I recently spent time in an emergency room with an elderly aunt who broke her arm while walking her dog. She fell on the grounds of a school and relied on the skills of a couple of 10-year-old boys to help her get to her feet. As a result of her experience, I have been researching wearable technology for seniors. And there are some pretty nifty options out there, some available and some still in development, that could prove helpful for those who care about the elders in their life and want to give them as much independence as possible.
- Lively's Safety Watch system uses a home hub connected to a series of sensors that verify medication's been taken, meals haven't been missed, and the user is moving around normally. Sensors are put around the house (pill box, refrigerator), and the senior wears a watch, which notifies him or her if something seems out of whack. If things don’t go back to normal, the system contacts loved ones.
- The Kanega watch detects falls and long periods of nonmovement. It works through voice control and does not require a smartphone. The watch offers medication reminders with instructions and records some location information so it can guide the elder home if he or she gets lost.
- Proximity Button is a Bluetooth safety device. The elder wears a button that sends an alert when the elder goes out of bounds.
- ActiveProtective is an airbag belt worn around the elder's hips that inflates in a fall—no more broken hips.
Now my aunt is fiercely independent (she didn’t let those 10-year-olds lay a finger on her), so I was looking for a nonintrusive option. The product I liked best was the Limmex watch. The elder just needs to push a button and the watch starts contacting family or friends and continues to call until someone picks up. When someone does answer, the elder can speak as though using a mobile phone. This is an easy, low-tech option (no touch screens, sensors, etc.). It is a sharp-looking Swiss watch, and my aunt cares about looking swanky.