Caring for Caregivers with Family Safety Technology

In last week’s blog Aging in Place: How Technology is Keeping Seniors at Home Longer, we told you about the growing field of Gerotechnology and how this technology is helping seniors remain independent while increasing their quality of life. Today we want to talk about the heroes behind the scenes, the caregivers who help care for the millions of seniors in America. This could be a daughter, son, grandchild, relative, friend or hired professional.  Regardless of the relationship they have to the individual they are caring for, there responsibility is a heavy one. We want to show you how caregivers can use technology to not only give better care, but also take care of themselves and gain more peace of mind.

Caregivers are Essential to Society

Caregivers are essential to keeping America’s seniors happy and healthy. Today we’re focusing on what the CDC calls “informal caregivers”. These individuals receive no compensation for the care they provide and are often a spouse, partner, family member, neighbor, or even a close friend. Right now there are over 65 million Americans serving as informal caregivers to someone over the age of 60.

The Types of Caregivers

More importantly, these 65 million individuals have provided over $470 billion in personal care at no cost. (AARP)  According to a study by AARP and UnitedHealthcare, there are six different segments informal caregivers fall into.

Understanding these different types of caregivers is critical to being able to offer the right solutions to the right individuals. Not all caregivers will want or need products, and as seen in the chart above, not all will be receptive to the idea of using these products.  However, those caregivers who fall into the “Holding It Together” segment will be most interested in products and solutions to help manage their role more easily. Let’s take a closer look at those “Holding It Together”

What Types of Technology Solutions Would Help Caregivers?

The caregiver segment above represents millions of people who are looking for solutions to help give better care to their loved ones, while also reducing their level of burden. These caregivers are looking for solutions that:

• Allow them to know their loved one is safe and where they should be when even if they aren’t with them.
• Allow them to remotely monitor and help maintain their loved one’s health.
• Help them to address the financial impacts associated with being a caregiver.

Family Safety Technology for Caregivers

Being a caregiver can be a demanding and often thankless job, but having a solution available that helps address the above concerns can make that job a little easier. Our family safety solution, SafePath, is a perfect fit to  help both the care giver and their loved ones stay safe and connected. SafePath empowers caregivers with a suite of features that allow them to remotely monitor and check in on their loved ones, and receive notifications when things aren’t right. SafePath gives peace of mind to a role that can cause worry, anxiety and even guilt. To see what SafePath can do, schedule a demo or contact us today.