Maitra Medtech

The Internet of Things is a pretty simple concept:
" It’s the connection of devices that can be turned on and off via an Internet connection, allowing for the sharing of data. This applies in the medical world, too, thereby creating the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)."

The more professionals in the medical world are connected to each other, the more they can learn from one another. The entire (medical) ecosystem – caregivers, patients, payers and providers – is experiencing a new level of engagement that results from remotely monitoring patients and remotely maintaining connected equipment, thereby providing visibility and insights about exercise regimens, diet and vitals.

The medical world has started to use this type of information sharing to help seniors with their medications schedules, vital signs, and implants to assist with their health. Many of the other technologies we’ll look at—seven of them—include the IoMT. They focus on the quick spreading of information all in the name of helping seniors in the best possible ways.

GPS (Global Positioning System) has been around for decades, but in the last 10 years, two features have greatly improved: location accuracy and the detail that the system of satellites is able to convey.

Now, how does this help with senior care?
Primarily, GPS can help locate a senior who may become lost. Elders with memory issues stemming from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have a habit of wandering, which could mean getting disoriented or lost even if the senior knows the location well. “More than 60 percent of those with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia will wander,” the Alzheimer’s Association said. “If a person is not found within 24 hours, up to half of individuals who wander will suffer serious injury or death.”
The need to locate seniors is tremendous, and having updated GPS services and technology can help with that. For example, there are companies that produce GPS trackers that can be ironed into clothing, placed in soles of shoes, or put in handbags. You can place these systems in seniors’ routine clothing accessories, and they can be easily found if they aren’t where they’re supposed to be. 

Elder abuse is a real issue for seniors. The National Council of Aging says that about one in 10 adults over the age of 60 faces some sort of abuse, whether it’s physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, or some other form.

“Some estimates range as high as 5 million elders who are abused each year,” the NCOA reported, noting that only one in every 14 cases of abuse are usually reported to authorities.

Cameras:
Cameras can help with that. They allow seniors’ families or caretakers to make sure seniors are being treated properly. Nurses have been caught on camera taking advantage of elders, for instance.

Cameras also help health professionals track the movements of elders with health and mental issues when they aren’t around, noticing their habits and tendencies.

Sensors:
If a senior doesn’t like the invasiveness of a camera watching them throughout the day, there are alternatives like sensors. By installing these small, wireless pieces of technology, you can keep track of how active a person is.

And if the sensors pick up on changes in activity, they can send an automatic notification (via text, phone, or email) that something may be wrong. In other words, if a senior isn’t getting out of bed at a certain time or entering the bathroom to get medication when they’re supposed to, these sensors can let you know.

Phone applications are one of the biggest advancements in technology that has helped both seniors and caregivers in a number of ways. With any basic smartphone, seniors can monitor things like their medication, heart rate, and location (if they’re someone with memory loss and may suddenly not know where they are).

Just as important, though, apps are quite helpful for family and caregivers. The information they collect can be transmitted to doctors to help see how seniors are impacted as they age, from their mobility to how medication is affecting them.

Apps also allow family members to keep track of their seniors and know where they are at all times, which can be particularly useful if they notice the family member’s activity has decreased.

In their simplest forms, apps also help keep seniors occupied. A study found that most seniors like to occupy their time with reading and “pursuing religious activities.” There are endless apps that have been developed to help seniors stay informed with news, and other apps allow seniors to read their favourite books. 

There are devices available that allow seniors to get help and also receive a better understanding of their medical duties for the day (taking prescription, exercising the best they can, etc.) without a person being present to remind them.

There are apps for touch screen tablets, many of which come with automated voices, that applications allow seniors to feel as if someone is there to help them. This provides a sense of community, which is imperative to seniors as they age, especially if they’re aging alone.

There are also robots that seniors can have roaming their homes to remind them to take medications, browse digital content, listen to their favourite music, connect with family, and music more. 

A recent study says that ‘hundreds of thousands of seniors’ are misusing prescription drugs because of ‘a medical community that often is quick to offer narcotic painkillers, anxiety medications and other pharmaceuticals for everything from joint pain to depression,’” the report noted.

While the problem of how many prescription drugs are issued is another problem itself, there are solutions that recent advances in technology offer to help seniors manage their current prescriptions outside of a basic transparent bottle or blue pill box.

There are pill boxes with alarms that allow seniors to know what exact pill they need to take and when they need to take them. There are companies out there developing and selling smart pill bottles, too, connecting their medications to doctors and pharmacies for data on how often patients are taking their medication.

It also sends signals (like a text message or phone call) letting seniors know it’s time to take their medication in case they forget.