Technology is changing at an ever-increasing pace. Stuff we only dreamed of a couple of years ago is now commonplace technology today. The healthcare industry is not exempt from this development. In fact, many of the technological leaps that happened took place because of the need to assist patients to achieve better health outcomes.
Below are five healthcare technologies that have transformed home care for the sick and the elderly.
1. Sensors
Sales of patient monitoring grew to about $29 billion in 2014 and a good part of that demand is for healthcare facilities and services. Home healthcare for the elderly has also picked up interest rather than shifting them to treatment facilities.
This means there is even more demand for sensors that could be placed at home to help monitor elderly patients. They’re placed in doors, windows, and near staircases. These sensors alert caregivers should anything out of the ordinary happen.
They are also able to track as well as send notifications should patients miss their meals. This is particularly useful for patients who suffer from dementia.
2. GPS
Elderly patients often get confused and end up wandering lost. This is either due to age or disease like Alzheimer’s disease. In a treatment facility, they have the necessary equipment to ensure patients are tracked and don’t wander off too far, or hurt themselves.
For home care, the same equipment can be used to monitor the movement of an elderly family member and keep them safe at all times.
There are GPS devices that can send alerts and notification if the wearer wanders outside a preselected area. Calling for assistance is also automated in some of these devices to make it easier to call for help.
3. Remote monitoring
When it comes to caring for patients at home, whether the sick or the elderly, remote monitoring is necessary. There are numerous devices in the market today that can be connected to smartphones that can help monitor patients at home.
These can either be sensors, nanny or hidden cameras, or audio recorders. These devices help curb the cost of having someone constantly keeping an eye on the patient.
Fitness trackers can also be used not only to monitor a patient’s whereabouts but their health status like diet, sleep, and the number of steps as well.
4. Telehealth
Gone are the days when patients have to leave their homes to be checked by their doctors. Telehealth systems provide people with the ability to virtually talk to their physicians and other specialists.
Advancements in this technology have also allowed the elderly and people with disabilities to connect with their doctors without having to travel or leave their homes.
In fact, common devices like smartphones and tablets that are connected to the internet can be used now to implement telehealth. Patients and doctors can now share results and care outcomes in real-time.
5. Big data
The effectiveness of home healthcare relies on data coming from different resources and it needs to be analyzed to become useful. There are a number of health services that take on the heavy burden of analyzing the data and using the results to inform patient outcomes.
Author Bio: Leanne Brooks is an ardent blogger and frequent traveler who writes about home improvement, travel and, the latest trends in emerging technologies. She is currently working with EyeSpySupply, which offers a wide range of surveillance equipment, including wireless hidden camera, nanny cams, GPS trackers, voice-activated audio recorders and more.