As of 2018, approximately 14.3 million older adults lived alone. Of those, 9.5 million were women. If your mom’s expressed the desire to age at home, she’s not the only one. Around 44 percent of U.S. women who are 75 or older were living alone in 2018.
Living alone doesn’t have to mean risking your safety and being lonely. Your mom can live independently in her home with a helping hand as needed. Advancements in technology are making it easy to live alone without living at risk.
Smart Speakers
Start your mom with a smart speaker. Most allow her to command her TV without needing to understand a complicated remote. She can use her smart speaker for reminders, to make calls to family members, and to play music.
Smart speakers can recite a recipe to her while she cooks. They can tell her the weather and news. They can also control lights throughout the home if she pairs them with smart light bulbs.
Smartwatches
A smartwatch is a helpful device when your mom lives alone. The Apple Watch is one that many recommend as it offers some of the best features for aging adults. Fall detection is one of the features, but other companies offer fall detection. Shop around for the watch that fits your mom’s needs.
The Apple Watch stands out as newer models have ECG readers that can alert your mom if her heart isn’t beating normally. It stores information that paramedics need to know in an emergency. It has a button that your mom can push to alert emergency services if she needs help.
Security Systems
Security systems are for more than keeping intruders out. They can alert you to someone at your mom’s door. You can interact with the person and send salespeople and possible scammers away. Interior cameras can be placed in areas for you to make sure your mom is up, showered, and moving around the house each day.
Today’s technology also offers sensors that alert you to issues within the home. If a pipe bursts, the system alerts you. If a window or door is left open, you can get alerts.
Smart Smoke Detectors
Smart smoke detectors offer both you and your mom the peace of mind you need. If she is hard of hearing, you may worry that she’ll never hear the alarm. When a smart smoke detector senses smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide, the alarm goes off.
The bonus is that you can also set alerts to go to home care aides, neighbors, and family members. You’ll know if there is an issue and can make sure your mom is okay.
Pair today’s home technology with the personal touch that home care offers. Caregivers can help your mom with housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and meals. They also offer something that technology lacks. Home care aides provide companionship as often as your mom needs it.
Sources:
https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/Aging%20and%20Disability%20in%20America/2018OlderAmericansProfile.pdf
If you are considering senior care in Galesburg, MI, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at Fresh Perspective Home Care at (269) 329-4717. We are here to help!
If you are considering senior care in Galesburg, MI, for an aging loved one, please call the caring staff at Fresh Perspective Home Care at (269) 329-4717. We are here to help!
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