5 wearables that can transform senior care

Gopal Ramakrishnan, a financial consultant with a major analyst firm in the US, was standing at the crossroads. He had to decide whether to continue with his 15-year old job or return to his hometown, Hyderabad. While he was well-settled in the US, the health and wellbeing of his aging parents was becoming a major cause of worry. Despite repeated pleas, when Ramakrishnan’s parents didn’t agree to leave their ancestral home and shift to the US, he decided to take up a job in Hyderabad.

With more and more children migrating to bigger cities or settling abroad for better job prospects, leaving the elderly behind, such examples are quite common in urban India. As the number of senior citizens in the country continue to rise, the situation is going to become even more serious in the years to come. In fact, according to the estimates released by the United Nations Population Fund, by 2050, India will be home to one out of every six of the world’s older persons.

Given this scenario, a tracking system that enables family members or caregivers to monitor day-to-day health of the elderly and ensure their safety remotely can prove to be revolutionary. This is exactly what wearables devices do. From providing the details of an elderly’s location, displaying his daily activity log to notifying changes in activity patterns, these devices truly empower senior citizens and their caregivers.

Browse through our list of five wearables that promote independent living in senior citizens and help caregivers ensure their safety:

1. CarePredict Tempo

Tempo, by CarePredict, is a wristband that is aimed at identifying early health issues in senior citizens and alert support staff or relatives who are staying separately, in case of problems. In the first seven days, it measures daily activities and creates a rhythm journal. It proactively tracks changes in normal activity patterns by factoring in day-to-day activities like eating, sleeping, cooking, brushing, etc. For example, if a user is sleeping more than usual hours, then it could possibly indicate some weakness or illness. Or if the user is not doing activities of interest less frequently, it could indicate possible disinterest in life or onset of depression. Caregivers can easily check these patterns by logging into their loved one’s private account from any computer.

Further, Tempo uses beacons to track user’s location in the home. It then combines location data with motion, type, speed, number of duration and frequency to give alerts. For instance, lying for two hours in the living room may be a nap, whereas lying in the bathroom would notify you that something might be wrong.

What makes the device perfect for elderly people is the fact that it charges wirelessly, there are no cords or plugs. The CarePredict Tempo is available for pre-order at $169. The company also provides monitoring service for $ 14.99 to $29.99 per month.

Source: CarePredict

2. ActiveProtective 

Fall injuries are the most common and devastating issues related to ageing. They can prove life-threatening or can prevent independent living of elderly. ActiveProtective is a wearable airbag designed to keep elderly safe from falls and prevent hip fractures and other fall-related injuries.

The airbag is to be worn like a belt, either on top of or beneath the clothing. The device has 3-D motion sensors to detect falls. In case of a fall, the device deploys an airbag shield, similar to the one in the car, to cushion the hips and prevent a fracture. The device then sends out a call for help to a family member or a caregiver. The bag is said to reduce impact force to hip bones by 90%.

ActiveProtective with airbag deployed

The device is currently in the testing phase with commercialization planned for the end of 2016.

Source: ActiveProtective

3. VESAG Watch

VESAG watch was founded by an Indian entrepreneur with an aim to monitor the health conditions of his ageing parents. The device works as a portable wireless hub and can be worn as a watch or pendant. It has built-in GPS functionality, which helps caregivers in tracking the location of the user. The device can monitor critical health parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, sugar levels, ECG, pulse rate. Further, medicine/task reminders can be set from the web portal.

The device has the capability to auto detect falls and alert the call center so that immediate help can be provided. The watch also allows elderly to trigger off an alarm by pressing just a single emergency button and help them connect to 108 call center/desired hospital emergency/ caregiver.

The best part is that the device can be used by the whole family by just selecting the subscriber ID.

Source: Vesag  

4. Amulyte

Amulyte is another wearable targeted at promoting independent living in senior citizens. It is a lightweight smart pendant that tracks daily activities and serves as an emergency response system. In case of an emergency, an elderly simply needs to press the help button, which works both inside and outside the house, to send an email and text message to family members or caregivers. The device also has a speaker and mic to allow two-way communication between the user and family members.

The pendant also keeps a track of the user’s activity patterns and provides daily trends and information, which can be accessed by the loved ones through the portal from any computer or smartphone. Further, the pendant offers real-time alerts and location detection.

The user can add emergency contacts in the Amulyte portal. These people become the first line of defense in case help is needed. The user can also set specific preferences on how each person is notified - phone call, SMS or email. It provides 24-hour emergency in the event of any health emergency, including heart attacks, strokes and falls.

Source: Amulyte

5. Metria Wearable Sensor

Avery Dennison’s Metria wearable sensor is aimed at shifting the focus on prevention. Although the device is not solely targeted at the elderly, it can make a huge difference in senior care by proactively monitoring physiological information. The wearable sensor features a skin-friendly adhesive to accommodate day-to-day activities, such as exercising or taking a shower. The sensor collects data, such as number of hours slept, heart beats per minute, etc. The sensor then wirelessly transmits a summary of trends and data to the user's or caregiver's device, such as a smartphone.

Source: Avery Dennison