Why wearable technology is a great opportunity for seniors

image source: www.canva.com

image source: www.canva.com

You may have heard the term wearables. What does it mean and why is it relevant to seniors? 

What are wearables?

Much like when talking about fashion and how an item can be wearable, i.e. worn on a person, when used in a technology context ‘wearables’ mean items that can be worn on a person that that include a technology component. 

Watches, pins and pendants are the most obvious items that come to mind, but clothing, jewellery and glasses are other examples.  

So why should we care? 

Wearables create a great opportunity to support our desire to live healthier and more independent lives. We are living in an incredible time where technology significantly overcomes all sorts of barriers. At the same time, advances in how we can access our own personal information means we are able to proactively manage our health and wellbeing.  

What about for seniors?

Smart Watches, previously presumed to be just for the fit or young have come a long way and moved past a fad. Even those that are sceptical, can’t deny that the advances in functionality, such as voice integration, Fall Detection and heart rate monitoring make this enabling technology an ideal companion for positive ageing. 

Wearables, including Smart Watches, have the potential to make a massive difference for seniors, their families and the supporting organisations around them. Just a few ways include: 

  1. Siri, and voice activated features, allow quick access to a range of features such as calling family or emergency services.

  2. Health apps that can capture movement and steps ensuring a regular amount of exercise takes place.

  3. Location services that can identify a loved one’s location if concerned that they may be lost due to Dementia or other Cognitive impairments.

  4. Fall detection allows an individual to continue living independently with the security of knowing that they have ways to contact family of a fall occurs.

  5. Media apps including music and podcasts, to stimulate the mind, wellness and enjoyment.

  6. Devices to monitoring baseline conversations and word count throughout a day to identify risks of social isolation.

  7. Apps and smart devices to proactively manage conditions such as diabetes.

Apple announced updates to the Apple Watch at their latest Worldwide Developers Conference which we recently wrote about.

There are also some interesting examples of how Apple are working with with traditional health or medical organisations to make health and wellbeing more accessible. 

As the leading Apple Consulting Network (ACN) Member for aged care we are experts in how devices can be used to support seniors to maintain a positive quality of life. We work with aged care providers and health care organisations to bring together these devices, the skills and programs needed to fully utilise them.

Contact us to find out how we can bring this expertise to benefit your organisation, clients and their families. Contact Rick Hollingworth on 0447 866 437 or via rick@yourlink.com.au. Alternatively use the form below. 

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