Technology has come a long ways in improving the quality of our lives more so now than ever before. Current technologies are advancing at an amazing pace. With people living longer, there is more need for seniors and disabled individuals to harness the power of technology in everyday lives. These technologies may play a critical role in keeping seniors and elderly at home instead of assisted living facilities or nursing homes.
Google wants to create smart home devices that could be beneficial for seniors for living independently longer. They are reportedly reaching out to assisted living facilities to create devices that can help seniors with fall prevention, using motion sensors to turn on the lights, remind them to drink fluids during extreme heat in the summer months.
1. Amazon Echo/Alexa
Amazon Alexa is quite awesome. It’s a voice activated digital assistant that lets seniors shop online, get weather updates, listen to news from all around the world. It can also help seniors with medication reminders and can also turn lights on and off without requiring any physical activity from seniors. Individuals of all ages love using alexa but seniors with mobility issues will appreciate this innovative technology even more so.
2. Nest Protect
Nest Protect is another awesome technology which can detects carbon monoxide and smoke in the home. The thermostat then immediately shuts off the system to protect the house and the people inside. In a case of emergency, nest protect can send alerts or notifications when the batteries are running low or there is an alarm going off. For non-emergency cases, it can easily be turned off with a click.
3. Ecobee4
Ecobee4 is a modified version of Ecobee3 and has Amazon Alexa as a built-in service. It’s truly a smart home gadget for seniors. Ecobee 3 is a smarter wi-fi thermostat with room sensors. The room sensors can be placed anywhere in the room that you would like to know the temperature and it can automatically adjust the temperature in that part of the house.
4. iRobot
Many seniors struggle with keeping house clean due to medical conditions and limited mobility. Vacuuming the house can demand more strength and energy than they may have. With iRobot, they no longer have to worry about keeping the house clean. There’s an option to start cleaning with regard to day and time and once that is set, it will start cleaning at that particular day and time.
It can pick up dust and dirt from every nook and corner of the space. Now-a-days there are many types of iRobots in the market. There’s also wet mop version that cleans dirt and grime from the floors.
5. Evermind
If your parent lives alone and you are worried about their safety, try using Evermind. It monitors common household appliances when they are turned on or off such as coffee makers, lamps and and electronic devices. The Evermind sensor is compatible with home appliances and also powered medical equipment.