GeriTech

In Search of Technology that Improves Geriatric Care

aging tech

Smartwatches as Medical Alert Devices

It’s fairly common for older adults – or their family members – to want to have a way to get help in the event of a fall or other medical emergency. But most devices designed for this purpose are considered unappealing by many older people.

So I was very interested to learn last fall that Apple’s latest smartwatch included automatic fall detection.

Now should I start recommending a smartwatch to older adults who need a medical alert device? I wasn’t sure, so I turned to one of my favorite aging tech reviewers, Richard Caro of Tech-Enhanced Life.

Richard recently spent a few weeks carefully testing and reviewing four types of smartwatches that can serve as medical alert devices in the event of a fall or other personal health emergency.

In a recent podcast episode, he shared his findings and we discussed smartwatches and personal emergency response systems (PERS). Among the things we covered:

  • The Tech-Enhanced Life approach to evaluating innovations and newer technologies
  • The problem with existing medical alert devices
  • What key things to consider, when choosing a personal emergency response system (PERS) device and service
  • Why Richard and Dr. K recommend automatic fall-detection in a medical alert device
  • Which four smartwatch devices Richard selected for further testing
  • The difference between the Apple Watch 3 and 4, when it comes to using them as a medical alert
  • Why most medical alert services charge a monthly fee
  • How these newer smartwatch devices compare to more traditional PERS devices
  • The benefits of being able to “practice” summoning help
  • Richard’s preferred combo of medical alert features that no smartwatch offers (yet)
  • What to keep in mind if considering a medical alert for someone with dementia

If you’ve been considering using a smartwatch as a PERS device, I think you’ll enjoy this episode. You can find it here:

080-Interview: Smartwatches as Medical Alert Devices (What to Know and How to Choose)

What do you think of using the currently available smartwatches as a personal emergency response device? I’d love to hear from you in the comments here, or you can post your comment on the podcast episode page.

Putting Older Adults at the Center of Technology Conversations

Although innovators and businesses have been eager to tap into what’s sometimes called the “Longevity Economy”, older adults haven’t necessarily been central to the process of developing and assessing new technologies.

That is why I’m excited to share that I recently interviewed Richard Caro, Ph.D. for the Better Health While Aging podcast.

Richard, a co-founder of Tech-Enhanced Life, has spent the past few years facilitating ongoing “Longevity Explorer” meetings in which older adults come together to discuss interests, challenges, and new technologies.

On the podcast, we discuss how Tech-Enhanced Life has been engaging older adults in discussing and exploring new technologies, including:

  • Why Richard and his colleagues decided to start these peer-to-peer technology conversations among older adults
  • The types of technologies and challenges that older adults have brought up
  • What some Longevity Explorers thought of Alexa and other technologies
  • Why innovators and businesses should tap into the insights of older adults
  • The importance of purpose and engagement in late life
  • How to find or start a Longevity Explorers group in your area
  • Tech-Enhanced Life’s recent work on helping companies co-design with older adults, and now also family caregivers

If you’re interested in how older adults interact with new technologies, I think you’ll enjoy this episode. You can find it here:

068 – Interview: Putting Older Adults at the Center of Technology Conversations

Have you noticed older adults feeling left out of the technology conversation?

If so, I’d love to know how you were able to invite them into the discussion. Please post a comment here, or on the show notes page for the podcast episode!

Using Technology to Balance Safety & Autonomy in Dementia

I know, it’s been a little quiet here at Geritech…mainly because things are busy over at Better Health While Aging (BHWA).

But I haven’t forgotten about tech tools to help older adults and families. In fact, the more the audience at BHWA grows, the more I feel a need to find useful tools that can help them.

Unsurprisingly, a big need is for help with cognitive issues and dementia caregiving.

In particular, people often want to know what technology I can suggest to help their older loved one stay safe at home, or be found if lost outside the home.

My own panel of consultation patients is currently too small to enable me to have a lot of hands-on experience with these types of tech tools.

So last month, I invited my former VA colleague Mary Hulme to join me on the BHWA podcast.

Mary is a geriatric social worker who is an expert in dementia care. She also developed a particular interest in technology tools several years ago, and co-authored the book “Caring from Afar: A Guide to Home Sensor Systems for Aging Parents” in 2014.

On the podcast, we discussed the ever-present challenge of balancing safety and autonomy, and then we talked about several different types of technology that families can use.

If this is a topic of interest to you, you can find the podcast episode here:

061 – Interview: Using Technology to Balance Safety & Autonomy in Dementia

Have you used any home sensor, personal emergency response, or GPS-tracking systems for someone with Alzheimer’s or another dementia?

If so, I’d love to know what you tried and how it worked out for you. Please post a comment here, or on the show notes page for the podcast episode!

 

Notes from the Aging 2.0 Optimize 2017 Conference

Aging 2.0 OptimizeLast week, I attended Aging 2.0’s flagship OPTIMIZE conference. This was my third major Aging 2.0 conference (you can read my comments on the first one here, and the second one here), and it’s neat to see how the aging innovation community has grown and evolved since Aging 2.0 was founded in 2012.

I live-tweeted the conference (that’s part of why I get to go); you can read the Storify collection of my tweets here, or at the bottom of this post.

In this post, I’ll cover a few highlights that I found especially interesting, namely:

  • The Aging 2.0 Great Challenges
  • Bill Thomas’ keynote
  • The “elder workforce” best practice session
  • The AI and IOT-enabled engagement and fall prevention session
  • The winner of the Aging 2.0 Global Startup Search

The Aging 2.0 Great Challenges

Aging 2.0 announced the launch of a Grand Challenges initiative earlier this year.

The Grand Challenges are:

  • Engagement & Purpose
  • Financial Wellness
  • Mobility & Movement
  • Daily Living & Lifestyle
  • Caregiving
  • Care Coordination
  • Brain Health
  • End of Life

You can learn more about these grand challenges here.

The topics are “the result of five years of bottom-up and top-down dialogue with stakeholders from across Aging2.0’s interdisciplinary, intergenerational, international community of older adults, senior care providers, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs.”

Although all eight topics are innovation priorities for Aging 2.0, they announced at the conference that in 2018 they will particularly focus on caregiving & brain health.

Challenges such as this are kind of interesting to think about. I think that they are partly a conceptual model to frame the way a community thinks about opportunities/problems, and also partly a marketing approach.

As the saying goes, no model is perfect, some are more useful than others. [Read more…] about Notes from the Aging 2.0 Optimize 2017 Conference

Interview: Upcoming Aging 2.0 Optimize Conference & Important Problems in Need of Solutions

Aging 2.0 OptimizeTime for me to take another look at what’s most interesting and promising, when it comes to innovations to help older adults and their families.

One of my favorite ways to do this is to attend an Aging 2.0 conference. So next week, I’ll be going to Optimize, their flagship conference which will be taking place in San Francisco.

Recently, I had an opportunity to interview Anne Tumlinson, of Daughterhood.org, for the Better Health While Aging podcast.

Like me, Anne has a particular interest providing practical help to those helping aging parents. She’s also an experienced health policy analyst, with a special focus on long-term care, and a nationally known speaker on aging and caregiving issues.

In this conversation, we talk about some of the problems that are most pressing for older adults and families. We also talk about some particular innovations and ideas that will be presented at Aging 2.0.

To listen to this conversation, visit the episode page:

Interview: Innovations to Help Older Adults & Family Caregivers

Or read the transcript below.

Then let me know in the comments: Will you be Optimize 2017 next week? What kinds of innovations and solutions are you hoping to hear about?

Transcript: GeriTech & Daughterhood talk about needed innovations & Aging 2.0 Optimize

[Read more…] about Interview: Upcoming Aging 2.0 Optimize Conference & Important Problems in Need of Solutions