A Smart Home Before A Retirement Home?
A Home That Takes Care Of You
It is very common for families to be hesitant about moving a loved one into a retirement home, regardless of how well-managed it is.
Unfortunately, it often takes an avoidable event to get everyone involved to realize that sometimes seniors living alone can be dangerous.
While nobody can remove all dangers, the tech community is actively working on smart homes that are immediately improving the lives of seniors living at home - and the children trying to care for them.
Smart Independent Living
As consumers are increasingly tinkering with their homes to add smart items like light bulbs and door locks, one startup is trying to take that approach to address the challenge of eldercare. The aging Baby Boomer generation ensures a larger swath of the population will need care than ever before. As of the last US Census, about 15.9 percent of the population was 65 or older. The US Department of Health and Human Services projects that percentage will hit about 21.7 percent by 2040. What's more, some 12 million seniors will need long-term care by 2020.
Trying to determine what would be safest and healthiest for an aging loved one stirs up a lot of emotions for families. Eldercare expert and author Barbara McVicker sees a drift away from the practice of having elderly parents move in with their adult children, leading to more senior citizens living by themselves.
"If [an older person] makes the choice to stay in the home, it's how do you make that possible -- how do you retrofit, how do you make certain that there's food in the refrigerator, that their meds are being laid out correctly?" McVicker said.
HoneyCo Homes is one of the companies leading the way with smart home technologies geared towards seniors living at home. They are addressing safety with technologies and were featured in a series about the role technology plays in helping the disability community on CNET.com. Read the full article here.
Smart Consulting
The team at Grand Senior Living is constantly researching and testing the latest technology available, both in our homes and at the communities we work with.
We understand that a smarter, better-informed community is also a safer and happier one.
Do you work for a community or have a loved one who lives at one that could use some guidance getting to the next level?
Contact us today to see how Grand Senior Living can help.
