are plenty of tech solutions for seniors who are living at home alone that are designed to keep them safer and more healthy there.
Smarter Phones for Better Communication
Isolated seniors are generally not as healthy as their more connected peers. While it may be difficult for your aging loved one to get out and about to social functions like they did before, they can still feel connected to their friends and family members through regular phone calls or visits.
Technology can make connections a lot easier and more engaging for everyone. For example, applications like FaceTime or Messenger through Facebook can create a quick way to visit with your loved one. Seeing them face-to-face over your smartphones can give you more than a nice chat – you can also see if there are any potential safety or health red flags. For example, you can tell if they look pale or are wearing the same clothing as yesterday, which you would never pick up over a more traditional phone call.
But what happens if your loved one has hearing issues? Traditional phone calls or video chats won’t be effective and can even cause more frustration. Caregivers in Maryland are already raving about a solution that is free to seniors in the area: ClearCaptions. This easy to use phone quickly captions telephone conversations, making it easier to communicate effectively.
Medication Confusion
Seniors typically take a lot of medication and even the healthiest senior can become quickly overwhelmed with the timing and schedule. Technology has stepped in to assist by giving more features than your typical weekly plastic pillbox.
Companies like Hero are creating a more successful medication experience for seniors in the home by offering audio and visual cueing when it is time to take medicines and even dispensing the correct dose to take. In addition, most tech medication support also includes an app interface so that family members can keep up with medication compliance and scheduling.
Scheduling and Organization
Finally, if you are attempting to manage your aging loved one’s calendar from miles away, you can feel frazzled fast. Try using a caregiver organization app (most are totally free) that works for you. Apps like Caring Village allow you to store important documents virtually as well as manage schedules for physician follow-ups, caregiver visits, and more.
At CaringGivers, we love the technology available for seniors in their homes and for family members who want to feel more connected with their loved ones. However, it is still crucial to invest in consistent caregiving visits throughout the week so that your loved one gets the hands-on assistance or companionship they need that an app or device simply cannot give.
Call our office today to learn more about our wide variety of services throughout the D.C. area.