Helping elderly parents (p1):
Research, explorations, discussions, and products and resources relating to Helping elderly parents: from Tech-enhanced Life.
Older adults start to need help and support from their family in subtle ways, and there are all sorts of inter-personal complexities
For Older Adults, their Families, and Caregivers
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Medical Alert Systems: Help!
We kept getting asked "which medical alert system is best?"; and "how do I choose the right medical alert system for me?". This independent, objective, hands-on research tries to answer those questions. If you are looking for a medical alert system, either for yourself or for an older adult such as a parent, this piece of research is for you.
Caring from Afar: Guide to Home Sensor Systems
Read our report on this new category of products, designed to help seniors stay at home longer, and to help their families worry about them less. There are important lessons to be learned about which ones work, and for which types of circumstance they are optimal.
Aging in Place: Why Technology & Gadgets Matter
In my mind, there is a compelling argument that the right gadgets and technology can make aging in place more successful and less expensive. And by more successful, I am thinking in particular of higher quality of life, more autonomy, and less dependence on the kindness of strangers. I don't think this argument gets made much in the media or by the aging services industry though. So here it is.
What They Want vs What You Think They Need
I've said it before. Most of the products for older adults that we see are frankly not very good. This article is about two especially common pitfalls. I think of them as the "eat your broccoli" error, and the "I know how to market to 40 year olds" issue.
Quickly Getting Help for a Friend in Need
"Hi, this is Lisa. I'm not sure I can take care of myself right now. Can you bring me some food?" I found that scary sounding message on my voicemail one Saturday morning. It started me on a journey to coordinate care for a close friend. I learned several things that I'll share with you. I hope that if you are ever faced with a similar situation, my experience will help you.
Sensors, Dementia, Safety: Real World Experiences
Using a handful of simple, non-intrusive sensors, retired engineer Bob Glicksman has been able to learn all sorts of important things about the daily routine of an elderly person, who has cognitive impairment, and for whom he cares. He has been able to make multiple successful interventions to stave off what might have otherwise been serious adverse events. In fact, this simple sensor setup has worked better than he expected, and he shares his experiences, as an example of a real world use case in which a small addition of technology can accomplish a lot.
Caring for & Dealing with Elderly Parents: The Books
In a previous article I did a little research to find the 10 "best selling" books on the topic of Aging Parents (on Amazon). I have now waded through them all, and in this article I summarize my impressions of the different books, in the hope that you can leverage my work so you need only focus on the ones that seem most useful for you.
Best Books on Aging Parents
Over the last 18 months I have talked with literally hundreds of people who have realized they now have an extra "job" that they were not expecting: engaging one way or another in looking out for an aging parent. Many of them wanted a "guide" to Caring for Aging Parents, and asked for recommendations. Sure enough, there are a number of books on aging parents on Amazon. I decided I wanted to find the most popular, and then read them and see whether I could identify a handful of them to recommend next time someone asks for a Guide to Aging Parents. This article is the first installment in my journey and focuses on which are the top selling books in this category (presumably the ones others have found most relevant).
Smart Home Share & Learn: SF Explorers
When asked which smart home devices they have, San Francisco Explorers answer with more than a few of their personal favorites. .........Read more
Idea / Challenge
Hi there! I want to start off by saying that if it wasn't for this community and the instructions on how to use the Amazon Echo and set up the device for a person without a smartphone, my family and I wouldn't have been able to interact with my father this past year while he was in skilled care... ....... Read more
Ideas for Alexa skills or routines to keep my Dad engaged
I'm giving Dad a couple of Alexa Echos for Christmas (he has a big house and is hard of hearing). I'm trying to find some good skills and maybe set up some routines to get him to actually engage with the devices. I was thinkng of creating a morning routine that includes a greeting, the weather... ....... Read more
GrandPad @ Passavant
The Passavant Longevity Explorers evaluate a senior-friendly tablet. .........Read more
Simple Shared Calendaring for Distant Parent
It's a common situation: an aging parent starts needing help from family members organizing things like doctors visits, or other care-related or social activities. How do you set up and maintain some type of mutually convenient, calendaring solution that maintains the right balance between "... .........Read more
Automating My Parent's Lights
Having the right lighting in the right place at the right time is a very important detail for both safety and quality of life. Think burglars, or being able to read, for example.
But some older adults, as they become forgetful, or develop mobility issues, can end up with the lights turned... .........Read more
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Ohmni Robot
The Ohmni Robot is a virtual telepresence robot. One of its applications is to enable grownup children, living far from their parents, to be able to "beam in" to their parent's house and have a virtual visit.
TRiLOC SafeTracks GPS Watch
This wrist worn device detects wandering and notifies of falls.
Toobaloo
Toobaloo is a tubular device designed to give auditory feedback to children (or adults having speech therapy) and to help adjust fluency.
ViewClix
The ViewClix Smart Frame is designed to be placed in the home of an older adult to display pictures shared from smart phones, PCs or other mobile devices. It is also intended to be used for video calls.
CUUBLE
Cuuble is an app on a cloud-based platform designed to allow family members or friends to communicate and assist an aging parent who may be in a remote location. Photo sharing and message features can reduce isolation, and it can help keep track of many important functions in an elder's life...
UberEATS San Francisco
UberEats is Uber's food delivery service allowing the customer to order produce from the farmer's market or a gourmet culinary item from a restaurant to be delivered to their door in minutes.
Housing Information for Senior Citizens (HUD)
The US Department of Housing and Urban Renewal (HUD) sponsors this informative website. It is helpful to those seeking housing, especially affordable or subsidized housing, as well as family and friends who want to help in the search. It helps locate the appropriate type of housing, how to apply...
NORC Blueprint
This website explains NORCs, and explains how they work. NORC is an acronym for Naturally Occurring Retirement Community - a building, neighborhood, or section of a city not originally built for seniors, but where people are aging in place or have moved in to join like-minded others.
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