The use of innovations and tech tools in assisted living facilities, right now, is a game-changer. In this article, we’re going to take a close look at some of the benefits of today’s tech — how it can support people, cut back on costs, and improve the safety and general well-being of patients.

What is assistive technology?

Assisted living facilities are places for people who need help with some of their daily living activities. Not all but some. From managing chronic illness all the way to issues derived from getting old — as is the case of senior citizen centers. Assistive technology, meanwhile, is a broad term that refers to any device or system that helps people with disabilities to do things they couldn’t do before.

Assistive technology for assisted living is the implementation of all these tech wonders, the leveraging of them, in these types of places. How they can be used to help as many people as possible in their daily lives. These types of tech have even made it possible for them to live on their own, rather than in a nursing home, and enjoy the freedom of being independent.

Several different types of technology and devices can be used in assisted living facilities. There is a wide range of different options, from basic to high-tech.

The most basic types are the ones that help with everyday tasks such as bathing and dressing. These include things like grab bars, shower chairs, and raised toilet seats.

The next type is the monitoring system which helps to keep track of the residents’ activities throughout the day. This includes tools like cameras, sensors in rooms for falls or other emergencies, and even sensors on clothing for when someone leaves their room without assistance.

The third type is more high-tech which includes cutting-edge innovations such as tablets to help with communication or entertainment, as well as robots that can perform tasks such as cooking or cleaning, and wearable devices for remote patient monitoring.

Benefits of assisted living technologies

The main goal of assistive living technology is to help people with disabilities. The most common types of disabilities are blindness, deafness, and physical impairment. Nevertheless, in the ecosystem of assisted living facilities, these types of tools can be employed for other cases — such as keeping track of senior citizens, regulating glucose levels for diabetic patients, and managing mental issues such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Today’s tech can more or less do anything — or at least it is in the process of getting there. It evolves, it breaks boundaries, and it changes constantly. Some technologies can even sense the environment and provide information about it. Other technologies can provide customized support for daily tasks like eating, bathing, dressing, and getting out of bed.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of assisted living tools.

Improved quality of care

One of the great things about this type of tech is that it not only improves the overall quality of care – in some cases allowing patients to have access to key tools 24/7 – but that it creates unique personalized treatments. By recollecting data on a patient, it can adjust protocols based on that person’s one-of-a-kind physiognomy and bio readings.

Safety and security

From tools that detect when a patient is lost or disoriented to cameras, and wearable “fall alerts” today’s tech can create a much more secure platform and ecosystem. One that mitigates accidents and, when they occur, informs staff faster.

Helps track health biometrics

Current technology, such as smartwatches and phones, can keep track of key biometrics — including heart rate, sleep cycle, oxygen levels, temperature, etc. All important data for doctors to evaluate.

Can reduce accidents and falls

Although an old tech, one that has been in use since the 1990s, today’s tools can boost an assisted living facility’s ability to respond to accidents and falls. How? They have integrated better monitors, as well as GPS capabilities and real-item data feed.

Help with medication management

Drones, robots, and dispensers can manage, supervise and administer medication — much more efficient, and at a lesser cost, than orderlies.

Online health records

With the use of software, impeded in today’s innovations, tools can keep track of records, organize them online, and allow access to them – from anywhere in the world – to medical professionals. Not only that, but with the aid of AI, the software can even pinpoint when there is an issue that needs immediate attention.

Communication Aids

Thanks to tablets, smartwatches, and surgical implants, patients can communicate better and faster — they are no longer hampered by their illnesses and physical impediments

What to consider when choosing a technology for an assisted living facility?

The assisted living facility should consider the following things when choosing a technology:

– The type of technology they are looking for — e.g. video chat, monitoring
– What they need to have in place before installing the technology — e.g. internet connection, power sockets.
– The cost of the technology and how it can be funded.

Source: Plato Data Intelligence: Platodata.ai