Smart home tech helps older loved ones stay in their own homes. Caregivers can check in from a phone or tablet in real time. That means fewer worried calls and trips, and more peace of mind for the whole family.
If you haven’t been there yourself, you know someone who had to “keep an eye on” a parent, grandparent, aunt or nncle because they didn’t want to be in a retirement home. According the AARP, over 90 percent of those over the age of 65 would prefer to stay in their current residence as they age.
This Aging in Place population will face many changes in health, environment, and life and grow more dependent on the caregivers that support them. For those caregivers, providing help for their aging loved ones is always a challenge. It’s a regiment of calling and in-person visits. It’s not only time-consuming, but there’s an emotional toll as well.
There are solutions for caregivers. From virtually anywhere, caregivers can use a smart phone or tablet to provide immediate solutions in real time with aging in place home monitoring.
Smart home automation provides caregivers with the tools they need to keep the older generation safe in their home. Whether your loved ones have someone come in to look in on them periodically, or if they are your responsibility from miles away, smart home can give caregivers the peace of mind of knowing that their loved ones are protected.
Read on for an excerpt from my book, Join the Smart Home Revolution, to learn more:
“Our elderly loved ones can be wonderful—maybe a little annoying from time to time, but still pretty great. Such a terrific source of stories, good advice, and yummy recipes. Great babysitters, and terrific cheerleaders for children.
As much as we love them, sometimes as they age, our parents and elderly loved ones can be a source of concern. They can get pretty darn stubborn, especially when it comes to staying in their homes. Even when health issues make it unsafe for elderly people to live alone, they don’t always see those dangers. They love their homes and don’t want to leave, especially to go into something like a nursing home or an assisted living community.
Family members don’t always live close to one another. Your parents may be hours away from you, but they don’t want to move and you can’t just up and leave your job to be closer to them. You could hire full-time help, but that can be cost prohibitive. So what to do?
Here again, sensors come in very handy. You can have your loved ones’ home outfitted with a sensor system that will help with their safety and your peace of mind.
For example, let’s say your mother is up by 8 A.M. every morning. It’s such a routine that you could set your watch by it. You can have her bedside set up with a sensor that would go off if she hasn’t gotten out of bed by 8:30. You’ll know that she’s not up, and you can call her if the sensor goes off to make sure she is okay.
Let’s say that your dad needs to take medication at a certain time of day. You could have a sensor placed where the medicine is stored, and have it set to go off if the storage unit isn’t opened by a certain time. This way dad can’t get away with forgetting to take his pills, and you’ll rest easier knowing that his health is protected.
In addition, you could place sensors at places where elderly people might be prone to falls—the toilet, shower, kitchen sink, and at the tops and bottoms of stair cases. If the sensors go off, you’ll know something is wrong, and can call in the appropriate help. Of course, you can get those Life Alert® necklaces for the older generation in your life, but what if they are so incapacitated that they can’t push the button on the necklace? It becomes pretty useless in that case. A sensor eliminates that worry. If your loved one falls, you’ll know it without them having to do a thing.”
Smart home automation offers protection against kitchen accidents as well. Let’s say mom puts something on the stove to cook, and then walks away and forgets about it. Besides the smoke alarm, a sensor in the oven and stove will turn off the appliance so the burning doesn’t continue
Want to know more about how to protect the people who spent a lot of their lives protecting you? Give me a call (973) 945-5275 I would love to chat with you, In the meantime pick up a copy of my book Join the Smart Home Revolution it is full of useful and interesting Smart Home information.
Want help with the plan? See our smart home page.
What One Sound Choice clients say
We were surprised with what (Ryan) took away from the conversation – even reading between the lines to put everything we wanted and needed right into his designs for us. At first, we really didn’t know who to go with; we hadn’t had any renovations to our home before. We set up a consultation and liked (Ryan) because he was personable, a good listener and knowledgeable. He asked about our wish list and gave us some ideas…which were great.
– Mr. & Mrs. Caywood (1 Sound Choice client testimonials)
The 1 Sound Choice staff was very easy to work with. Ryan, you understood our wants right from the beginning. Simplicity of installation and operation were just some of the reasons we chose 1 Sound Choice. You exceeded my expectations!
– Mr. & Mrs. Matia (1 Sound Choice client testimonials)
One Sound Choice was our second try at finding a contractor to repair our flood-damaged home after Irene blew through in August of 2011. Our Cape Cod house has a slab foundation and the entire first floor – living room, kitchen, dining room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom – got 5 feet of water. Ryan, the owner, was highly professional from start to finish. He worked closely with us to produce a contract that was within our insurance budget, and he came in on time and on budget. In some cases, he went over and above the call of duty; for example, surprising me with some crown molding in the bathroom and dining room that I had really wanted but just didn’t have the money for. We actually had enough left to hire him to do our home theater and bedroom media center! We were so pleased to have discovered the truly good people at One Sound Choice, and hope to work with them again when we are ready to remodel our upstairs rooms.
– bethbarnhill (Houzz review)
Aging in place questions
Do most older adults want to stay home?
Yes. AARP says over 90% of people over 65 want to stay in their own home.
How does smart home tech help caregivers?
They can check on a loved one from a phone or tablet, in real time.
Does it cut down on visits and calls?
It can. Caregivers get real-time updates without as many trips. We first wrote about home health technology for seniors back in 2011.
Who can set this up?
One Sound Choice. Call or text (973) 945-5275.
One Sound Choice, 8 Tilley Ave, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444. Call or text (973) 945-5275. We work in homes across Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties. Written by Ryan Herd, founder of One Sound Choice.