New technologies, and improvements to existing ones, will prove invaluable for seniors. This is especially promising for the nearly 90 percent of baby-boomers who want to “age in place,” remaining in their own homes as long as possible. In the coming years, those who reach their golden years will be more tech-savvy than past generations of older people. Thus, they’ll be in a better position to take advantage of innovations that optimize their capabilities and give them access to homecare and healthcare services that are better-coordinated than in the past.
Senior-Friendly Home Design
Home design will soon become even more senior-friendly, with built-in amenities that accommodate unique physical and sensory limitations. These changes will combine architectural adaptations with evolving technology to provide helpful features such as lights that turn on automatically when someone elderly gets out of bed in the dark.
It may just be a matter of time for homes of the future to be equipped with sensors that alert you or a loved one if an outside light was left on or the door was left unlocked.
Specialized Healthcare
Amid demographic shifts and rising costs, providers will have to leverage available resources to provide high-quality services that meet patient’s’ expectations. Because of their versatility, emerging technologies can be easily adapted to align with healthcare trends to provide value-based unique care.
As people live longer, there will be a greater need to serve a larger population of patients with multiple conditions. Technology will play a vital role in augmenting the ability of homecare agencies to offer well-coordinated, person-centered care. Digital developments will enhance the capacity of home-health agencies to provide skilled nursing care that formerly was available only at a hospital or rehabilitation center. Technology will enable homecare providers to partner with primary care physicians to better assist seniors in accessing community-based healthcare. Caregivers’ ability to collaborate with home-healthcare providers to deliver customized and preventive care is expected to further minimize incidents of hospitalization or institutionalization, reducing costs.
It’s anticipated that, in the coming years, we’ll see a significant increase in the number of healthcare-oriented apps and sensors available to help the elderly population monitor their conditions and receive specialized home-based care.
It’s predicted that by 2020, seniors will make up 17 percent of the US population. Increasingly, technology is helping the elderly remain as independent as possible while receiving support services at home. In future years, the trend allowing seniors to feel independent and comfortable in their own home will continue, with technology improving access to health and homecare services and increasing the quality of care delivery.
Learn more about how we can help you or your loved ones. Contact Bluebird today.