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Tech That Helps Caregivers

The toughest job you’ll ever love is not the military, it’s caregiving.

If you are caring for someone over 65 who needs a good deal of help, you already know that caregiving involves a steep learning curve and speedy cross-training in a lot of different fields.

As a caregiver, you may be running the Roomba, the dishwasher, the clothes dryer, and helping your father tune into the sports channel all at the same time.

So it’s good to know that there is new tech out there to make your life easier.

Tech Is Out There; You Just Need to Find It

A recent publication of the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) shows that seventy-one percent of caregivers wish they had more technical devices to help them in their jobs. But only seven percent of those surveyed said they use tech.

This points to an important gap between caregiver knowledge of relevant tech and the relevant tech itself.

Lanacare

Lanacare is a mobile application that links caregivers, home care aides, supporters, and seniors into one group. It is particularly useful for linking caregivers to people who want to lend a hand. Also, it enables volunteers to proactively help by sending meals and offering rides.

The app designers first ask that you give some information about your caregiving situation so that they can deliver the best system, customized for your family.

Cherry Home

Cherry Home is a home monitoring system that tracks your senior from living room to kitchen to bedroom and back. Cherry Home’s marketing team is quick to note that adult children are not “spying” on their loved ones. The system tracks the senior based on clothes and facial characteristics, then presents an avatar of sorts to the caregiver on the other end.

The Cherry Home system also sends alerts to caregivers through mobile phone technology. If a loved one falls, the adult child may get a message that says, “It looks like Rose has fallen.” The system also tells the caregiver when a parent has left home as scheduled, say for a doctor’s appointment, and when she has left home on an unscheduled basis.

Virtual Nurse Assistants

Virtual nurse assistants call seniors at home, to ask about their health. These virtual nurses also check to make sure seniors have taken medications. They are trained to detect something that is amiss. If so, they have a direct line to the senior’s medical staff and will alert them.

For many families, virtual nurse assistants may be the piece of the jigsaw that allows mom or dad to age in place rather than ending up in a nursing home or moving in with a son or daughter.

In conclusion, there is an ever-expanding array of technology available to caregivers. Combining one or two technological innovations with professional home care may be just the ticket for making sure that your mother or father stays safe and comfortable in his or her home.