Elderly HealthCare with Internet of Things
World population is currenly 7,6 billion at the beginning of the year 2018. It is predicted that it will be 8 billion at 2025. Beside these population growth, elderly people population is also rising. Now, the %12 of the world population is elderly. This ratio will be %15 at 2025. In other words, 1.2 billion people will be at the age 60 and more at 2025. The elderly population will be more than %20 of world population at 2050. Technology is very important for elderly care and elderly care technology is becoming popular day by day.
Beside general world population and elderly population growth, working age population is decreasing. This also means that, people population that support and care with elderly people are decreasing. This is a very important case. Because many of elderly people needs support in different activities. According to a research, %75 ratio of american elderly population need nursing healthcare. This population is almost 1.4 million elderly people. And this will be 2.4 million at the year 2030.
Today, the analysis are showing that an elderly person over 85 costs almost seven times more than a man at his thirties. This is because, health spending per person is increasing after the age 50. To avoid these costs, technology on the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotic area are developing different health and elderly care products. The terms of these new elderly care technology products on Internet of Things (IoT) area are basically called Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT).
Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) together provide effective care on elderly health. This is not restricted by age, elderly care technologies can be used by every people, but they have many specific benefits and advanced health care on elderly people.These Internet of Things products provide both physical and mental wellbeing help to seniors during the busy days of their families. The caregiver people can control their health and routine facailities during the day remotely with these products. And they also provide more independence with the help of smart products of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT).
So, in which areas Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products support senior people. Let’s check these areas that can be taken into account as elderly care technology one by one.
Elderly Care Technology : Vital-Tracking Wearables
Vital-Tracking Wearables provide measurements and monitoring of different values of elderly people. They measures hypertension, cardiac conditions, diabetes and similar age related illness’s vital values. Vital-Tracking Wearables provide these values without going any hospital. So, seniors and their caregivers, families or nurses can monitor their health values. This is done via a wearable Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products. This can be also a smartwatch.
Elderly Care Technology : Taking Medicine
Almost all seniors use different medicines for different age related illness. These medication can be very critical for them. But,because of the age, sometimes it is difficult to remember taking their medicines.
With smart Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products, this medicine time can be remembered to the elderly people.
Elderly Care Technology : Health Diagnostic Tests
Elderly people need to measure their specific Healt Parameters sometimes. To do these tests they need to go to an hospital and they should be contact with patalogy laboratory. They need to get urine or blood to perform these tests. But with Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products, seniors do not need to go any laboratory for these tests. Many products can achieve these tests in the confort of their house.
Beside, elderly people can do these test more frequently and without any extra cost.
Virtual Home Assistant
Virtual Home Assistant help elderly people to check their routine facilities, their health regularly. They can do different health tests to theirselves without going outside home.So, without spending more money and time, they can diagnose their health related issues.
Virtual Home Assistant provide also a connection to the outside world for elderly people. They can connect with their friends, their family, caregivers etc. They can connect various social media platforms, they can use test chatting. That can also get advices from caregiver with this mechanism.
Beside these, seniors can use Virtual Home Assistant, to take notes, to remember medicines and for daily activities. With various Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products, they can even use their voices to do some actions on at home by connecting smart home devices.
Elderly Care Technology : Emergency Help
Elderly people can have some physical diseases during the day. During these deseases, they can need help from others. Thay can fall or they can have any triggered health attack. When they have such a desease, with emergency help mechanims, this situation is alerted to the caregivers or teir family.
In some Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products, navigation help is also provided, especially for the dementia patients . Beside these, there are also new products that provide even airbags for any elderly fall.
Dissability Assistance
Elderly people can suffer from different dissabilities. To reduce the effects of these disabilities, there are some Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products. They can also measures some health factors and inform their caregivers with these Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products.
Smart Implants
In many part of health, conditions monitoring is important. With various Internet of Health Things (IoHT) product, these conditions can be controlled via smart Implants. This can be an orthobetic sensor that measures the performance of the patient after post-surgery. Or, it can be a glucose sensor for diabetic control. It can also used for cardiac activities. With these smart implant products, elderly care become more proactive.
Smart Elderly Homes
There are various Internet of Things Products can be used in smart elderly homes. Many smart home equipment can be controlled by seniors without going near them. With these products, elderly people can control different home devices remotely. For example they can control the temperature of the oven, humidity of the house, volume of the television, amouth of the light, etc.
Beside these, panic buttons are also used in these category. Elderly people can use these buttons for a critical issue.
In these Smart Elderly Homes, seniors can be tracked and their facilities can be checked. They can be walking, sleeping, sitting, having a meal, having a bath etc. Every routine facilities can be tracked with these devices.
There are also some specific products in the Internet of Health Things (IoHT). For example, for parkinsons, useful cups, forks and spoons that stays these equipments steady after their tremors.
Remotely Monitored Seniors
It is always better to care elderly while you are with them. But, if there are little chance to do this, you can monitor their activity if they are near you. This remote monitoring is done through Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products.
Family members, caregivers can control and monitor any activity of the seniors. They can open the oven, they can use coffee machine, they forget to close refrgirator etc. All the events can be viewed with Internet of Things products.
This property is very useful for medicine reminder and a help during a panic or immediate disease.
Last Word on Elderly Care and Internet of Things
Internet of Things is a very wide technology area. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) products are sub categories of these large area. Currenlty there are more than 250 startup company working on these Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) Elderly Care products. These sector is an untapped sector of Internet of Things and it is developing day by day. In the very near future, you will see a lot of Internet of Things products that are being used by your Seniors.
