PKD Life - Fall 2022 - 10

EVGENIIA SIIANKOVSKAIA/GETTY IMAGES
CAREGIVING
Ages & Stages
Lifesaving
Technology
Caregiving can be challenging.
Fortunately, there are tech
tools that can help.
By Andrea King Collier
L inda Vail knows a lot about healthcare
as the director of a local health
department in Lansing, Michigan. Yet
when it came to supporting her own
elderly father's care and well-being, Vail
says it was complicated.
" I was talking to him on the phone
one day, and he said he had fallen but
had a hard time getting up, " she says.
Soon after that, Vail got her father a
smartwatch that is simple for him
to operate.
" When it comes to using technology
in caregiving for elderly parents, finding
the balance between support and
fears of loss of independence and privacy
isn't always easy, " says Jennifer
Edwards-Johnson, D.O., M.P.H., assistant
professor of family medicine at
Michigan State University and a practicing
physician at McLaren Family
Medicine. " Families have to carefully
consider what specific needs the technology
will fill, as well as practicality
and ease of use. " Dr. Edwards-Johnson
urges caregivers to include their loved
ones in the decisions on what tech to
try, if possible. Here are some options
to consider:
10 PKD LIFE * FALL 2022
MedMinder is a system that
assists in managing patient prescriptions
and dosages. It also offers
visual, audio, and phone alerts about
medications. The caregiver can be
notified of any missed dosages and
refill dates.
Amazon's Alexa Together hub tool
enables contact via voice activation.
There are costs involved, as the service
requires both the caregiver and the
care receiver to have an Echo or Alexaenabled
device and a subscription to
the service that costs $19.99 a month.
GrandPad works similarly through a
tablet-based system.
Smartwatches and pendants that
have GPS tracking can be important
tools. The caregiver can track the
person if he or she wanders off. Many
families have also installed camera
monitoring and alarm services such
as Ring.
Also, consider using online medical
portals that connect to the hospital or
medical provider where your loved one
receives care. With signed patient privacy
permissions, the caregiver can have
online access to important information
such as doctor's appointments, immunizations,
test results, prescriptions, and
the status of medical bills.
*
Paying for It
An estimated 132 million people age 50 or older are expected to spend
$84 billion on tech devices and apps by 2030. Be prepared to pay for
internet or mobile carrier services in addition to the cost of the devices.
Most of the tech tools are not covered by Medicare and are either covered
by private insurance or paid out of pocket.
PKD Life - Fall 2022

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