When we think of technology, we think of digital devices, like laptops, iPads, and smartphones. But really, technology is any man-made item that is designed to make a task easier. With that in mind, there are many types of technology that we use in senior care to help elderly individuals live a better, easier life. Newer developments in technology have been occurring more and more frequently lately, and these have been adapted to help seniors live a higher quality of life.
One company that has helped make great strides in the area of senior care technology is MyndYou. They recently partnered with a Japanese company called Mizuho Information & Research Institute to help with care technology that is geared toward those who are suffering from cognitive decline.
This new product works as a downloadable app. It tracks things like movement and activity on the phone, looking for anything that might be out of the ordinary. It is also able to passively track conversations and pick up on changes in speech pattern. If there is a decline in cognitive ability, it can sometimes be detected early on if these things are tracked. Sometimes, dementia can be first detected by a family member who notices an elderly loved one forgetting words or saying or doing something that is out of character. Not everyone is lucky enough to have close family or friends that pick up on these things early on, so the new app is designed to run in the background of the phone to detect these subtle changes.
They intend on rolling out their product on a full scale later in 2019, but for now, they are finalizing product testing in smaller demographics. The app has been tested in five cities in Japan since the beginning of May. If this is a successful launch, the product that MyndYou is creating might help those with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia live better lives and help those that care for them to better understand the needs that are present. There’s still no cure for these diseases, but little steps forward when it comes to how the disease is treated can make a world of difference. Simply by making life a little bit better, those that suffer from dementia can have a huge burden lifted from off of them.
Having a knowledgeable and compassionate care service or caregiver working with your loved one can help, too. It might be a while before this app is up and running in the U.S., and even if it does launch soon, it’s not a replacement for human contact. A trained professional can help your loved one to get the care and attention that they need to stay safe.
MyndYou is just one of the many companies that are out there striving to create technology that will help people live easier lives. If you’re working in the care industry at any level, please feel free to comment and let our readers know what you’re working on and how it can help our senior loved ones.
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