Senior Caregivers and Technology | | Assisted Living and Senior ...

In today?s day and age technology is the backbone of society. Even caregiving has been made easier by the use of technology. Whether it is medical alert systems to alert us when our loved one has ?fallen and can?t get up? or a device that automatically dispense the correct dosage of medication at the correct time, technology has become a huge asset to caregivers.

With an estimated 65.7 million caregivers? or 29 percent of today?s U.S. adult population ? providing care to someone who is ill, technology that provides support to families is a fast-growing industry, experts say. That number is likely to rise as the baby boomer generation, more than 78 million strong, ages and needs care.

A study released last year by the National Alliance for Caregiving and United Healthcare found that more than two-thirds of family caregivers had used some form of technology to help them with caregiving. Harry Kearns, of Plantation, is one of them. He lives and works miles away from his mother Helen?s Miami home, but his worries about her safety are tempered by one handy gadget: a personal safety alert system that notifies first responders in case she needs help.

?It?s definitely peace of mind,? says Kearns, of Plantation. ?If she were to fall, we know they?ll send people out there right away.?

Helen, 90, uses a device called Masada Alert, a pendant or bracelet that can get its user immediate help in case of a fall, a fire or some other emergency. Though these systems have been around for a while and are heavily marketed on television, for Helen Kearns the handy gadget means, ?I can stay in my home and live independently.?

Last year?s National Alliance for Caregiving study found there were three technologies caregivers voted as ones that would be most helpful: personal health record tracking systems to help keep track of a care recipient?s health record, a caregiving coordination system which allows caregivers to request support in their duties through a shared electronic log and a medication support system that can serve as a reminder and dispenser.

Many of these are already on the market. For instance, a variety of pill organizers and medication alarm systems ? TabSafe is one of them ? help ensure a senior takes her pills on time. TabSafe organizes medications and sends visual and audible reminders. It also provides three follow-up alerts if a person has missed a medication. In addition, other medication reminding services can, for a small fee, call a senior to remind him to take medication. OnTimeRx does precisely that.

There are also several telemedicine systems that can track heart rate, temperature, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, information that can be then electronically sent to and monitored by both health professionals and family members. GE?s QuietCare is one of the many devices now being used. It employs motion sensor technology that learns the normal activity patterns of the care recipient and sends alerts to the caregiver in case of urgent situations.

Experts predict the industry will boom as more people of all ages become familiar with the benefits of technology. ?For baby boomers experiencing caregiving, technology plays a huge role,? says Lynn Feinberg, senior strategic policy advisor at AARP. ?This is a generation that is tech savvy and not afraid to use that knowledge. They will transform the use of technology for caregiving.?

More than 70 percent of caregivers in the National Alliance for Caregiving study had accessed the Internet for information on caregiving. This doesn?t surprise Czaja, who recently supervised a pilot program that provided real-time support for caregivers in their own homes through videophone technology. The videophone program also made available one-on-one skill building sessions to caregivers and allowed face-to-face contact between the caregiver and the clinician and among the caregivers themselves through a support group.

While the number of devices is growing every year, many caregivers don?t know about these products or where to look. ?There?s so much out there that people can get overwhelmed,? says Kathleen Kelly, executive director of the San Francisco-based non-profit, Family Caregiver Alliance. ?They don?t even know where to start.?

Joe MacAdams of Pembroke Pines recognized that families needed guidance after he spent more than three decades working with the insurance industry, mostly consulting on long-term care. Two years ago, he launched Broward-based CareGiver Technology and charges $48 hourly for a phone consultation or $98 for a home visit. Good assistive technology, he says, is easy to use, sells at a fair price and can solve problems, from stopping a dementia patient from wandering away to helping a caregiver keep track of medical appointments.

?Companies are developing more and more technology and it?s getting cheaper to buy,? MacAdams adds. ?But the important thing is to fit the problem with the technology.?

Sometimes that?s easier said than done. Gary Barg, founder and editor of Today?s Caregiver magazine and caregiver.com website, says caregivers walk a fine line between monitoring the behavior of a needy recipient and invading her privacy. He warns caregivers ?not to infantilize the person being taken care of? and suggests, when possible, that caregiver and recipient discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the devices considered.

?It has to be a partnership,? Barg says. ?It can?t be, ?I?m doing this to you and you have to go along with it.??

Caregivers, most of who tend to be younger than the care recipient and also more tech savvy, should also match the device to the recipient?s comfort level. ?It should be high tech and low-touch, so they don?t have to change their lives,? Barg adds. ?And there should be a human on the other side, a voice and live person to respond to the request for help.?

Experts say most seniors are willing to adopt technology if it?s simple, affordable and will help them stay in their homes longer. ?The 75-plus groups can be more challenging, but if you present it as easy to use, they want it because they think it will help (ease the burden on) their children,? MacAdams says.

Helen Kearns agrees. ?At this stage, I?m doing fine and I don?t need it,? she says of her personal emergency alert system, ?but my children are glad I have it.?

As the population grays and lives longer, assistive technology will become more common in homes, but even its fiercest advocates say the best devices have their limitations. ?People still need human contact,? says AARP?s Feinberg. ?There?s really no substitute for that.?
Source: Miami Herald

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