We live in a world where technology is advancing every day, and there are devices and applications available to help people with different aspects of everyday life. If you have an elderly relative who’s living alone and you’re worried about them, or they are receiving home care services but they’d benefit from around-the-clock support, technology could help them.
Teaching them how to use different devices can simplify their daily routine and enhance their safety, independence and overall well-being. In this blog, we have looked at some simple devices that elderly people may find useful and how they can be beneficial.
Smart Home Devices
Introducing smart home devices to an elderly loved one’s house can be a great way to create a safer environment for them. Often, as people age, household chores become harder work, and even just moving around the house is more challenging. This can cause family members to worry about the safety of their relatives and for elderly people to feel scared in their own home.
With smart home devices and voice-activated assistants, elderly people can use tablets or voice commands to adjust the lighting or heating, for example. It’s much easier to create a comfortable environment without having to get up and walk around the house. Other smart devices, like motion detectors and fall sensors, can be beneficial for alerting someone if an elderly person has fallen, so help will arrive as quickly as possible.
It’s even possible to install smart appliances nowadays, many of which can be remotely controlled or pre-programmed. These appliances make it easier than ever to stay on top of everyday tasks, so elderly people can keep their homes tidy without much assistance.
Virtual Healthcare
If an elderly person struggles with reduced mobility or poor health and finds it difficult to leave the house, this could mean missing or avoiding crucial healthcare appointments, which can result in their health deteriorating. With video calls, elderly people can discuss their health matters with their GP and get personalised advice without leaving the house.
Patients can still have the sense of a face-to-face meeting without the struggle of having to get to the hospital, especially if their health requires frequent monitoring. This technology enables them to continue looking after their health without having to over-exert themselves.
Health Monitoring
Various devices such as smartwatches, fitness trackers and fitness apps provide an easy way for elderly people to monitor their health too. It’s not always easy to detect a change in the body that could indicate something is wrong, but these devices will measure different metrics, like heart rate, blood oxygen levels, physical activity and sleep patterns, offering useful insights.
The real-time data these devices collect can help elderly people and their care providers identify if something has changed and consult a medical professional to determine whether further tests should be done. This additional monitoring not only helps medical personnel but also elderly people, as it can provide peace of mind.
Brain Training Apps
Looking after cognitive health is equally as important as physical health as people get older, helping to ensure the brain stays sharp and alert. Brain training apps on phones or tablets can help elderly people maintain or improve important cognitive skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, memory and language. From memory exercises to games and puzzles, these activities are easy to incorporate into a daily routine and can also be a lot of fun.
Smart Phones
Keeping up with social activities and relationships can become more difficult as people get older, with health and mobility often standing in the way of getting out and about. With this kind of social isolation, loneliness can begin to set in, which can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression, impacting both physical and mental health.
While most elderly people still have landlines, smart phones can be really beneficial. With messaging apps, video calls, social media and multiplayer games, it’s easier than ever for elderly people to easily maintain contact and have fun with family and friends, even if they’re unable to get out of the house.
Using Technology To Improve Home Care Services
Technology can play a huge role in helping elderly people maintain their physical and mental well-being. When you combine these devices with the watchful eyes and added support of a professional home carer, clients and their families can feel confident as elderly people continue to age at home. Carers can help set up technological devices in the home, offering guidance on how they work and answering questions so clients know how to use them.
Here at Beloved Homecare, all of our home carers also use technology to help us provide the highest quality care to our clients. The PASS System is an incredibly efficient home care management system, and it has become an integral part of the way we deliver our services. We truly believe this technology has a positive impact on the level of care we provide in the community, and it helps us to support our clients by:
- Minimising Common Risks
Reducing the risks that come with working in the home care industry is of the utmost importance. The PASS System helps us ensure we’re delivering a professional and reliable service to our clients, and every member of our team will use this technology during client visits.
Any amendments to care plans will be logged on this system, and our home carers will double-check the system before providing care in the community. We don’t have to rely on paperwork, and this instantly reduces the risk of lost documents and incorrect client records. The PASS System helps prevent things such as medicine mismanagement, and you can have peace of mind that the right type and level of care is always being provided.
- Enhancing Continuity of Care
All of our carers will write notes about their client visits on the PASS System. These notes will be available to the whole care team looking after your loved one, enabling them to stay up-to-date with what’s provided during previous visits.
Having real-time updates is very useful, and our carers can provide a greater level of care when they know what services have been completed and what is still required. Detailed notes and feedback from our home carers about client visits also enable us to monitor and review the care services being provided on an ongoing basis. We will keep on top of all visits and always have a good overview of our clients’ well-being.
- Providing Full Transparency
Not only can our home carers see the visit notes on the PASS System, but these notes can also be made available to designated family members. When reading the notes, you will know what our home carers have done to support your loved one with everyday tasks and what assistance they have provided during their visits. So, whilst we’re providing home care services, you will never be kept in the dark.
This transparency can give you peace of mind, especially if you’re unable to visit your loved one regularly. You can check that they are getting the help they need, and you will be able to see how they’re doing on a day-to-day basis.
- Improving Communication
By using technology and providing access to care notes, family members don’t need to contact us as frequently about their loved one’s care and support. You will have all of the information you need to know how your loved one is getting on in real time, and this ongoing communication can prevent you from worrying about their health and well-being.
When our care team doesn’t spend as much time liaising with family members, they can focus more on their clients. The care and support services we provide benefit from not spending as much time on the phone or replying to emails, and you can trust that your loved one will be happy, healthy and safe whilst living in their own home.
Contact Our Home Care Agency in Trafford
If you’re in the process of choosing a home care agency for your elderly loved one and would like to find out more about how our team at Beloved Homecare can assist you, feel free to contact us today. We provide a range of home care services in Trafford and the surrounding areas, and we will happily answer any questions you may have about care at home.
We can assure you that your loved one will be in the best hands with our experienced home carers, and we can improve their quality of life whilst helping them to maintain their independence. We will listen to their requirements, allowing us to produce a care plan tailored to their specific needs and provide the best possible care.
To learn more about our services, please visit our website.