Technology has come a long way and these days it can help with everything from driving a car to turning your lights off at night to save energy but what most people aren’t aware of is that it can be used to improve the quality of life of older people as well as those with disabilities.

In this article we will take a look at some of the best ways technology is being used to improve the lives of elderly people.

1) Food ordering and delivery

For elderly people getting out and about is difficult on its own but carrying heavy shopping is another story. Thankfully with the use of the internet and smart technology your food can be ordered and delivered to you without much effort at all.

Seniors who know how to use the internet can log onto their favourite asian supermarket website, add their order to a bag and then have them shipped to their home on a schedule that suits them.

The only problem with the above is that some may forget to order their food on time and could be left without food for a few days. This is where tech has come in once again and come up with a solution.

Samsung’s smart fridges can order your products when you go low on them and can even suggest recipes with the items that you have in your fridge.

Home safety

Being an elderly person comes with risks in terms of home safety. This can be accidents in the home or from criminals targeting the elderly. It’s estimated that 60% of elderly people will have an accident at home at least once a year. These accidents can be something as simple as a trip or fall which to a younger person may not sound too bad. To the elderly, a trip or fall can be life-threatening. Read this article to know the answer to ‘do you need a straight stairlift?‘ and identify which one is best for you.

Preventing trips, falls and accidents in the home with existing tech is difficult at this current moment, but there is technology that exists if one were to happen. Companies such as Taking Care have alarms and telecare systems that can detect if an accident takes place and get in touch with someone that can help.

An accident can leave an elderly person shook up and confused so having a system in place that can detect one, as well as contact emergency services, could be life-saving.

Keeping safe at home also entails keeping your home safe from criminals and with burglaries happening every 30 seconds using tech to improve your chance of not being a victim is a good place to start. Replacing regular beds to hospital beds is beneficial in caring for elderly at home.

Vivint is a company that uses technology to help its users protect their homes against criminals and offer smart home protection packages that can do everything from turn your lights on and off, control the temperature in your home or lock your doors if you have forgotten to lock them yourselves. They also offer traditional security camera systems so you can monitor who is at the door and you can even talk to them without opening your door.

Conclusion

Technology is ever-changing and for some, it could be used to speed up their phone to allow them to run more apps at the same time and for others, it could be life-saving in the case of an accident. Today we have looked at some of the ways in which technology can be used to improve the lives of the elderly. If you have any other suggestions on how technology can be used to improve the lives of the elderly please leave them in the comment section below.