One of the best things you or an older loved one can do to improve life quality and personal happiness is to utilize technology. Technology can make it easier to finish tasks, communicate with loved ones during COVID-19 or other times, and stay safe at home. You can use a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer for various purposes when you go on a trip or stay home. Here are a few ways technology could benefit you or your loved ones.
Finding the best medical alert system for your home or a loved one’s home can be a daunting task. To make it easier to get protection in place sooner, check out AginginPlace.org’s guide to the best of 2024.
Better Safety Thanks to Medical Alert Tech
Consequently, falls often occur in older adults and can cause serious injury or death. Luckily, this tragedy can be prevented by using medical alert technology. You and your loved ones can feel safer thanks to this invaluable technology. You can compare options and read this article on the best medical alert system. A few of the top medical alert options to consider for increased safety and independence are MobileHelp, Medical Guardian, and Bay Alarm Medical, among others.
Exercise Your Brain by Playing Interactive Games
Playing interactive games can be a fun activity for young and old alike. Further, you can exercise your brain and play with a friend or family member or alone. A few benefits of playing interactive games are memory enhancement, boost critical thinking, improve mental alertness, enhance problem-solving skills, further language skills, and practice strategy skills. Words with Friends, Lumosity, Sudoku, Wurdle, Jigsaw Puzzles Real, and CogniFit are examples of apps to download.
Use Video Chat to Stay in Touch with Family
Family is what matters most, especially as we grow older. Therefore, finding every way to keep in touch is vital to health and well-being. These days, you can use video chat to communicate with your device. Video chat allows you to see and speak to your family without leaving home, which can be especially useful during a pandemic. Some of the best video chat apps include Facebook Messenger, Skype, Facetime, Google Duo, Zoom Meeting, etc.
Voice Chat and Dictation
Video chat works well in some circumstances for some people. But that still leaves a lot of people out of the loop. There are also a number of people who have trouble typing, especially on a featureless, glass screen. The good news is they can still send messages. Instead of typing, they can dictate their messages with about the same accuracy as typing.
The next option is they can just speak naturally and send a voice message. The recipient will receive the same way they get a text message. But it will be an audio clip of your voice they can play. If you have trouble reading messages, your friends can just as easily send you audio messages. And integrated text to speech options can have written messages read aloud.
The world of messaging is now wide open for everyone, not just the people who can easily type on glass. Today, few people want to use a smartphone to make phone calls. It is all messaging all the time. Finally, it is open to everyone.
Feel Safer by Installing Security in the Home
You or your family can use smart-home devices for increased security, independence, socialization, and privacy. For example, Ring Alarm is easy to install and works with Amazon Alexa, while SimpliSafe Essentials uses cameras for monitoring the house indoors and outside.
Smart-home devices may also come with motion sensors, keypads, panic buttons, smoke detectors, glass-break sensors, water sensors, key fobs, and more. Other than this, remember to compare the best medical alert systems to find the right one for you or a family member.
Voice Assistance Can Aid in Setting Reminders
Voice assistants technology can help set reminders for taking medications or upcoming appointments. Forgetting to take medicine is a leading cause of older adults heading to the emergency room. Other benefits of voice assistants are receiving news about the weather, managing an appointment calendar, receiving motivation for workouts, getting traffic reports, creating lists, and more. While Siri tends to be the most popular mobile assistant, Amazon Alexa has high device compatibility, and Google Assistant is skilled at responding.
Enabling the Disabled
Modern, consumer technology has been a boon for people with disabilities. It has opened a whole new world of possibilities for them. The blind and visually impaired have benefited from advanced screen reading and font manipulation not dreamed of just 15 years ago. One of the leaders in this field is Apple. They set a new standard with synthetic speech technology with their homegrown text to speech voice called Alex which is still in service today. Then, they created VoiceOver, a screen reading technology they include on every product they make.
Perhaps the biggest advance was adding VoiceOver to the iPhone. It was the first screen reader for a touchscreen device. Before it was announced, no one thought it was possible. Since that time, all other major mobile operating systems have included some type of aids that allow people with disabilities to use their devices. That is a good thing for humanity.
Accessibility goes much further than helping people with low vision or blindness. There are tools built into leading smartphones and tablets to help people with decreased motor control navigate touch screens as deftly as anyone else. There are tools for people with hearing disabilities, communication disabilities, and learning disabilities. The best part about these services is that, in the leading brand, these services are built into the device. There is nothing else to download or provision. You will find these services in the device you are using to read this article.
This is significant because many seniors find themselves less abled than they once were. They do not have to feel left out of the technological revolution. The positive impacts of technology on peoples’ lives, no matter how old or young you may be, shouldn’t be underestimated. People get the chance to work from home, spend time with family, take online classes instead of driving to college, and more. After all, you never know when you or a loved one might need help, and technology could save your life one day.
