One in four seniors aged 65 and over falls each year. These are the leading causes of accidental death for seniors. This causes 3 million emergency room visits and 27,000 deaths every year. It’s obvious that falling is a huge threat for seniors, but technology is being developed to change this.
They have remote monitoring and home automation and other tools to lower the number of falls by using wireless sensor technology, these can respond quickly if you do fall.
For seniors wanting to live independently, causes strain for caregivers and families because suffering a fall while you’re home alone is the greatest fear. Caregivers and families can’t be there 24/7, so having a home security system with video surveillance can ward off break-ins or unwanted visitor, but having systems like motion sensors and wearable technology can help to provide a total protection solution, every minute counts in an emergency, and you can’t afford to not be prepared.
Getting Smart Lighting Systems for Seniors
As we get older, our eyes lose their effectiveness. As we age, our eyes will take in less light and this results in taking longer for our eyes to adjust to the light if we’re exiting from a dark room. This could take up to a minute, leaving you virtually blind. This makes it easier for seniors to trip and fall.
Modern smart lighting offer many ways to improve the experience for a senior. Installing a central area to control the lighting that’s easily accessible, motion and sensors can all be set to a schedule. This could be programmed to be controlled via voice command, eliminating the need to fumble around in the dark for light switches.
Be Prepared for Anything
If a senior falls, there is an immediate need to get them help as quickly as possible. If when you aren’t injured in the fall, half of seniors can’t get back up on their own. When you’ve fallen down and you get up, and you are forced to lay there for hours or days can of course result in many health issues like pneumonia, dehydration, rhabdomyolysis, pressure ulcers and hypothermia, some of these complications will begin to set in after only 30 minutes.
This is where medical alert systems come in. These systems use pendants, bracelets, panic buttons and other wearable or portable devices that provide seniors and the people who care for them 24-hour access to emergency services. Some newer devices also feature accelerometers and other sensors that detect when someone falls and immediately calls for help, even if the fallen person is incapacitated.
For many families and seniors, the decision to age-in-place or look for a quality assisted living is a hard decision to make. Since most seniors prefer to age at home for as long as possible, they are making decisions to utilize smart technology and home automation to give them confidence and peace of mind.