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Devices lead to increased safety for older people but are pricey 2010-01-08 Seniors can embrace technology to make their lives safer and boost their caretakers' peace of mind, said Majd Alwan, director of the Center of Aging Services Technology, to the Canadian Press. The Washington, D.C. group advocates for the increased adoption of technologies that can keep seniors safe at home. One such technology is offered by Missouri-based company Home for Life Solutions. The company sells pendants that can alert emergency response teams if a senior falls, alert users about fires and even remind seniors to take their medication. General Electric offers a product called Health Guide, which transmits health data like blood pressure or heart rate to a medical professional. The remote monitoring lets seniors stay in their homes and maintain an element of privacy, GE Healthcare general manager Agnes Berzsenyi says. Monitoring systems aren't cheap, though. They typically cost about $150 to $200 per month, CAST's Alwan notes. Many seniors will be unlikely to afford them, especially in today's economic climate: The number of food bank-dependent retirees living alone surged late in 2008, the Department of Agriculture reported recently. The number of independent seniors seeking food bank assistance was 408,000 in 2008, an 81 percent increase from 2006's 225,000.  |
