I’m one of these people who are enchanted and at the same time, dismayed by technology.  Like other baby boomers, I love how technology makes my life easier – for example, I can use my phone to take photos of my grand-children at will, send them to friends and relatives who accept them with grace, and if I so choose, post them in a variety of social media outlets like Instagram.  Of course, I don’t post anything because the other side of technology – misuse of private information – worries me.

I consume information about technology and aging with enthusiasm.  I tend to focus on how technology is transforming, how we care for ourselves and others as we age.  I think of these transformational trends in the following broad categories:

  1. Wearable technology –Examples include Fitbit and smart watches like Apple Watch.  Other devices are designed to monitor for specific diseases such as Dexcom, a continuous glucose monitor system for individuals with diabetes and iBeat which monitors our heart and alerts family/911 when it detects a heart-related emergency. 
  2. Emergency response wearable devices – Examples include Medical Guardian, MobileHelp and Great Call’s Lively Mobile.  These and others provide a system to detect possible medical problems or issues like falls.  They are particularly helpful for those with limited mobility or who live alone and want assurance of rapid response in case of an emergency. 
  3. Medication Reminders – Examples include MedMinder and e-Pill.  These devices remind individuals to take their medications on time.  Some have a feature that will send a text to a relative or friend  every time the individual forgets to take a medication.
  4. Finally, I’m seeing the rapid development of apps and devices that are aimed at helping individuals with dementia cope with memory loss.  I just previewed The Proximity Button which alerts caregivers/relatives if an individual with dementia has wandered too far from their normal walking routine.  My friend, Warren Wong, also just developed an app (available for free in the apple store) to nudge the memories of those with dementia.  It’s called MemorC.

I take comfort in the knowledge that somewhere in the world, bright people are continuing to work on/refine tools that will enable us to live as independently as possible.

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~ Cora Tellez, CEO and Founder

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