There have been so many ways that technology has changed lives for the better. Senior citizens are especially grateful for these advances as many of them improve their quality of life quite dramatically. When they hit retirement age, they can live far more comfortably these days than they had in the past.
Now that the Internet of Things is hitting its stride, there are a number of smart devices that are making life so much better. Not all of them are specifically designed for seniors, but many of them are perfect for when people get older. In this article, we will go over some of the best devices that seniors will love to have in their life.
1 – Hearing aids
Many seniors end up with some vision and hearing loss as they get older. Luckily, there are a number of hearing aids that will help them hear much better. However, the best hearing aids are the latest generation as they are much smarter than the ones available in the past. This means that your hearing will be improved with the bonus of a more intuitive and easier to use hearing aid.
These new ones can be connected to your smartphone so you can truly get the most out of them. By using your phone, you can discreetly change your settings since you don’t have to make any adjustments to the hearing aids themselves. Using the phone you can turn them up or down depending on the noise around. Many even have noise filtering features that can be adjusted remotely from your phone.
They are helpful even aside from the improved hearing. They can be connected to an emergency department that will detect if there was a fall. Any sudden drop will send an alert to a central location that can then send an emergency crew or ambulance to the location of the hearing aid. Even your loved ones can be alerted if there is a fall.
The technology works much like a fitness tracker does that detects movements. When a sudden movement is detected it deduces that it was a fall and sends the alert.
2 – Fitness trackers
Seniors need to be active to stay healthy. As soon as they start slowing down, this is the time to instead speed up. A sedentary lifestyle is not good for seniors since they need exercise to keep themselves from suffering from a lot of aging issues. Falls are a common occurrence for seniors that have lost their sense of balance. Exercise is a good way to maintain balance and continue to live an independent lifestyle.
Having a fitness tracker is a good way to ensure that they are as active as they need to be. Since they are smart, they can be set to give a specific set of exercises and routines that will help keep them fit and healthy. Since they can track progress, the tracker can adjust what it thinks the senior should be doing based on results. When it detects that there is a decrease in certain exercises, it will recommend a change to still keep going. They are sort of like a digital trainer that is with you 24 hours a day.
In addition, they can also detect if there are anomalies in heart rate, blood pressure, and even sleep. This data can be sent directly to a doctor that can then decide if there is a potential problem. Even loved ones can see how progress is going and track movement to make sure that there are no issues or concerns.
3 – Security systems
Unfortunately, seniors are often targets of scammers and thieves. They are often called by telemarketers or even worse types of people. This is why it is important to have a good security system to stay safe. Since they are vulnerable a security system will ensure that nobody is able to take advantage of this fact.
A smart security system is great because of how it can be used remotely and for many other reasons. For instance, a doorbell camera will allow the resident to see if there is any activity in front of the door once it detects movement. If there is a suspicious person there then they can alert the authorities or call their relatives to help them.
These alerts can even be seen by others who have access to the security system so a relative or caretaker can always see what is happening there in real-time. Smart locks are also helpful so that you can be sure that the door has been locked and if it isn’t then it can be locked remotely without having to go by the house.
4 – Smart thermostats
Saving money is essential when you’re on a fixed income. A major expense that adds up quickly for many seniors is the cost to heat and cool the house. Energy costs are rising every year so it’s important to make sure to cut costs when possible.
The easiest way to cut costs is to use a smart thermostat that will help you cut down on your consumption without making you have to sacrifice comfort. This is because a smart thermostat can use AI to determine when to heat and cool the house, and what areas need it at a specific time. Instead of running the heat all day, for example, the smart thermostats will determine what time certain areas of the house are occupied and only heat there.
They can be self-programmed to only heat during certain times of the day based on past use. In addition, they can check the weather forecast and decide if the house needs heat or not based on what is coming. If there is a warm front on the way then it will automatically adjust to not heat the house when it is going to be hot anyway. This takes all the trouble out of your hands and will save lots of money every year.
