Home Safety Devices For Seniors – It makes perfect sense for you to want to spend your golden years living at home. Traditionally, the idea of elderly people living at home has been met with legitimate apprehension by doctors, caregivers, and family members. Safety concerns include the senior’s mental health, adequate physical health monitoring, timely medication administration, and emergency response time in the event of an accident.
Today, these worries have been tended to with the clever utilization of new advancements. There are now devices that can provide seniors with both connectivity to meet their social needs and peace of mind regarding health and safety concerns. These ten technological tools will make it easier for you to live at home without being in danger.
10 Home Safety Devices For Seniors
- Wearable remote heart monitors: It can take doctors and part-time caregivers a long time to notice sudden changes in your physical health which makes it harder for them to respond quickly enough to potential problems. Real-time, wearable, and lightweight sensors are now available. After that, the medical data is sent wirelessly to the host company and made immediately available to doctors and other caregivers. Ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac event monitoring (CEM), and average heart rate for arrhythmias are examples of transmittable data.
- Automated pill dispensers: According to the National Library of Medicine, prescription drug use among older adults has significantly increased over the past 25 years, making medication management particularly difficult for seniors with chronic conditions. MedSmart and other automatic pill dispensers send reminders and easy-to-follow instructions to seniors to prevent accidental overdoses. If there is a missed dose, the device also notifies caregivers.
- Systems for emergency alert and response: Personal emergency response devices have improved to offer even faster response times, improved accuracy, and an almost limitless range since their commercial debut in the 1980s. These devices used to be limited to a home’s landline, but now that they use wireless technology, you can use them at home, at a restaurant, while shopping, or while taking a walk in the park. The emergency response team, doctors, and caregivers will be better prepared to deal with the situation when they use other devices on this list, like wearable remote heart monitors.
- Sensors for safety: These are a great and simple way to ensure that your loved ones and/or caregivers are aware of your well-being on a daily basis. A wide range of capabilities are available for motion sensors which are installed near the doors to rooms that are frequently used. Wirelessly, sensor data is sent to an internet-accessible service. If you haven’t gone to the bathroom or kitchen, the person who gets the data will know that something is wrong or that you can’t get out of bed.
- Burner Alert: When multitasking in the kitchen, anyone can become disoriented while cooking and forget to turn off the stove’s burner. The technology of the Burner Alert is embedded in small discs that fit under burner knobs. When the burner is left on, you will be notified in a series of audio and visual cues. Even your smart television, Alexa, email, and phone can receive alerts.
- Temperature-activated flow reducer: Most hardware stores carry temperature-activated flow reducers which cost less than $50. The tiny device can be screwed onto shower heads or sink faucets to stop the flow of water when it gets too hot. This device can assist you in avoiding severe burns which can occasionally result in infections or shower accidents.
- Doorbell camera systems: Consider installing a doorbell camera system like NEST or Ring if you don’t want to spend money on a complete security system. You can see and talk to people who come to the front door with these systems which also offer HD recording and streaming round-the-clock.
- Monitoring while away from home: If you enjoy going for walks or shopping, you should always have a GPS-tracking monitoring device with you. The people you give your location information to will know exactly where you are and be able to respond if there is an emergency. The ActiveCare Personal Assistance Link is a full-featured out-of-home monitoring device with GPS tracking, emergency speed dial phone service, and software that can tell if you’ve fallen. There is a monthly fee for the services, and they include a call center for emergency responses that will have your medical information and the necessary contact information.
- Smart clothing: Armourgel is the most recent and impressive piece of technology designed to protect the elderly. It is used in clothing designed by Imperial College London researcher Daniel Plant to be extremely impact resistant over fracture-prone areas for seniors. It is a padding made from two synthetic materials that simultaneously stiffen and fold in on themselves when struck. The use of Armourgel technology could mean the difference between a minor hospital stay and a life-threatening injury. The features were made with the intention of giving elderly people more security and tranquility while they live at home.
- Step lifts: A step seat lift is an incredible security gadget in the event that you or an elderly one should moves toward the rooms or pantries. To safely transfer you from one floor to another, these devices can be used on straight or even curved staircases.
Even though some older people are wary of new technology, adopting it makes it easier and safer to age. The majority of people who move into Life Plan Communities move first into independent living, where they can live in the same way as they would in their own home but with the advantages and security of community living.
READ: How To Fall Proof A Home For Elderly
Things That Can Help the Elderly
Modern life is not made for the elderly, but there are a lot of fun hacks and gadgets that can help you get around on your own. Some of them are:
- Dressing Stick: Dressing sticks have long handles and round hooks on the ends to prevent clothing from getting caught. They enable individuals with limited upper body mobility to remove jackets and shirts from their arms.
- Button Hook: To use a button hook, slide the end of the loop through the hole, wrap it around the button, and pull the other way to button the shirt. People who lack the mobility necessary to independently operate buttons will benefit from this device.
- Elastic Shoe Laces: If you want to keep wearing your beloved laced shoes even though you can no longer really tie them, look for elastic shoe laces. You only need to tie these stretchy laces once to transform standard lace-up shoes into slip-on styles that are easy to wear.
- Electric Blanket and Mattress Pad: Using an electric blanket or mattress pad, you can alleviate your morning aches and pains caused by arthritis before you even get out of bed. If you leave it on by accident, it will overheat, so choose a model that automatically shuts off after a few hours.
- Utensil Grips: If you have arthritis in your hands, it may be hard to hold utensils, toothbrushes, makeup brushes, and other similar tools. Utensil grips are rubber or silicone chunky sleeves that fit over these utensils and make it easier to grip them.
- Anti-tremor Cutlery: Individuals with Parkinson’s and other neurological circumstances that cause hand and arm quakes frequently find it hard to take care of themselves without spills. Anti-tremor cutlery reduces wobble up to 70% by canceling out some of the tremor movement.
- Programmed Container and Can Opener: Opening jars and containers is challenging for most older adults because of the hand strength and mastery required. Automatic jar and can openers will do all of the work for you, making life easier for you. To reduce your risk of injury when opening a can, look for one that cuts smoothly.
- Magnifying Lamp: When it comes to reading a small typeface, glasses may not always suffice. If you’re having trouble, a magnifier with a built-in light will make a big difference. These magnifiers are accessible in a few unique plans, including handheld focal points, work area lights and, surprisingly, standard size standing floor lights.
- Vacuum Robot: Many elderly people find it difficult to operate a heavy vacuum. Give them a vacuum robot that will do the work for them to take this burden off of their shoulders. If you really want to go all out, look for a model that can sweep the floors as well, so you don’t have to do two jobs at once.
- Seat Lifter: Getting into and out of chairs and couches, especially those with deep seats or plush cushions, is a common challenge for older adults. You can easily and safely stand up and sit down in your favorite chair with an automatic seat lifter which will do the work for you.
- Door Knob Grips: Rounded doorknobs are extremely challenging to operate with limited hand dexterity. Get some door handle grasps to make it feasible for you to continue opening the door handles without substituting them.
- Automatic Nightlights: If you have to get up in the middle of the night, using motion-activated nightlights will lower your risk of falling. There are a variety of models available, including the standard plug-in variety, cordless versions that can be attached to stairs, and toilet bowl-fitting lights.
- Scrubber for the Back: If you can’t get all the way around your back, you won’t have to twist your arms to get to it with the help of a back scrubber. A brush on one end of most back scrubbers lets you wash yourself. Back lotion applicators with a smooth surface that evenly distributes the lotion are another option.
- Shower Chair: A shower chair is another thing you need for the bathroom because it lets you sit comfortably while you take a bath. Make sure it has legs that can be adjusted so you can change the height to suit your preferences.
- Non-Slip Bath Mat: You should have a non-slip bath mat in addition to the shower chair so that you can keep the chair and yourself in place while you are showering. If you don’t carefully follow the installation instructions, the bath mat might not stay in place when you step on it, which could cause a fall rather than preventing one.
READ: Home Safety Assessment For Elderly
- Bathroom Grab Bars: For the sake of safety, every senior should have grab bars installed in their bathroom, particularly around the shower and toilet. A set of toilet rails, a free-standing set of rails that wraps around the toilet and provides you with something to hold onto as you raise and lower yourself, may be more helpful if your toilet is not next to a corner.
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