Technology can help your parents stay in their home 006

Did you know that technology is not just for young people? Toby Cohantz developed a technology that can help us take care of our parents. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/technology-can-help-your-parents-stay-in-their-home Technology can help your parents stay in their home. Toby Cohantz's technology can help your parents stay in their home longer.  How does he do this?  He works with several organizations that work with seniors, particularly, Fall Prevention.  These organizations include: * Life Support Medical, a research and development company where he is the director of the Mobile Fall Risk Assessment Lab * San Diego Fall Prevention Task Force * Aging and Independent Services * Electronic Caregiver Company All of these companies can help your parents stay in their home longer than if they were trying to do everything on their own. The reason why many people need to leave their home is because it is no longer safe to live there. Toby runs the first mobile gait lab in the country, run in conjunction with the New Mexico State University.  The lab collects data on how seniors walk.  They generate a report on the spot that gives a risk assessment for falls.  That data is now being used to create products and services for seniors, and will launch in the 3rd quarter of 2016. These will include smart phone and tablet apps that can help your parents stay in their home. For example, the app will monitor your loved one's gait, and if it changes, an alert will be generated. It will also work as a medical alert system that will alert you (or someone else) if there is a fall. Because their current in home systems have alerts that go out in case the battery begins to die, Toby expects that the apps will have similar features.  Systems like this are called PERS, or Personal Emergency Response Systems. Toby's company has backup systems that catch additional activity, such as when someone cannot push a button because they've had a stroke or have fallen out of bed.  They've also considered the fact that many people will remove their devices so can install buttons in areas of the house such as near the bed, in the shower, and in the kitchen.  These are the places where most falls happen. Virtual Care Givers (remember the Jetson's TV show?) are coming out at the end of the year.  Stay tuned in to his website to hear more about that as the technology develops. This is a much-needed service, and if you'd like to contact Toby, you can reach him at http://www.ElectronicCaregiver.com or [email protected] http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/006_V_Toby_Cohantz_160217_IFinal.mp3 This article on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. ©2016-2017