Parenting Your Parents
An E-Newsletter for Americans caring for parents from overseas
Parenting Your Parents, an occasional E-Newsletter, is a free resource for children caring for aging parents in the U.S. from abroad. Each issue focuses on a topic that can provide guidance to expat children caring for their aging parents in the U.S. Are you wrestling with a particular parent care challenge?
Binocular Vision founder and President, Marcia Johnson, invites your suggestions for future topics. marcia@binocvision.com
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Issue 6
Marcia's Parent Care Pick
Dear Visitor,
Overwhelmingly, older people of all ages want to "age in place" (to live at home for as long as possible). At the same time, there is an ever expanding array of home safety devices and assistive technologies on the market that can support peoples' ability to live independently at home.
The home activity monitor is an example of a technology-enabled home safety device. As the result of a simple fall, an acute illness, or a chronic medical condition taking a sudden "turn for the worse", an older person's daily routine can suddenly change. A home activity monitor, programmed to recognize a change in daily routine, alerts a designated person outside the home to check on the older person. The arrival of timely help can prevent a treatable incident from cascading into a major medical setback that could end the older person's ability to live independently.
AARP's 2008 Healthy@Home survey found that 56% of older adults surveyed would accept a home monitor but only 36% were aware that such monitors were available. While 62% of family caregivers were willing for their parents to use home activity monitors only 19% knew that such monitors were available.
A 2007 survey, "Attitudes of Seniors (65+) and Baby Boomers (43-61)on Aging in Place", found that 89% of seniors said that aging in place is very important, but 53% were concerned about their ability to do so. 65% of seniors were open to, or would like to use, new technology and 54% said they would consider sensors to monitor their health and safety. Half of baby boomers thought that technology products aimed at meeting the needs of seniors, including sensors, were available, but only 14% had actually looked for any such devices for their parents.
Download "Attitudes of Seniors and Baby Boomers on Aging in Place"
These studies send a clear message:
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• Seniors want to age in place in their own homes.
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• They worry about their ability to do so.
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• They are open to some sort of monitoring technology.
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• Neither seniors nor their caregivers are aware of, or looking for, this technology.
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• If grown children and their parents can talk about plans for the future as parents age, children can help their parents get acceptable assistive technologies in place in parents' homes.
Download "How to Talk with Your Aging Parent"
CLICK TO READ ABOUT “Age in Place with Assistive Technologies”
Sincerely,
Marcia Johnson
© 2009 Binocular Vision Advisors, LLC
The material in this website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a professional such as an attorney, accountant, financial planner or geriatric care manager. Although this website is periodically updated, it may contain information which is incomplete, inaccurate or out of date.