In the U.S., about 10 live-alone seniors die each day. They die not from any existing medical conditions but from loneliness and isolation.
On the pragmatic side, you may say “It is their time.” But I am sure you don’t want to be among the ten. You want to live a little longer, enjoy life a little more.
We all do. And technology is coming up to the challenge – to allow seniors to do just that.
These are some of the most practical:
1. Hearing Aids:
If you have to strain your ears during conversations or constantly ask a repetition of what has just been said, it’s time to use a hearing aid.
Hearing loss is part of growing old. Learn to accept it, then cope with it using a hearing aid.
Today’s hearing aids are far different than those bulky gadgets in the past. They are so tiny they can easily tuck into or behind your ear. And they are wireless, yet with sharp sound sensitivity.
Be a part of an exciting yet noisy world again by wearing a hearing aid.
2. Internet Connection:
This is not a gadget but something almost all technology gadgets cannot do without.
Your smartphone, tablet, iPad, or home monitoring systems, etc., need an Internet connection to optimize their functions.
According to Pew Research, 4 in 10 seniors own a smartphone – more than double of that in 2013. So don’t be left behind and get connected and discover an entirely new world.
3. Smartphones:
You will have a very serious handicap if you don’t have a smartphone, even the most basic model.
Smartphones are computers in your pocket. They are small and lightweight, yet packed with functions to manage your day-to-day affairs easily.
You can send and receive emails, send and receive text messages, brown the Internet, take and send photos, or manage your appointments.
Some models have a GPS to track your movements and if you put in the necessary apps, it can help you monitor all vital signs necessary for your health and well-being.
4. Tablet or iPad:
Before you get lost in the translation (or definition), a tablet is a personal computer that may or may not have a touch-screen or a keyboard, while an iPad is a tablet made by Apple. Both are smaller than a notebook computer but larger than a smartphone.
Either one can promote brain fitness through computer games and puzzles, allow you to monitor your health, listen to music, watch movies online, take and view photos, video chat with family and friends, and more.
They also have adjustable font sizes to fit your visual acuity. Portable and lightweight, they make the perfect companion wherever you go – provided there is an Internet connection.
5. Video and Computer Games:
I don’t play video or computer games because I have other uses for my Internet connection. Should I want entertainment, I prefer to watch movies rather than play them. I think I am too old for that. LOL!
But if you want to bring out the child in you, by all means, play them. I have seen a lot of seniors in coffee shops doing that. I knot my brow on these because they slow down the Internet connection.
Video and computer games have proven to help slow down cognitive decline, improve mental health, and promote social interaction. They can even enhance your physical health and well-being.
6. Skype or Viber:
Skype or Viber is not a device but an app you can download from the Internet for free.
These are very important for seniors to allow them to make quick free calls in case of emergencies.
Not only that, they make perfect tools for real-time voice or video chat with friends, family members, former co-workers anywhere in the world. And if you want to find a new romance, just Skype or Viber them.
You can use both on your desktop, laptop, smartphone, or any mobile device.
7. Health Tracking Software:
These are apps, too, that seniors must have on their electronic devices – especially those with chronic illnesses.
They monitor vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate, among other health signs that require close and constant monitoring. They remind you to take your medications and nutritional needs.
If any of these are out of whack, they send distress signals to family members or emergency services.
Some models send signals to hospitals, carers, or emergency personnel in case you need help.
8. Home and Personal Monitoring Systems:
Roughly 12 million Americans 65 and above live alone. They want to have a sense of independence.
While this may look ideal on the surface, it carries a lot of risks they may not be able to handle on their own. Hence, the need for these technology devices.
These systems cover a wide range of home and personal protection such as smoke or fire alarms, home invasions, lighting, and temperature controls. They may sense falls, of gas leaks.
They also come in “wearable” types to monitor heartbeat, blood pressure, balance, location, and medication schedules.
For ease of use, they can all be controlled through mobile devices like a smartphone or an Ipad.
9. Tech glasses for seniors?
For seniors who are legally blind, worry no more. With the ESight 3, they can again see the beauty around them.
Legal blindness is defined as visual acuity of 20/200, or worse, in the best-seeing eye and peripheral vision limited to 20 degrees.
Currently, there are about 5.5 million elderly people in the U.S. who are either blind or visually impaired. While they have not been officially classified as legally blind, but the potential for these new hi-tech glasses is enormous.
Technology has changed the playing field for everybody – even the elderly. These windfall benefits of technology have made the lives of seniors, specifically those who live alone, more meaningful, more enjoyable, and rewarding.
Technology has made them more independent of others, equip them with tools to handle risks unheard of by previous generations of elderly people.
Please be good to other seniors by sharing this with them. Your help is invaluable to have less access to technology.
~oOo~
This would be a great post for some additional how to links and related posts at the end of the post. My mother had trouble with technology. So even though I got her devices, some of them she couldn’t or didn’t want to master even with me helping her. One of the devices that we did get her that saved her life several times was a life alert button she wore around her neck. All she had to do was press it if she needed help. This post could turn into an entire website! 🙂
With tablets or smartphones you can also borrow and read ebooks from your local library, something I do all the time. You can do this from wherever you are and never have to worry about taking a book back on time…it just leaves your device on the due date.