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The role of technology in assisting
seniors in maintaining independence
cannot be overstated and keeping it all
straight can be a challenge. The challenge
comes as a result of the pace and number
of technological advances in the past few
decades. The changes can be dizzying.
There was a time in the not too distant
past when all we talked about was
medical alert systems. You remember the
commercial: “Help me, I’ve fallen and I
can’t get up!”
Of course, that is still available, however
there is much, much more that a senior
and their families can take advantage of.
For our purposes I will divide the current
tech advances in four main categories:
Life Safety, Telehealth/Remote Care,
Medication Dispensing, and Geo-location.
As the phrase implies, Life Safety is
about the senior’s ability to live in their
space, secure in the knowledge that
should they need help, all they have to
do is press a button. That option remains
for sure, and so much more. Typically,
the individual wears a
pendant on a lanyard around
their neck. Tucked away
under their shirt or blouse,
this pendent can be easily
accessed should the person
come into distress. I have
also seen them on belts and
wrists. Whatever works best
for the individual.
This system has advanced
to include a fall detection
option. There is, built
into most pendants, the
technology to sense a fall
and send the signal to the
responding call-centre
without requiring the person
to press the button.
Owen R.Wyrzykowsk
Wyrzykowski
y
ki
519-336-6118
6118
orw@wrlawoffice.ca
722 Lite Street, Point Edward
Technology and the Senior Advantage
By Chris Treftlin, Shine at Home, Sarnia
Call-Centres are the next piece of the Better still, because of the ease-ofuse,
Life Safety puzzle. With the advancement
the number of readings (points of
of hands-free two-way calling, a live data), can increase exponentially. With
call is activated by the pressing of the more data the care team can better
button, or the fall notification. Now the manage the chronic illness. And it gets
person initiating the call will be live with even better, by layering onto more data
a trained responder who can assess and the addition of “Diagnostic
take the appropriate action. This may Analytics” (DA) aka
include telephoning people on a call-out Predictive Analytics (PA).
list provided by the client, family, friends, Diagnostic Analytics uses
or neighbours. It may include calling EMS. and leverages the massive
Either or both, the call-centre makes it power of today’s computers
happen, and stays with the caller until with the vast amount of
someone arrives to address their need(s). data. The outcome is a
Newer technology assisting people with system that can predict with
independence is the advancements made a high degree of accuracy
in Telehealth/Remote Care. Systems have the positive and potentially
been developed to monitor and track negative outcomes of any
patient data, then send this data to the given patient.
patients care team.
Here is an example. A senior is
Stay with me. Many seniors are dealing dealing with hypertension and Type 2
with chronic medical Diabetes. As they monitor and faithfully
“Falls are the most conditions. Hypertension, send in their readings a few times a day
common cause of injury diabetes, cardiovascular, the Predictive Analytics is detecting an
among older Canadians. COPD issues are some of the almost imperceptible change. These
Every year, it is big ones along with others. changes are reported and the care team
estimated 1 in 3 seniors Previously an older person responds. Without PA the patient goes
aged 65 years and older dealing with these issues unchecked for months. As our healthcare
are likely to fall at least would be asked to make system gets more demands from an
once. ... According to the regular visits to the doctor for aging population Telehealth/Remote care
Public Health Agency a simple monitoring session. will be required as one tool to assist in
of Canada, over onethird
Under the Telehealth/ maintaining our high standards of care.
of seniors who are Remote Care model a Medication Dispensing is seeing
hospitalized as a result doctor’s patient can sit at the positive effects that technology is having
of a fall are placed in PC and do their own blood on medication compliance and the older
long-term care.” pressure, blood oxygen, and person. In a recent 2016 study over
Source: https://
blood glucose readings and half of the seniors in the study (55%)
www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/ more. The system stores the had moderate to poor compliance. Put
pub/82-624-x/2014001/ data and the care team can another way, over half did not take their
article/14010-eng.htm
review on-demand.
meds effectively. Now we are not talking
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about a pill here or there, heck I do that.
We are talking about medications that
maintain the same chronic conditions
I wrote about earlier. New systems on
the market can remind, dispense, and
monitor the elder person’s taking of said
medications. The system also notifies.
If the medications are not taken then a
notification goes out to the call-centre
or an individual responsible for care.
Further, reports can be generated that
analyze medication compliance.
A few words on the affect dementia
and Alzheimer’s disease have had on our
society and technologies response. In a
recent Q&A with Sandra Shields, Philip’s
Lifeline Community Representative,
she stated that one of the biggest tech
advances in recent years is a program
called “GoSafe.” Shields stated, “Go
anywhere in Canada with six locating
technologies, check-in service, wandering
device, and it is all waterproof” Do not
underestimate the importance of this
advancement to a family dealing with
their loved one’s disease.
There is a lot of help out there from
and through technology with reports that
more is coming, at least one per year.
Used properly it can be a positive part of
a senior’s independence strategy.
P A G E
16
A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. (unknown)