Cutting-edge technology designed to help people with dementia and their families

Today Barbara is joined by social gerontologist Benjamin Surmi. As director of culture, training and Koelsch Innovation Lab for Koelsch Communities, Benjamin focuses on seeking the most effective ways to support family caregivers. In the past, he says, most tools were human – nurses, dog walkers, house cleaners, drivers, bookkeepers. These days, thanks to technological advances and COVID, many are virtual. Benjamin shares some of the items in his “Tech Toolbox”: tracking devices that look like watches; GPS shoe inserts; a device that looks like jewelry that detects falls. Also on the market, a belt that senses a fall and inflates with air in time to protect hip bones and avoid injury. Many of these devices are expensive, but Benjamin advises weighing the one-time expense against the cost of long-term injury and pain.