Home Technology Care Support
Many otherwise busy adults are sandwiched between generations of older and younger relations that rely on them for care. Often baby boomers take responsibility for helping an aging parent retain an independent life in his or her own home, rather than moving to a care facility. Others are assisting a developmentally delayed child or grandchild grow into an independent and functional lifestyle.
Whatever the situation, there are many opportunities for home technologies to support the resident, patient, family, or care network. AHRI researchers are considering how technologies can help to:
- assist an older adult or a person with a disability in preforming activities of daily living in order to remain safe and independent at home
- promote wellness in and out of the home for people of all ages
- improve individual’s self-management of a chronic disease
- support the care network of individuals whether their loved one is: living with a developmental disability; managing one or more chronic diseases; or trying to remain independent and safe at home
- improve communication and coordination tasks required by a network of formal and informal caregivers
As we continue to see new sensing and applications rapidly entering the market, we are considering ways in which these off-the-shelf and new innovative technologies being developed in the lab can be utilized to improve health outcomes and enable greater independence. These technologies have the potential to greatly reduce health care costs, by helping people better monitor, understand, and self-manage their chronic disease, or by allowing people to live independently in their own homes, rather than being forced into institutional care facilities.