Laurie Orlov is an expert consultant focused on technologies for Aging in Place.  She shares a wealth of information about technologies that are emerging for elderly care and specifically those that can enable elderly people to age in their homes.  Laurie has what I consider a "snarky" style and a lot of her articles are along the lines of "Here's an idea that didn't work - well duh!."  The article that I'm sharing today has more of a positive spin.  It's entitled "Five consumer technologies that should be in every senior housing unit."  Although the title suggests that that these are for senior housing, they seem to me to be applcable for elderly people in general.

So what technologies are ready for prime time with seniors?  Here's the list:

• High Speed Internet Access: Perferably available everywhere and not just in common areas
• Support for Video and Skype: Communications with associated video enable you to see how mom looks when you talk with her and enable her to see her grandkids from afar.
• Mobile PERS and GPS Locator: Many traditional Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) have a maximum range of 600 feet.  Now there are mobile solutions available and they are coming to smart phones.
• Medication Dispensing: Could preloaded med dispensers reduce errors, increase med adherence and free up time for nurses to provide more care?
• Kindle Reader or App in Shared Kiosk: The kiosk doesn't make sense for home care, but the book reader is a great idea

It's great to see that some technologies are ready to help seniors.  Can your home care organization enable your clients to get access to these technologies?

Ankota provides software to improve the delivery of care outside the hospital. Today Ankota services home health, private duty care, DME Delivery, RT, Physical Therapy and Home Infusion organizations, and is interested in helping to efficiently manage other forms of care. To learn more, please visit www.ankota.com or contact Ankota