High-Tech Aids Help People Stay Healthy and Stay Home

Home is where the heart is. Indeed, nine out of 10 people ages 50 and older say they want to remain at home as long as they can. But about a third of older people live alone. And about 7 million adults are located at least an hour away from a parent they're taking care of.

It's especially challenging to stay home alone safely if you or your loved one has a health condition that requires monitoring. It also can be difficult if a loved one is at risk for falls or sometimes forgets to take necessary medication. Happily, the same technology that miniaturized phones, cameras, and computers now is helping to address all these problems.

"Technology continues to transform how we interact with our banks, schools, local stores, families, and friends," says Sandra Elliott, director of Consumer Technology and Service Development for Meridian Health. "It's only logical that technology will transform how patients, families physicians, and other providers interact to better care for themselves."

Meridian At Home is helping bring this technology to its patients, and along with it, peace of mind to their loved ones. It provides state-of-the-art remote monitoring systems. These systems can detect falls or allow caregivers to check on their loved ones via cell phone or computer, no matter where they are. A wireless door or window sensor also can send an alert if triggered.

Your own medical challenge may be managing a condition such as congestive heart failure or diabetes. A home health monitoring system can collect and send various vital signs to a central station where a registered nurse tracks changes and coordinates care with your physician.

Sometimes it can be difficult to remember to take medication — but it's crucial that you do. As many as 40 percent of nursing home admissions happen after someone stops being able to take medications on his or her own. Automatic pill dispensers light up and dispense the medicine to help people maintain their medication schedule.

Other medication reminders include automated phone calls at pill time and a simple once-a-day reminder device, such as the GlowCap SOLO,^™ that's perfect for people on the go.

A small gadget or an easily installed monitoring system could make all the difference between staying at home and needing nursing home care.