Introducing Seniors to Aging in Place Technology

Your 85-year-old mother is the early stages of dementia, has painful arthritis that makes walking difficult and has cataracts that give her blurry vision. She won’t move to an assisted living community because she wants to stay home and age in place. But you fear it’s only a matter of time before she gets hurt. You want to honor her desire to stay home, but you also want her to be safe. How do you find an acceptable compromise?

Technology may be able to help.

“Using assistive technologies can extend the length of time an individual can stay home,” says Laurie Orlov, an aging in place technology expert. Orlov believes that since technology is getting easier to use, incorporating it into a home and senior’s life is feasible. When introducing new technology, families should leverage this increased ease of use and the strong motivation of their senior loved ones to stay at home for as long as possible.

“Technology can help keep a loved one safe at home by providing support with daily functioning, such as medication reminders or a Personal Emergency Response System in case your loved one falls,” says Jill Martinelli, senior care advisor at Care.com.

Here are common questions people have about incorporating technology into a senior’s home and lifestyle to help them age in place.

Read more at Care.com