Technology Can Help You Find Care

If you determine that you need some help with caregiving, there are two steps you’ll likely need to take:

1. Assess your loved one’s needs: Write down your loved one’s needs, expectations, and any doctor’s recommendations
2. Find a caregiver: There are a variety of ways to find a caregiver, including using agencies, registries, friends and family recommendations, or caregiving websites (see table below).

A life care manager can help navigate which care services can match their needs. Some care services, such as adult day/respite centers, must be researched locally, along with meal delivery, housecleaning, and home repair.

Tech Can Help You Monitor Care Remotely

If your parents don’t want to move, and they don’t want a home-care worker in the house just yet, technology in the home can help. Once your parent’s place is set up with high-speed internet and Wi-Fi, you can use technology to help manage care remotely. If your parent has a smartphone, they can have a smart doorbell app, such as Ring, in which they (or you, using the same app) can see who is at the door before answering it. In addition, technology can help you as the caregiver be better organized and more responsive to care needs.

Tech Can Enrich Care

The technology below can help loved ones with hearing or vision problems. You’ll find phone and computer displays for people with limited vision. For hearing problems, you’ll find a broad array of hearing aids, sound amplifiers, and new hearing devices that are more affordable than traditional hearing aids. Plus, they’re more attractive.

Voice-activated technology—like smart speakers and voice assistants—can be very helpful as well as engaging to an individual living alone. These devices can tell your loved one the time, play their favorite music, or even read them a Kindle book. And being able to turn on the lights or change the room temperature can make life easier for someone who has difficulty walking.

Third, Helping Your Loved One Avoid That Dreaded Move to Senior Living

Often, parents don’t want to move to a nursing home. Family caregivers can hire workers to help with care, transportation, and even the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). You can find tech changes that would make it a safer place, including automatic thermostat controls, stove shut-off products, and smart door alarms that show who’s at the door before answering.

If your parents don’t have a smartphone, maybe it’s time to get one since they can control most of this technology. And designate a trusted friend or family member to help your parents learn how to use it. At some point, nursing home care may be needed, but technology can help push back that need.

Various people may be able to help caregivers determine when and if a loved one must move to a nursing home, including family members, a primary care doctor, a life care manager, a social worker, and an occupational therapist.

In the Beginning, You’ll Probably Wonder if You Can Even Do This

Your focus on your loved one’s needs will guide you past the “hair on fire” stage of caregiving by forming a deliberate plan of care. It can be stressful for all concerned, but you can do it.

If in-home equipment is necessary, you can get in-person or online help if needed to make sure it’s set up correctly. You can ensure that automated alerts are directed to the right place, that cameras, if used, are operational and regularly checked, and that the other basics of in-home tech infrastructure are up to date and working.