How technology is improving the lives of the elderly

Technology is not something you usually associate with the elderly and we all know that special person in our lives that needs help with everything when it comes to tech, but if we forget about operating the latest iPhone then technology plays a huge role in people’s lives today and it can highly benefit our older population.

In this post, we will look at the ways in which technology can help improve the lives of the elderly. If you know an elderly person who could benefit from this article please share it with them.

1) Mobile phones

For most of us, mobile phones are something we take for granted, but they play a huge role in our lives. Having a way to contact your friends or family by just going into your pocket is very convenient compared to when mobile phones weren’t a thing and you had to walk to the nearest phone box to make a call.

However, it’s not just making phone calls, mobile phones for the elderly can help them set up reminders for taking medication, they can be used to track relatives if they go missing and they can also be used as a torch when getting up from bed in the night to help prevent trips and falls. This brings us on to our next section nicely.

2) Alarm Systems

Trips and falls in the elderly population are very dangerous and sometimes life-threatening. Especially with those who suffer from diseases such as dementia. Trips and falls can be disorientating at the best of times but with added illnesses, they can be life-ending. Thankfully technology can help with this and in the event of a trip or fall your family members and emergency services can be notified with a device known as an elderly pendant alarm.

An elderly pendant alarm can be triggered if someone were to fall or depending on the device they can also detect if a person has fallen on their own. These devices help the elderly as they give them the confidence to be in their own home and live independently.

Falls in the elderly population are very common and often cause bruising, broken bones and even death so having something that can help seniors when they are most vulnerable is something that the creators of this type of technology can be proud of.

3) The Internet

Once again another technology that most of us take for granted is the internet. The internet is something we use every day without too much thought and many of us don’t even think of it.  

The internet to the elderly population can improve their lives more than you can imagine. Going to the shops for most of us is something that we are all able to do without too much bother. On the other hand, for elderly people getting out and about can be difficult so the internet can help them with so much. For example, elderly people can use the internet to:

• Manage their banking.
• Pay bills.
• Connect with other family members and friends.
• Order food.
• Order medication.
• Watch their favourite TV shows.

Over the last year or two, we have seen how important the internet is to all ages but especially older family members who haven’t been able to have contact with their family due to covid. The internet, along with apps like Facebook messenger, skype, zoom and all the others has allowed family members to connect and feel a little less lonely during this pandemic.

Technology can be used in many ways in which can have an impact on our daily lives, some technology has a positive effect while others not so much, with that said these three areas of technology above can improve the lives of the elderly and make them a little more comfortable in the later ages of their lives.