Assistive technology and caring for older people

Look for the three hints at the end of this article. In the run up to publication of my new book Carers and Caring; the One Stop Guide; how to care for older relatives and friends I am sharing some of the practical solutions learned from research and experience. If you think any problems have been missed you can email me and tell me, and I’ll make sure they are covered in the next edition and online on my website at www.juneandrews.net. 

‘Assistive technology’ or ‘tech’ is the expression for any device that helps make up for gaps in an older person’s ability to be independent. It can mean digital or electronic equipment. To be honest, a rubber glove that you use because it helps you to take the lid off jam jars is a kind of ‘assistive technology’. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Or electronic. A simple telephone would be regarded as ‘tech’ because it helps with communication. 

Solution depends on problem

The benefit of electronic devices depends on the problem. You might need prompts to help complete a task, or a family might need to have some idea of where a person is if they are easily lost. If the person has had a stroke, communication and mobility might be areas where an assistive technology solution could help them to compensate for impairments. 

Tech can reduce anxiety about security for example using a video camera to check who is at the door, or a digital lock to control who has access to the house. Other tech might reduce loneliness in older people by helping them to keep in touch. 

Virtual assistants

An Alexa or similar virtual assistant can control smart devices in the home, acting as a home automation system. To find out what is available and what might be helpful, look on the website of AskSARA at asksara.livingmadeeasy.org.uk.  What is available depends on where you live. If you need to buy or rent it, that site gives an idea of how much it costs and where you can get it.

The increase in the range of devices has not been as fast as one might have hoped. Rather than listening to what older people and their carers need, there is a trend for inventors to invent things and then work out if there is a market for them among older, frail people and carers. That’s good, but not good enough. People need to listen to carers. It’s not self-sacrifice. A real understanding of the size of the market might make inventors and producers think harder about how they can make money by making life easier for others. Everyone would win.  

Home automation system

A home automation system can control lighting, heating, access and alarm systems. They have been around for a long time, but more recently have the added benefit that the carer can control them remotely using a smartphone if the older person allows. They may allow family members use the system to share information about personal security or environmental information, such as how warm the home is.

There are concerns about the dignity and privacy of the older person when someone else can control their environment. You must get the consent of the person you are caring for. The system can be designed to let a carer know online where the person is in their house. It’s not like closed-circuit TV, where you would be seen on cameras. Instead, a movement sensor records activity and how long you spend in each room and alerts the carer if the pattern is wrong. Spending much longer than usual in the bathroom? Maybe they have fallen over or taken ill….

Assistive tech provided by local authorities

The most common sort of assistive technology that is provided by local authorities is telecare. A typical example would be an emergency call system that is operated by a pendant worn round the neck. Other technology is focused on reducing risk, so this includes fall detectors, gas and smoke alarms and devices for shutting off water and gas. The local fire department will come and check alarms for older people free of charge. For security a common device is the key safe, which allows appropriate visitors and care workers to access the person’s home without having keys circulating in the community. As a carer, if you do not live with the person or are out at work you can arrange to have the door controlled using a remote camera and a lock that is operated from your smartphone, to allow you to monitor visitors and let them in which saves an older person from rushing to the door, at risk of a fall. 

Modern solutions

Other locks use fingerprint identification. These devices can monitor who has been in and out of the house and for how long. It is not unknown for care workers to mislead clients about how long they spend caring. In addition, if the care worker, through no fault of their own, is prevented from calling in it can set up an early warning alert to the carer. It sometimes happens that the care system breaks down and no one knows in good time that a person has missed a visit from the care worker who should help them to bed or make their food. With such a lock, you’d know and could be alerted.

Assistive technology is also useful for reminiscence and for puzzles and games. In the past, an older person might not naturally have reached for their iPad or home computer for this sort of entertainment, but increasingly we now do. Especially since the pandemic, older people have increased their use of Facetime and other apps to keep in touch with family and each other. People rarely use all the complex features that are on an ordinary house phone, but you will be able to block callers and minimise the risk to the older person if you can find the instruction manual. (Top tip: Google it and you will find it online if your relative has mislaid it.)

There is much more about Assistive Technology in  Carers and Caring: The One-Stop Guide: How to care for older relatives and friends - with tips for managing finances and accessing the right support  available from all good bookshops in May 2022

Three hints:

1.     Tech changes all the time, so browse websites for the latest

2.     Sometimes the local authority will pay, so ask them what they’ve got

3.     The sooner you have tech in your own life, the easier it will be to use it when you are older