Elderly care is one of the most pressing areas in healthcare today, not least because of the urgency created by the demographics throughout the western world.  I’ve written a number of times over the last few years about various technological attempts to improve matters.

For instance, back in 2014, I wrote about a Spanish project that aims to use sensors built into most smartphones to measure things such as heart rate variability in senior citizens.  This is part of a wider range of wearable devices designed specifically for the elderly that would provide round the clock assistance to the wearer.

There have also been a number of projects aiming to reduce falls among the elderly.  For instance, an innovative project from the University of Manchester to use games to help elderly people avoid falls.  The games have been developed by a team from the University of Manchester in partnership with Trafford Hospitals and MIRA Rehab Limited.

Or you’ve got the project from a team from the University of Missouri, who have developed sensors capable of measuring the gait and stride length of people, and therefore predict the likelihood of falls.

“We have developed a non-wearable sensor system that can measure walking patterns in the home, including gait speed and stride length,” the team say. “Assessment of these functions through the use of sensor technology is improving coordinated health care for older adults”

Many of these technologies have been pulled together into so called ‘smart homes’ that are designed specifically for elderly residents to enable them to retain their mobility.  For instance, Smart Homes, developed by UT Arlington, come complete with a number of interesting technologies:

• Sensors underneath tiles on the floor that will allow researchers to measure and evaluate changes in walking gaits and weight that might suggest illness or injury;
• A special camera embedded in a bathroom mirror that will tell researchers about day-to-day heart rate, facial expression, and skin color. Changes in expression and skin color can reveal aspects of the overall health status as well as about oxygen content of the blood;
• Lift chair to help residents stand;
• Smart appliances such as an LG microwave, range and refrigerator;
• Connected exercise equipment, including a recumbent bike and interactive Kinect-based Tai Chi trainer;
• Other systems that will detect whether medication is being properly managed or if the resident is not sleeping well or staying in bed too long.

Personalized care management

Suffice to say, cool though these technologies are, there is much that needs to be done in the meantime before more advanced tech becomes available.  Platforms such as MABLE may play a crucial role in this phase.

The startup, who were finalists in the recent AXA PPP Healthtech & You Awards, aim to provide a personalized care management system for older adults.  The platform aspires to help extend independent living for those in the early stages of dementia.

The system consists of an app that monitors text, speech, video and eye movements, utilizing natural language processing and machine learning to gauge the emotions and behaviors of the user.  Personalized feedback then helps the carer to better communicate with the patient and reduce isolation.

Low-tech solutions

Suffice to say, it isn’t just high-tech developments that are emerging to help us better care for the elderly.  One interesting project takes its cue from the sharing economy.

Homeshare International are a body that promote the practice of homesharing, especially among the elderly population.

The concept is a relatively simple one.  On one hand, you have older people who have lived in their home for much of their life.  They don’t want to leave their home, but could use a bit of help and companionship in order to retain their independence.

And then you have younger people who are struggling to pay the often astronomical rents to live in the kind of thriving cities that offer them the employment opportunities they crave.

Enter homesharing.  This is where those older homeowners open up their home to a young professional.  Whereas lodging arrangements have been common for a long time, homesharing is usually free to the ‘lodger’ but it comes with an expectation that they will provide some help around the home, whether it’s doing the shopping or tending to the garden.

Whether high-tech or low-tech, it’s an area that is long overdue some innovation, so it’s pleasing to see a number of different approaches trying to make things better.