Thanks to technological advancements, the elder care industry has changed dramatically. With the help of some of these advancements, it will be much safer for some of these senior citizens to live at home by themselves. This doesn't just include alarm systems or life line type call systems. It has never been easier to care for our seniors before.
Consider the eNeighbor. This involves an use of a wireless sensor that you can put in places like beneath your loved one's bed. Whenever your loved one gets into the bed or gets out of it, the sensor will detect it. If something unusual is noticed, it sends a message to authorities who then call the house. If there is no answer at the home, then authorities will be sent out. A 78-year old woman by the name of Bertha Branch can actually thank her life to this device. The New York Times published her story.
After falling down in the middle of the night and injuring herself, she was unable to get back up. She had left her life alert button elsewhere and had no way to call out for help. The eNeighbor noticed that she had been out of bed for an unusually long period of time in the middle of the night and it alerted someone to call her. When she didn't answer their calls, they knew something was wrong. After finding her on the floor of her home unable to get up on her own, they took her to the hospital. When the firefighters broke down her door, she had been on the floor for less than an hour.
Many of these technological gadgets can be expensive and most are not covered by health insurances. It would cost a senior $100 per month for the system that Ms. Branch used. You shouldn't be mainly concerned about the price though since it can end up saving your life. Without the system that Ms. Branch has, her family members probably wouldn't feel comfortable letting her live on her own. This system would still be a less expensive solution than staying in a nursing home. It is much cheaper for her to use the system instead. No one wants to have to leave their home. A health sensor of this sort can prove to be rewarding in all of these respects.
These pieces of equipment don't do all of the work though. The human element is something that equipment can never replace. We need companionship as much as possible. With all of the improvements that society is making nowadays, seniors will find that they will retain the ability to live by themselves for a longer period of time.