While there can be a healthy wariness toward modern-day tech — scams are almost never-ending, and most of today’s devices don’t take into consideration the needs of seniors — there is plenty of it out there that can be incredibly beneficial to caregivers and their aging loved ones.

Medical Tech

The “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” tagline of the late 1980s LifeCall commercials may have become a punchline among high schoolers for a time, but the reality is that medical alert devices are an incredibly popular and life-saving technology.

Arkansas has its share of medical alert devices through companies like Electronic Caregiver. But their services have evolved further than just these devices.

“When I first started with Electronic Caregiver, it was a medical alert system company,” said Mike Tharp, a care partner with Electronic Caregiver. “But as technology evolved, we became a health technology company because people were more active, they were living longer, they wanted something they could take with them outside of the home or, really, anywhere in the country.”

While Electronic Caregiver offers fall detection devices, they also offer technology with helpful tools such as medication reminders, on-demand physician connections and remote monitoring of vitals.

The devices offered assist both caregivers and the aging loved one with what technology can sometimes negate — real connection. Plus, they work through the use of cell towers, with no Wi-Fi or internet connection required.

Electronic Caregiver also has an app that allows caregivers to keep an eye out for their loved ones. 

“If their loved one is active and outside of the home… if they’re not answering their cell phone, they haven’t arrived where they’re supposed to be, you can use the phone app and pinpoint where they are,” Tharp said. “They can see where they started from, where they currently are and all points in between. So it provides full accountability and full transparency to not only help them live the quality of life that they want to live, wherever they call home, but it also helps them to live life with confidence and peace of mind in spite of their physical conditions.”

For those who may need to outsource care, there are still ways to technologically check on the care their loved ones are receiving.

Superior Senior Care provides caregivers and caregiving assistance for those who want to experience aging in their own homes.

“For nearly 40 years, Superior Senior Care has offered families the opportunity to find the best match for their elderly loved ones’ in-home needs through our caregiver registry,” said Quincy Hurst, Superior’s vice president and COO. “This online platform, our state’s first accredited caregiver registry and now its largest, allows potential customers to access more than 1,800 caregivers who have undergone rigorous screenings, background checks and training.”

Not only does Superior’s caregiver registry allow people to find highly qualified caregivers, but it also offers electronic visit verifications. This allows people to see GPS tracking of their chosen caregiver’s time and location, ensuring their loved ones are receiving the proper care. This online portal also provides information such as the caregiver’s notes and care goals for the patient and their schedules.

“You might think choosing facility care for yourself or a loved one would bring more oversight and support. In reality, receiving one-on-one care in the comfort and safety of your own home likely provides more advantages,” Hurst said. “Couple this with access to an online client portal for viewing real-time schedules and interacting with your caregiver, and you almost assuredly have more insight and involvement.”

Helpful Apps

1. Notes

Automatically on every iPhone, the Notes app has a variety of uses. From keeping up with your weekly schedule to making a care plan to-do list to a running list of medications, the Notes app can be a catch-all for care information. Some of the most helpful functions include:

• Multiple pages: You can create a new ‘note’ for each thing you’d like to keep track of. Have one for medications, one for a schedule of doctor appointments and others for whatever a record of might be beneficial.
• Syncing: Notes allows anyone with an Apple ID to share their notes.
• Photo uploads: Photos can be uploaded from the phone’s camera roll directly into a note, so there’s no need to keep scrolling through your everyday photos, trying to find exactly what you’re looking for.

2. Carely Family (aarp.com)

Carely Family is a great app for those who may have to tag-team caregiving duties. The app creates a space for invited members to coordinate care responsibilities and track appointments and activities. With a bit of a social media-like flair, the app also allows users to share photos of their loved ones and has direct messaging properties should their care teams need to make adjustments to their scheduled care times.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Professional care: The app assists users in finding professional caregiving resources
• in their community and provider contact information.
• Available for both Apple and Android

3. Google Calendar

While Google Calendar may not be anything new and super noteworthy, it’s an essential tool in many adults’ day-to-day lives. Adding the caregiving aspect, this calendar allows users to add appointments, schedule activities and keep track of daily tasks. Creating a family calendar is simple and when one person in the group adds or edits something in the schedule, it will sync with everyone’s calendar, showing the updated entry.

BONUS FEATURES:

• Most hospital’s patient portals allow patients to add appointments to their personal calendars, so the Google Calendar app can be easily updated with the click of a button.
• Available for both Apple and Android

4. Medisafe Medication Management (aarp.com)

The goal of Medisafe is to keep people on time with their medications. Not only does the app have an alarm for when it’s time to take the medicine, but it also helps keep track of where the user is in their prescription cycle, offering notifications when prescriptions may be running low. The app also alerts users if some of their medications may interact negatively with others.

BONUS FEATURES:

• While the app has a free basic plan, there is also a premium edition, allowing users to access family profiles, elevated health measurements and customized voice reminders.
• Available for Apple, Android and Google Play