The Role of Wearable Tech in Elderly Care

For older people, safety and independence are deeply connected. Being able to live independently in their own homes is very important for most seniors – but they need to be able to do so as safely as possible.

When an elderly person lives alone or with another older person, that can often mean relying on tech to do some of the small, helpful tasks that a carer living in the same house would do. And even when a senior is living with more than one family member, technology can still help protect their safety on occasions when someone else isn’t around.

In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed tech for the home, like smart doorbells, home cameras and home alarm systems. In this post, we’ll explore another category of device – wearable technology – that can make a huge difference in keeping older people safe, wherever they are.

Step counters

Let’s start with a simple device – a step counter.

Step counting can be done by a single, dedicated device but today is often just one function of a more sophisticated wearable device, such as a smart watch. Either way, it can play an important role in keeping elderly people active so that they can remain independent.

Muscle wasting can be a serious problem in older people, which is just one reason that exercise is so important. Keeping active through moderate exercise like walking can also lower blood pressure, thus protecting seniors against cardiovascular risks, and improve balance and strength to help prevent dangerous falls.

Step counters can help by providing a single number to keep track of while monitoring activity. A step counter can also allow an older person to check whether they are meeting their exercise goals. It could even provide an incentive to go out on a walk.

Fitness trackers

The more sophisticated, younger cousin of the step counter is the fitness tracker. This device usually counts steps but shows several more kinds of data too, such as heart rate and body temperature.

This is helpful because it allows an older person to be aware of their own wellbeing. If they have heart problems, it might be really helpful to have a record of their heart rate and how it responds to exercise. That data could also allow an elderly person to see when their heart rate is out of a safe range.

Similarly, body temperature readings could make a big difference because hypothermia and heat exhaustion are a big problem for seniors – and that’s partly because older people can be unaware that their body is affected in this way. Body temp readings could help an elderly person to realise that something is wrong so that they can call for help if needed.

Medical alert bracelets

A medical alert bracelet can be a must for older people who have medical needs that helpers need to be aware of in a crisis. For example, a person who has an emergency and is unconscious might end up being given a medication they’re allergic to if no-one else from their family is nearby to warn against it.

A medical alert bracelet combats this danger by making an elderly person’s medical details available to helpers via a dedicated phone number. It’s not a piece of tech, per se, but it’s certainly a valuable wearable to lots of elderly people with particular health conditions.

SOS watches

An SOS watch is a classic analogue or digital watch with one little extra function – they have a button that the wearer can press and hold in an emergency to call for help.

This is helpful, of course, if the older person wearing the watch suddenly becomes ill or falls when no-one else is around.

But there can be issues with simpler versions of these watches. If they store just one family member’s phone number, what happens if that family member doesn’t pick up the phone?

Seniors who’d like an SOS watch are better off getting a more sophisticated one, like a wrist alarm that stores more than one number – or that gets in touch with an expert response centre.

Smart watches

A smart watch can be like a fitness tracker with even more features added to it. One of the most significant ones for seniors can be a smart assistant.

For older people who live alone, a smart assistant can provide some of the little reminders that another person in the house would. It can notify them that it’s time to leave for a doctor’s appointment or keep a shopping list, for example.

Sleep trackers

Many smart watches or fitness trackers also include a sleep tracker function, but you can also buy devices that are specifically for this purpose. In both cases, they can be helpful in showing an older person how well they are sleeping, including how different medications or behaviours are affecting their sleep. That could help a senior reduce drowsiness during the day, which all adds up to more safety and independence.

Personal alarms

A personal alarm for the elderly can sometimes provide step counting and watch functions – but its most important function is to keep seniors safe.

It does this in several ways. Firstly, a personal alarm usually has a one-touch SOS button, similar to that of an SOS watch. But a personal alarm’s technology in this area is typically more sophisticated. It can store up to five numbers, automatically calling alternatives until someone picks up. Or it could connect an older person to a response centre, which could be better equipped to help than a family member that’s not nearby.

Additionally, many personal alarms have fall detection, which means the device is designed to realise that an older person has fallen and automatically call for help even if its wearer is unconscious. That’s an important additional layer of protection, especially considering how dangerous falls can be for seniors.

A third crucial function for active seniors is GPS tracking. That ensures that if an older person does need assistance, their helpers can know exactly where they are. So, elderly people can go for walks with more confidence that they can send an alert for help if they need it while they’re away from home.

SureSafe’s wearable technology for fall protection

In emergencies, seconds count. And if an older person falls while no-one else is at home, time matters too – an extended period of time lying on the floor after a fall can be really harmful.

That’s exactly why SureSafe is dedicated to providing a kind of wearable tech – personal alarms – that combats the risks to the elderly that occur during crises, particularly for older people who live alone. We want to ensure that seniors get help fast when they need it most – and that’s what our personal alarms are made to do.

Curious to know what alarm might suit you? Not sure whether you’d like a step-counting pendant alarm or a wrist alarm that looks like a smart watch? Feel free to get in touch with us at 0808 189 1671 for advice and to learn more. Or, reach out through live chat or request a call back.