Your elderly relatives are your responsibility. As they get older, it can be challenging to monitor their health and well-being on top of everything else. Luckily, some gadgets make life easier for you!
Some monitor their movements with a camera and sensor. Others are as simple as a device with a panic button.
This blog post will show you the five best gadgets to keep an eye on your loved ones.
This is only a tiny fraction of the gadgets available on the market to assist in the well-being of your loved ones. You might find this useful reference to contain even more relevant products to help with elderly relatives.
Types of Gadgets Available
With the existence of high levels of technology comes multiple options for elderly monitoring systems. These are just a few of the distinct types:
Health Monitoring
Health monitoring gadgets can be an excellent way for kids to stay on top of their elderly parents’ health issues. Sometimes these smart products can send information directly to a doctor. Normally, these gadgets are used to track things like blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, and oxygen levels.
Financial Monitoring
The information and technology age brings a new type of criminal with it. White-collar criminals that operate primarily online and over the phone look for elderly victims to run their scams on. Useful mobile phone and computer applications can monitor your parent’s financial activity and even request your approval before a transaction is finalized.
Mental and Cognitive Monitoring
Although these might be considered less of a monitoring system and more of a hobby, they can still provide reassurance as to whether your elderly relatives are staying sharp. A plethora of physical games and apps exist to stimulate and challenge the memory of their elderly players. These types of games can be found at most physical retailers and online marketplaces.
Top 5 Elderly Monitoring Gadgets
These are the gadgets we found to have the most value that presently exists on the retail market. However, as we mentioned previously, this is only our opinion and is a small fraction of what’s available. We encourage you to do more searching to find even more valuable products.
Video Doorbell Cameras
These doorbell cameras serve two purposes in the life of your elderly relatives. The multiple levels of user convenience are what make these gadgets so special.
The first, and most obvious use, is for a senior’s relative’s assurance that their loved ones are safe. When these doorbells are engaged, it sends a live video feed to the smartphone of your choice. This allows you to access a real-time view of who is attempting to enter your relative’s home.
Most of these doorbells are also equipped with audio, so you’re able to speak directly to the person at the door. You can make the final decision as to whether you think it’s safe for your loved ones to open the door.
The second use of these doorbells is to give seniors a chance to speak with the person at the door if they can’t make it to the door in time. We know seniors have problems with mobility. If it takes them a while to answer the door, this gadget helps them not to miss an important visitor. Alternatively, if they are unable to make it to the door altogether, they can inform the visitor to return later.
Smart Thermostats
Many seniors suffer from chronic bouts of hot and cold flashes. Some even find it hard to find a comfortable level of body warmth at all. It can be hard to make constant trips to the thermostat to adjust the temperature, and even then, sometimes, the small display is hard to read.
By installing a smart thermostat that can be controlled directly from your loved one’s smartphone or tablet, you can gift them with a new level of comfort and convenience. The temperature can be adjusted to the most specific degree and setting, all from the comfort of their bed or favorite chair.
Smart Pillbox
Sorting pills and being sure to take the appropriate dosage or remember their dose at all has been a problem plaguing seniors for decades. The invention of the original pillbox provided a form of relief for this problem. However, manufacturers of smart pillboxes have taken this idea to a new level.
A smartphone notification is sent to your loved one’s phone or tablet, alerting them to remind them of which pill to take and how much. There are sensors built into the pillboxes. These sensors can also notify the user if they have taken the wrong medication or too much one. Your phone can also be synched with the pillbox, alerting you to the same information that is sent to your elderly loved ones.
Freedom Watch Systems
This is one of our favorite gadgets on the list. Sometimes when a senior has early-onset Alzheimers or dementia, they can be prone to wandering. There have been many cases of seniors wandering from their homes and ending up in a different town days later or being located in the woods miles away.
You can remedy this problem by purchasing a freedom watch system. These systems require an invisible fence to be installed around the perimeter of your loved one’s property. The fences can be adjusted to different radius sizes and sensitivity.
When your elderly relative steps outside of the boundary area, an alert is sent to you via text message. This allows you the opportunity to either head directly to them or contact a neighbor or emergency services.
Smarthub and Motion Sensor
These gadgets are motion sensors that work with a hub installed on your phone that allows you to control the light functions of your favorite senior’s home. For example, if you notice they wake up and it’s dark in the house, you can switch the lights on to avoid them taking a nasty fall.
We hope you’ve found our list of gadgets for your elderly relatives as helpful as we have. It’s not to underestimate the safety and health of our elderly relatives. All of these products can be extremely useful and deserve some thought. Don’t forget to look in other places; you might find the next big invention that could make life easier for you and your relatives.
