Nowadays, the older population is generally living longer and the younger people are having fewer children. The world is also seeing a trend where the number of young people taking care of the elderly is declining steadily. With the average age of populations around the world rising, a greater emphasis is placed on the importance of digital telecare and the technological advancements that can be utilised for elderly care.
Given these factors, it is essential to prioritise the use of digital technology in elderly care.
Innovations in technology in healthcare today
Today, care providers are given more options when it comes to elderly care, much thanks to innovations and advancements in digital healthcare. Tracking and monitoring the health and status of patients is now both easier and more consistent thanks to wearable sensors in the form of shoes, pendants, and even bracelets which all constantly transmit the status of the patient or alert home care staff or response centres in case of an emergency. Some devices can also remotely monitor the temperature, respiration status and the pulse of the patients.
In addition to such devices, modern innovations include all-in-one solutions that offer a voice-controlled smart assistant that can control lights, blinds, and even heating, while also having a smart device that has the capacity to monitor the routine of people living alone. Fall detection and prevention are also crucial challenge in elderly care, and innovative solutions such as radars that promptly notify care providers on such emergencies.
While all these are already available and easily accessible today thanks to digital technology, more options in the future will become available through rapid developments in the landscape of digital healthcare. This means that both care providers and the patients alike will benefit greatly from all these innovations.
Benefits of digital technology in telecare
In the context of elderly care alone, digital technology already offers a plethora of benefits. Embracing digital systems for telecare will prove to be more cost effective for care providers – especially when regular maintenance and updates are taken into account. With digital systems in telecare, downtimes are much less of a problem thanks to regular software and firmware updates that can be delivered quickly, especially when compared to analogue system counterparts. These digital telecare systems are also quicker and more reliable, allowing response centres and care providers to respond to emergency alarms straight away.
In addition to the technology used in sensors to monitor the status of the patients and send emergency alarms when necessary, patients can also be assisted in monitoring their medicine intake through modern technology such as medication robots. At a glance, this feature does not seem to offer much, but given the multiple prescription medicine of some patients, it makes it easier to keep track of the schedule of medicine intake. More importantly, these systems are fully customisable to fit the needs of each patient.
Ensuring quick, reliable response in elderly care through digital technology
One of the main points of adoption of digital technology in telecare is the seamless integration of telecare services through a single platform. In addition to the benefits of digital healthcare – mentioned earlier – care providers can access the following features and services through a capable platform provider, allowing care providers to respond as quickly as possible to emergency alarms:
- Flexible alarm routing systems that allow guaranteed response to emergency and alarm signals
- Alarm systems that are fully operable and accessible through computers and mobile devices
- Mobile applications to give patients and care providers even more control over their alarm system
- Constant updates to ensure the efficiency of the system
- A secure platform that protects the data of the patients
The implication of the analogue switch-off in elderly care and digital healthcare
One of the big, looming factors that must be considered is the digital switch, or the analogue switch-off. Simply put, this is the complete shift from analogue platforms to digital technology. The big analogue switch-off is set to take place in the UK in 2025, however some countries have already made the switch. When this phenomenon occurs, analogue systems – including alarm systems used in telecare – will simply stop functioning. This means that both care providers and patients must embrace digital technology and switch as early as possible to transition smoothly into newer and more reliable digital telecare systems.
Partner with Skyresponse today to seamlessly implement digital systems for elderly care
While the importance of digital technology in elderly care has already been established, partnering with a platform provider that can provide all the benefits of switching to digital systems is just as important. Skyresponse offers partners alarm and event handling management, primarily in personal care, including elderly care and personal safety. The secure platform of Skyresponse is 100% cloud-based and built with modern and innovative technology in mind to ensure top performance and scalability.
More importantly, Skyresponse provides a futureproof platform, ensuring that devices, systems, and solutions that are yet to be introduced to the market can still be integrated seamlessly into the platform.
