Helping elderly parents (p1):
Older adults start to need help and support from their family in subtle ways, and there are all sorts of inter-personal complexities
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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.
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).
Elder Dignity, Autonomy and the Need for Protection from Abuse
Dignity of the elder must not be disregarded in the name of protection: whether we are dealing with the difficult issues of how to convince dad to give up the car keys, mom’s need for placement in a facility, or fear of money being improperly acquired by a scammer. The question posed is how to maximize the preservation of dignity in the face of true need for protection of the elder? This article addresses the issue as it relates to financial abuse of elders, but the principles are equally applicable in other situations.
The Big Age-Related Problems we Worry About
SF Village explorers take on the task of listing challenging topics facing elders in later life. .........Read more
Hoarding Behaviors Described and Discussed
Explorer Nicolas speaks about his aging mother in law, who is starting late in life to hoard plastic bags to the degree it is becoming ‘overboard’ in terms of the accumulation. .........Read more
Daily Check-Ins: These Explorers Unenthusiastic
There has been discussion by staff on our campus to implement or offer a daily check-in for residents. We discussed a few that anyone can purchase and use, including: Snug Safety App, I am fine, care checkers and check on granny. Following an in-depth conversation, the group decided unanimously... .........Read more
"A Big Decision"
"A Big Decision" by Longevity Explorers: Recent @ Providence
The Providence Explorers Circle is examining housing alternatives for aging adults in the months of September and October. We found a New York Times article to be a useful framework for that discussion.
In “A Big... .........Read more
Useful Products Services Gadgets: Avenidas
This lengthy recording covers several different topics: The starting point for different segments is indicated.
START: The i-cloud is better for synching your calendar and contacts across all your devices’ instantly than i-Tunes which has a lag time.
Facetime: Wonderful for... .........Read more
Fit Bit
Using fit bit to help remind you to get up and off the couch every several hours. .........Read more
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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.
TeleCalm
TeleCalm is a service that seeks to solve the phone-based problems that tend to arise with persons who have diminished cognitive capacity. It blocks calls not from a pre-approved white list of callers.
Tips for Helping Your Aging Parents
Tips for Helping Aging Parents (without losing your mind) is a primer for adult children who are becoming immersed in caregiving and who need concise advice about how to manage the process.
Cake: End of Life Planning
End of life planning App: discover, share, and store your end of life preferences.
Hometeam - in-home care for seniors
Hometeam provides in-home care service and provides a way to keep track of what is going on.
HomeHero
HomeHero is one of the emerging companies providing home care services by operating on a digital platform.
Envoy - Family Concierge Service
Envoy’s mobile app lets family members or elders find, communicate with and pay for a prescreened family concierge.
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Better Aging Library
Get the latest insights on what works, what doesn't work, and for whom.