Safety (p1):
Research, explorations, discussions, and products and resources relating to Safety: from Tech-enhanced Life.
Personal safety is key. Includes household safety, falls avoidance, alarms, and products like personal emergency response systems & pendants (PERS).
For Older Adults, their Families, and Caregivers
— and for Companies Creating Innovations Related to Aging.
Scroll down to see Safety content from Tech-enhanced Life and the Longevity Explorers:
Analysis & Exploration | Explorer Discussions | Resources and Products shared by our Explorers.
Featured Guides & Reports: Safety
The "Useful Apps Club" for Older Adults
Unlock the potential of your smartphone or tablet to improve your life.
The "Useful Apps Club" is for older adults and Boomers who have a smartphone or tablet (or are thinking of getting one) and need help to turn it into a useful tool. We are focused on finding Apps that can change your life, and teaching you how to use them.
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.
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.
Fall proofing ME: What Can I Do?
The media is awash with stories about older adults falling and hurting themselves, and these reports usually mention that one in three of those over 65 will fall each year. This article is about what you can do to make falls less likely.
Fall proofing your house: a checklist
For the older adult worried about falls, one of the most important tasks is to "fall-proof" your house. There are numerous services you can retain to help with this. But how do you know they have done the right things? And, if you are the friend or family of an older adult, how can you do a "check" to make sure the house of the person you care for is relatively well "fall-proofed"? Here is a useful checklist developed by the Executive Director of Marin Villages.
Medical Alerts: Just Tell Me What To Buy!
"I don't want to become an expert on medical alerts. Just tell me what to buy." is something we often hear. We've found the answer depends enormously on the specific lifestyle of the person enquiring.
Most people fit within one of a handful of broad "personas". Choose which persona best matches your lifestyle, then see which medical alert devices we recommend for that persona.
Smartwatch as Medical Alert?
For years we have been hearing older adults complain about how ugly and stigmatizing medical alerts are. As one lady told us: "My medical alert button makes me look like I escaped from the Intensive Care Unit. So I hardly ever wear it".
A handful of medical alert watches have come to market that look like smart watches, and have some or all of the functionality of stylish smartwatches, but also work as medical alerts. We wanted to see how well they worked, and set out to test them — hoping they might change this dynamic. Here are the results, updated for 2021.
Fridge for Forgetful Senior
We have several problems relating to a fridge and a forgetful senior who lives alone. We worry that she will leave the fridge open by mistake and that the food will spoil and make her sick. We worry that she forgets to throw out food as it gets old, and that the food in her fridge includes food... .........Read more
Forget to Turn Water Off
As people grow older they often become somewhat forgetful. We start to worry about questions like "Did I leave the water running?" How do we make it so these sorts of questions are not things that we need to worry about? .........Read more
I Want to Do My Own Driving Evaluation
Explorer Ron frames the question: "How does one decide whether or not to continue driving?" Should it be one's self, or someone else? .........Read more
Explorer Recommends Lock Box to Save Your Door
Explorer Geri shares the idea that people who have some type of emergency alert should have a lock box with a house entry door key, so first responders can gain entry in an emergency without kicking in the door. .........Read more
Forget to Turn the Stove Off
Once or twice a month I leave the stove on after fixing breakfast. Most of the time I realize that I have left the stove on but it may be an hour or two after breakfast. I worry about what might happen as a result of this forgetfulness. .........Read more
SF Discussion Includes Tech Gadgets and Travel
Technology Gadgets and Travel are the topics of discussion this month by the San Francisco Explorers.
Per the usual order of business, reports of what is of interest to the members heads up the agenda.
Tech Gadgets
- Vision Focus: In the form factor of a pair ... .........Read more
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CookStop
CookStop is a safety device intended to prevent unattended stovetop fires on electric ranges..
FireAvert - Stove Automatic Shut-Off
FireAvert is a device intended to protect the user from dangerous stove fires by turning off power (or gas) to the sstove when it hears a smoke alarm.
Toch Sleepsense, bed sensor
Toch Sleepsense is a non-wearable sleep tracker designed to allow caregivers to monitor the safety of their loved ones while asleep. It also lets you monitor your own sleep.
Toch Smarturns: Intelligent Stove Knobs
Knobs you can add to an existing stove that "time" how long the stove has been on and alert if it is left unattended for "too long".
iGPS Phoenix Watch
The iGPS Phoenix Watch is intended to be worn by older adults or children and - when paired with the app - to keep track of their movements, signal departure from a designated location, and provide cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connections where available.
WellBe
WellBe from HandsFree Health is a virtual healthcare assistant, which comes in a smart speaker and, optionally, with a modern-looking, smartwatch-type medical alert.
iTraq Nano
iTraq Nano is an app and device designed to work indoors or out using multiple wireless platforms and is intended to be used with people who are prone to wander.
Life360
Life360 - The New Family Circle is a subscription smartphone app intended to work with phones or with Alexa to stay aware of the whereabouts of participating family members.
BoundaryCare
BoundaryCare is an iOS app intended to keep track of an Apple watch wearer's whereabouts and to display movement and location information on one or more iPhones using the app.
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