Need for New-age Technology in the Geriatric Care Sector

Aging is a fact of life and none of us can ignore this pertinent fact. With medical science moving ahead in steady strides the life expectancy has improved drastically. The life expectancy was 5.6% of the total population in 1961 and it has improved to 8.6% in 2011 and can shoot up to 25% by 2050. While life expectancy has improved the elderly are now inflicted with far more pressing issues.

Aging is fraught with many challenges. It is true losing your independence is a potential part of the process; there are other issues that ails the elderly, namely diminished physical ability and mental acuity. Aging has many repercussions such as biological, social, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual changes. Many older adults are self-sufficient while there are others who require diligent care.

As adults are trying to grapple with physical ailments, they also suffer the consequences of modern life. They are forced to live alone as children seek out greener pastures in different cities or countries. There are many children who want their parents to accompany them to their new haunts; their aging parents do not want to leave their safe haven, cocooned as they are in their familiar surroundings.

The most important act of caregiver is to put your patient’s needs above yours to ensure health and well-being. Caregiving can be extremely rewarding as it invariably makes someone else’s life easier and better

Is there a way out of this dilemma? Most working adults don’t want to see their aging parents in old age homes rather they would want their parents to stay in a place, which is secure and comfortable.

The Force of Technology: How does it help the Elderly?

The concept of aging in one place holds great attraction for many of us. Most people do not want to give up their independence. Most elderlies will want to stay independent as long as possible. Smart technology is making it possible and most adults are embracing this new trend to live their twilight years in comfort and happiness. Technology is a boon to mankind and is a powerful force that drives modern society. But how can it help the elderly?

Most people try to build their homes bit by bit using every ounce of their diligence and perseverance not to forget using their hard-earned money. But what seemed easy in their youth poses fresher challenges in the fag end of their lives. There are issues of mobility and dexterity, difficulty with memory and cognition, and pose a greater risk of social isolation. As a result, they are faced with only one option opting for a place that provides regular assistance in every step of the way.

Yes, there are challenges; thankfully the latest tech innovations can help us overcome these fresh new challenges and can help provide a safety blanket when one needs it the most.

Exploring Fresh Technologies to Help Seniors to live Independently

We should find a way to seamlessly integrate technology into the lives of the seniors in our lives. Let’s have a look at some of the best developments in technology to aid the seniors.

• 1. Big data for seniors – The optimal use of big data can help boost the health outcomes in myriad ways. Senior citizens sometimes have fragile health. The use of predictive models and evidence-based care can help in clinical analytics and are largely useful for the aging demography, vulnerable to rapid health decline. They are susceptible to chronic conditions and infections and the big data helps them receive care at home with gadget support such as remote monitoring, one of the best ways of improving the quality of life for the seniors. People experiencing rates of the chronic disease respond well to this kind of continuous remote monitoring of specific data point which helps in diagnosis and treatment; this halts disease progression and frequent hospitalizations.
• 2. Predictive analytics for the elderly - The journey to analytics maturity has grown by leaps and bounds. It is not only about presenting information in an orderly fashion about past events to a user, predictive analytics gauge the probability of a future outcome based on varied patterns in the historical data.
  This makes room for financial experts, clinicians, and administrative staff to unravel future events before they happen, and this enables them to make informed choices leading them to a decision.
  There are humongous benefits of staying right ahead and you will find it more probable in the medical zone such as surgery, intensive care, or emergency care, where a patient’s life depends on quick decisions and help understand when something is about to get wrong.
• 3. How Al helps the elderly - AI or artificial intelligence is sophistication at its best. What humans can do AI can do it better, but with more efficiency, more alertness and at an affordable cost. There is a vast untapped zone of AI and robotics in healthcare. AI and robotics make our every-day lives and healthcare eco-system streamlined and orderly.
  Additionally, AI is big in geriatric care as it makes the healthcare professionals understand the day-to-day routine and requirements of seniors in a better fashion, understanding the patterns help provide better feedback, guidance, and the right support to keep them healthy.
  The combination of AI and usage of consumer wearable’s and other medical devices are revolutionary in the medical field as it can give an inkling of early-stage heart disease, making it easier for doctors and other caregivers to aid in monitoring the disease better and catching the disease early at a far more treatable stage.

Making Technology Usage as a Way of Life for seniors

Seniors often look askance at Technology. They haven’t grown with technology and are quick to believe it is more of a curse than a boon. But the pros of technology for seniors are comprehensive, almost radical. The innovative solutions are all-empowering and primarily make seniors live a great life. When you introduce the benefits of technology to your loved ones they are much more likely to embrace the possibility of incorporating it into their daily lives with ease. It is better to introduce them to a fun and more user-friendly version of technology to warm them up to the idea of making room for more technology use. A case in point, chatting with your grandchild and friends over communication tools such as zoom or video calling. Once they get the drift and think on the lines, “Why it is not so bad after all,” and grudgingly acknowledge the life-altering benefits of technology, they can enable a smoother integration of technology into their lives. As a caregiver, it is important to look out for technology solutions promising a Sans Souci life.

CareYogi, at-home care, helps seniors turn their house into homes in the true sense of the word. A human touch backed by state of the art technology enablers ensure a safe, comfortable and secured life. One, that will be happily endorsed by concerned children. We call this a “caregiving technology,” yes a ‘Holistic Care with Human Touch’. The technology identifies the problems earlier and helps provide a solution before it is too late.

CareYogi: Making Technology More Humane The advantage of home healthcare facilities is extremely useful for seniors who are suffering from debilitating illnesses and they want to skip the inconvenience of regular doctor appointments and lab tests. They do not have to depend on their children to arrange these frequent visits. Home health care at CareYogi allows seniors to live with their head held high in their familiar home environment, without moving to an unfamiliar institution for full-time care.

• 1. Online Pharmacy – With growing age, the elderlies become reliant on medications to lead a healthy life. However, it becomes increasingly difficult for the elderlies to go out and procure the medicines themselves as they live alone and sometimes they suffer from mobility issues. Herein comes the necessity of online pharmacies, they are mushrooming all over the cities and not without good reason. The home delivery system enables the elderlies to get the right medicine at the right time without stepping out of the home. Some of the pharmacies even offer lab tests at home to ensure greater convenience for the elderlies. All the elderlies have to do is order the lab tests online and they will get the right assistance on time. We ensure our subscribers get the full advantage of these online pharmacies to get the treatment as and when required.
• 2. Diagnostics at Home – This facility offers great benefits to the elderlies who have a problem leaving the safe confines of their home to visit a diagnostic center as and when needed. As soon as they book a test, the phlebotomist will come to their home to collect the required sample. They will also be notified about the precautions they need to take about the particular tests, they will be undertaking. This is one of the most revolutionary elderly-friendly innovations in the health care sector. It is time for the elderly to make the most of these features and simplify health care and make it as easy as a click of the button.
• 3. Local Hospital tie-ups – There are some companies in the home healthcare segment that caters to senior citizens. The services include regular checkups, post-hospitalization cardiac care, long-term care for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and so on.
  The hospital tie-ups ensure a number of services such as lab tests, physiotherapy, medicine and equipment delivery, and nursing care provided by registered nurses and therapists. A few companies offer separate care packages for the elderly who requires daily assistance by trained attendants. Our home care services offer hospital tie-ups to reputable hospitals. Some of these hospitals even offer home ICU services.
• 4. Paramedics at home - Paramedics are an integral part of geriatric care. They are highly trained and see patients right in their homes, they are connected to multiple medical facilities in a region and paramedics offer a ready-made solution and extend primary care help to the elderly.
  What does a community paramedic do? They check a patient's vitals, evaluate medications, and assess the home right from checking out the refrigerator to find out whether it is stocked, evaluate the safety parameters of the home such as the stairs, wires, and other hazards. Based on the visit, the care management team develops individual-specific plans. Paramedics build a bond of trust with the elderly.
• 5. Caregivers at home - Family-based senior care is mushrooming and it is a Godsend for those who can’t afford institutional care such as assisted care in special homes. As a caregiver, it is important to be mindful of certain things and keep a complete tab on the elderly’s health. One needs to keep a notebook or spreadsheet taking into account certain things such as medications, complete dietary requirements, and medical history including tests, surgeries, and hospitalizations. The quality of the care a caregiver provides helps boost both the physical and mental well-being of the elderly.
  Family caregivers require a combination of knowledge and skill to provide the right care and to reduce the distress of the elderly. The ideal caregiving skill involves the ability to integrate their skills effectively and smoothly. The skills include cognitive, psychomotor, and psychological skills. The requisite skill complete with a background of Geriatric care producing a goal-directed, well-organized behavior that blends practice and perfection. This helps provide the best Geriatric care solution.
• 6. Our Target subscribers – Our main objective is to make geriatric care affordable and accessible. We cater to Indian expats overseas and to the migratory population in India. We focus on making the children, our target subscribers, living abroad to entrust the health of their parents in our hands so that we provide them the care and support, they are unable to provide due to jobs, vocations and other constraints.
  More and more NRI’s and the local migratory population are realizing the importance of professional options to take care of their elderly parents back home. A small share of their earnings from foreign shores can help their parents lead content and comfortable lives with the help of specialized care services in India. Also, children who live in India yet are forced to live apart for similar reasons and other pressing needs are also open to a complete geriatric care solution to help their elderly parents. Our top-notch services set us apart from our peers. Other services that can be offered are:
  
  
  • Regular assessment by physicians
  • Provision of in-house nurses in special circumstances
  • The concierge desk will help with utility bill payment, booking for medical services, police verification for household help. Keeping tab of all the reminders and messaging services, also booking regular medical visits and other services
  • Periodic outings arranged for the elderly people for festivals, meetups, events, and sight-seeing tours and other entertainment programs, yoga sessions and so on.
  • Catering to the regular everyday household requirements such as shopping and so on.
  • Offering technology-backed care by collecting data from care associates, live feeds and digital medical records
  
  We make technology affordable and tap onto the unexplored reserves of geriatric care. We need your support to make a difference to the most vulnerable segment of society. Let’s together make a difference! It is important to take the first step towards this revolutionary geriatric care zone and help all the seniors in your family lead a safe, happy and more secure life.