By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
The coolest things in the world are happening in the world of technology, and they will impact the lives of seniors as well as senior and assisted living communities. You can argue about whether it will happen in three months, six months, a year or five years, but what is happening in technology will have a major impact.
Jack York delivered this message earlier this month in his keynote address at the 2012 Senior Living Conference hosted by the Life Services Network (LSN). Jack is the Co-Founder and President of It’s Never Too Late (iN2L), a company dedicated to empowering lives through technology. LSN is a statewide association that has represented leading providers of older adult services, including senior living, assisted living and supportive living communities, for more than 75 years.
It is so remarkable that you can sit a 92-year-old down in front of a computer, pull up Google Maps, and zoom in on the farm the person grew up on, York said. He showed a video of an older adult who said her one goal in learning how to use a computer was just to learn how to send e-mails. She found many other benefits. She found out how yogurt is made and did research on the figure that sits atop the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The older adult in the video explained that if she were to visit Washington, “I could not see the figure on top” because of her eyesight. Using a computer, she found a picture of the dome and was able to enlarge the statue. “It is the most incredibly overdressed female,” she says. Ironically, the statue is titled freedom, but “she could not move with all those clothes on.”
Some of the remarkable advancements in technology that Jack cited include:
90-inch interactive smart boards and touch screens that you can use to Skype. A grandmother can be playing games with a granddaughter who lives miles away. They can share pictures and share videos.
A night light toilet seat that is red when the toilet seat is up and green when the seat is down.
A tattoo that is a cell phone.
GPS shoes that have built-in sensors that keep track of where someone is.
An electronic compression shirt from Under Armor that monitors a person’s heart rate and the speed at which they are moving.
A device that quadriplegics can wear that walks for them.
A 23-inch HP Touch Smart computer screen and a magnifier in Windows 7 for those with poor vision.
The ability to “visit” and participate in activities at a Senior Center through video conferencing.
The technology is everywhere and becoming available for everyone. It is much less costly and much easier to use. Under Armor is talking about a price of around $30 for the electronic compression shirt; GPS shoes are available for less than $300; and the price tag on the nightlight toilet set is under $20.
Seniors who are isolated and homebound can benefit, and there are some pretty simple things that senior living and assisted living communities can do to transform the lives of residents and their families.
When it comes to seniors, most of the innovations are not coming from the Information Technology people, Jack said. They are coming from the people who are delivering the care.
How do you see technology impacting the lives of seniors and their families? How do you see it impacting senior living and assisted living communities?
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
