Understandably, there is always the worry for the families of older adults and particularly worry for those seniors living alone. The advancement in artificial intelligence or “AI” as a tool to assist caregivers monitor aging loved ones is something that I have been interested in and using with clients off and on for the last 8 years. I hope that you will find this information to be a useful introduction to some benefits of implementing an AI system.
There are many reasons why it may be difficult to check in personally on mom or dad (geographical reasons, time constraints, enforced social distancing) so an AI system which notifies you if there is an issue with your older parent is of great value. An AI system can give caregivers peace of mind as well as provide the senior a sense of security knowing that someone will come to their help should they need it.
Companies such as Stack Care, Billy, SensorsCall and CarePredict are producing the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) and motion sensor technology devices for seniors. Using sophisticated data science, AI is able to monitor and interpret activity patterns, then simply and easily show if a loved one is sleeping well, is visiting the bathroom too often, whether his/her typical patterns have changed, or even seeing the room temperatures to make sure everything is set for the ideal climate.
It is advances in complex AI that allow monitoring systems to do this with motion sensors - like the ones that open the supermarket doors - placed in the bedroom, bathroom and favorite room (where Mom or Dad hangs out most during the day). Algorithms constantly search for anomalies and occurrences or events and when something is spotted (this is where the Artificial Intelligence “understands” that there may be a problem) the notification platform issues an alert back to the family or the caregiver via their phone.
Advanced systems, such as Stack Care, can continuously learn and adjust over time, helping to maintain accuracy as people age and routines change. The best also help maintain privacy and dignity by avoiding any use of cameras or microphones, so your senior loved one can go ahead and hang out in their favorite lime green pajama all day long!
Benefits to using AI:
- It preserves the older adult’s independence and dignity, while discretely monitoring his/her wellbeing.
- Offers peace of mind to family members.
- AI can detect small changes in pattern that caregivers may not catch.
- Early intervention often helps avoid an emergency.
- Advanced systems, like Stack Care, are unobtrusive with small and silent sensors.
- Privacy and freedom since the system should just work in the background with no cameras.
- Automatic daily updates which monitors any changes in patterns.
- Several family members/caregivers can have access to the app and are able to communicate with each other via the app.