Your caregivers’ support helps keep clients safe and comfortable in their homes.
Being there to help them with everyday tasks like cooking nutritious meals and preventing slips and falls adds real value to both your clients and their families, allowing them to continue to age in place.
And by introducing certain technologies, your caregivers can make their jobs easier and improve their clients’ lives in additional ways.
Read on to learn about four technology tools that can help your companion caregivers support their clients.
3 Technology Tools to Help Companion Caregivers Support Clients
Video calling
While older Americans have traditionally had lower rates of depression and anxiety than younger citizens, there are many events that can impact the mental and emotional well-being of clients, such as healthcare costs, widowhood, chronic illnesses and isolation.
The ability to easily communicate with loved ones is a simple way to add value and reduce isolation in your clients’ lives.
If a client has a smart phone, tablet or laptop, your caregivers can teach them how to use video call features and help schedule calls with their family and friends.
If a client does not have a device in their home, your caregivers can encourage them to purchase a device or visit a local library or senior center.
Medication and appointment management
Clients may have a long list of daily medications and may have trouble remembering to take their pills. Forgetting to take a pill can lead to skipped doses and forgetting a pill has already been taken can result in doubled doses. Forgetting to take medications as directed can be problematic or even life threatening.
Appointments can also be numerous and challenging to keep track of.
To help clients remember to take their medications, consider using a mobile app reminder. There are dozens available for download with features like medication reminders, refill reminders, drug interaction warnings, doctor’s appointment reminders, physical health tips and more.
Some apps will even send notifications to family members or caregivers if a client forgot to take their medication.
In addition to installing an app, don’t forget to encourage your caregivers to follow medication management best practices to reduce errors.
Smart-home safety systems
The right smart safety devices can help caregivers and clients’ families keep tabs on potential dangers and connect with emergency services if needed.
- Smart smoke detectors: Working smoke detectors are a must, but if a client has reduced hearing, they may not hear an alarm or notice it quickly enough. Smart smoke detectors deliver an audible siren inside the house and can also send alerts to friends, neighbors and caregivers.
- Fall detection: Smart watches or necklaces can detect falls, alerting emergency responders and contacts. These devices may also offer additional features, such as medical alerts, heart rate monitoring and more.
- Fire prevention: Stovetop sensors can help to reduce the risk by turning off an electric stove automatically to prevent anything from catching fire. Caregivers might also recommend microwave sensors to better protect seniors from potential threats in the kitchen.
- Safe lighting: Smart lighting for illuminating dark hallways and entryways can come in the form of in-wall switches or dimmers and LED bulbs. Lighting can be put on schedules, triggered by movement or turned on and off by voice commands.
- Contact sensors: Place smart contact sensors on doors, windows, drawers and kitchen appliances. Notifications can be sent to caregivers or family members whenever someone enters or leaves, if the refrigerator has been opened or if a door or window has been left open.
Support from Lockton Affinity Home Care
Video calls, medication and appointment reminders and smart home technologies can help your caregivers best support their clients and ensure they can continue living in their home environment.
However, not every issue can be fixed with technological solutions. Caregivers must assess the dangers in each client’s home and add protection with the right insurance.
With coverage from Lockton Affinity Home Care, you can help protect your caregivers and your clients. Request a personalized price indication in minutes.
