Tech Can Help Keep Us Healthy and Able to Age in Place with Wellness Monitoring
Fess up seniors. Technology is not always the enemy; sometimes, it is our friend. At least once a day when we’re having an issue with it, we might declare, “I can’t stand technology!” Not so fast. Today technology can save your life. Embrace it.
With advances and apps, technology can serve as a lifeline. It’s like always having a medical professional with you to monitor your wellness. How cool—and healthy--is that!
For example, Smartphones and smartwatches centralize the management of your physical, mental and emotional well-being. There is ECG monitoring, fall detection and irregular heart rhythm warnings. There are also wearables and smart home devices to keep a health check on you. Are you moving enough? Did you do your steps? Are you sitting too long? Are you hydrated? How’s your food intake? How’s your hearing? Feeling dizzy? And don’t forget your sleep. If you pass out on the bathroom floor, an emergency contact will be notified. And these options are just the beginning.
Think about the importance of this: Most seniors want to age in their homes and live independently for as long as possible. Here are a few of the technological wellness options designed to keep you healthy and hopefully even prolong your life. Many more are coming down the pike. We don’t offer specific brands or which to choose—a necklace, watch or ring—so you decide that, but decide.
Smartphone Apps: Wellness checks in your pocket
Today’s Smartphone doesn’t just allow you to text and email, it is a health center, personal trainer, nutritionist and even meditation guru.
· There are apps that track health and wellness. Data is culled from multiple sources and fed into third-party sources. Activity is monitored and tracked through tools like step counters, movement reminders, and sleep checks. This helps us set goals and measure our results, so we can make adjustments.
· Personal medical data is also tracked by being integrated with your health information and healthcare providers. These features can be set up in Settings on your phone, where you can list your medications, emergency contacts, doctors, specific medical issues, blood type and much more. You no longer must carry around a piece of paper with this information and remember to bring it with you for each visit with a doctor or other professional.
Wearable Wellness Devices Proliferate
Body metrics can be monitored from smartwatches, fitness bands, neck devices, eyeglasses, clothing with sensors and smart rings. They’re now designed to be more stylish, less clinical looking.
· Smartwatches can monitor fitness, heart rate, sleep quality, and even blood oxygen levels.
· Air Pods, the latest version, can now serve as hearing aids for those with moderate hearing loss. It might be a challenge to set up, but technicians specifically trained in the hearing benefits are there to help. This is especially helpful if you have trouble hearing on the phone. Another benefit is the cost at around $270 versus thousands for hearing aids.
· Lightweight fitness trackers count your steps, calories burned, active minutes and sometimes even stress and menstrual cycles. Some can be clipped to a shirt or worn as a bracelet.
· Smart rings can measure sleep monitoring and body temperature.
· Glucose monitors that check to make sure you’re eating healthy and doing enough activity and for those who have diabetes or even high A1C and pre-diabetes.
Wellness Routines a la AI
· Customized work out plans.
· Mental health checks for stress, anxiety and depression.
· Diet and nutrition tracking for your metabolism which can track what you’re eating and even suggest healthy recipes.
Age in Place with Smart Home Wellness Devices
· Monitors for air quality that send alerts and adjust air purifiers.
· Circadian lighting that can replicate the progression of sunlight to help regulate sleep cycles.
· Mattresses and sleep pads to monitor sleep patterns and temperature.
· “Alexa, lower the temperature,” or “Set the oven for 45 minutes,” or any voice assistant to remind you to be healthy, to drink, meditate, exercise, get up, protect you and your home, move or consult a health professional, if necessary.
· Even robot pet dogs that look real will keep those with dementia company. And if you’re lonely, there are now chat bots that can fill that void.
There are also telehealth services such as remote patient monitoring. This service sends vital info to healthcare providers in real time and sometimes saves you heading in for a doctor’s visit.
What does the future bring in technological wellness? Even more personalization. When something is off, the user will be alerted that it’s time to go to a doctor or the emergency room. With advances in AI, there will be smart clothing with sensors to measure body metrics; devices that look like a credit card and can perform health diagnoses at home, and special testing that checks your gut health.
Suggestion: Before using any high-tech smart medical devices, check with your doctor. Also, keep the doctor in the loop if there's a red flag.
Many in our cohort resist such choices; investing in one clearly acknowledges that we’re aging and our body parts and minds aren’t tip top. But aren’t we lucky to have choices that won’t necessarily take away from our style or chicness and will help us stay healthy far longer? These devices will also provide peace of mind for our grown kids and others. Yes, we’re learning it’s hip to be tech-savvy.