Innovation is alive and well in the aging in place technology space although it hasn't all been recently catalogued here. So catching up with some recent press releases and product announcements from the April to June timeframe, here are more technologies for helping older adults. Each of these will include information from the vendor and a link to learn more at their website -- in addition, you may find a vendor press release in that category of this site (lower right side of home page). In no particular order:
Technologies to keep those with dementia safe at home. How you ask the question changes the answer. A few weeks ago, I revised my thinking about dementia care technology. The catalyst:An interviewer with the Cincinnati Enquirer called me a few weeks ago for a story she was doing -- and asked me about the technologies that could enable those with Alzheimer's or other dementias to remain safely in their homes. When asked the question that way, I realized that there were quite a few and worth summarizing and referencing more of the vendors in this blog post -- none were in the article to the degree that a previous blog posts on caegiving tech and Azheimer's tracking technologies (2009). So here is an expansion on the Cincinnati Enquirer's published story including statements from the interview/article and expansion:
A new product was launched in April 2011 to help persons with short-term memory loss keep track of appointments, medications, tasks and other information they might otherwise forget. The Memo is a small web-enabled electronic device that repeats important messages and reminders. The elder needs no knowledge of computers to use the Memo—information is displayed automatically. Family caregivers can add and change messages on the Memo remotely, from wherever they have internet access, as often as needed.
Back from the Alzheimer's Association of the Northwest. Walking the aisles of the exhibit floor, one could get the impression that the key for family members and professionals is finding a good home care agency or assisted living placement. Which reminds me, that despite the best of intentions in the aging services worlds, I rarely see evidence that it is at the top of the priority lists of these organizations to ensure that those they serve know what technologies might be of some benefit to them. (The exception is LeadingAge (formerly AAHSA) which has sponsored CAST -- check out the link that LeadingAge CAST has just released an analysis of state payments for Aging Services Technologies (AST). But I digress, here are some technologies to mitigate various issues confronted by caregivers -- some mentioned previously in random posts. Please comment with other suggestions or any feedback about these vendors or suggest additional products:
