seniors being independent

Best Buy, as a trusted tech and retail leader, is leveraging technology to ease the caregiver’s burden.  Best Buy Assured Living allows you to stay informed of your loved one’s daily activities with an assortment of connected devices within the home.  These devices provide wellness reports so you can stay involved in their care even when you are not around all the time. In turn, your loved one can continue to live independently in the comfort of their home, assured that they can reach out for help if needed.

There are more than 2 million informal caregivers in Canada, many of whom provide critical support to older adults who are living at home with complex health conditions (Canadian Institute for Health Information report, August 2010). This carries a lot of challenges, which, if not addressed, could lead to caregiver burnout. Sadly, if they cannot continue to provide care, then they face the increased probability of moving their loved ones into a retirement home or long-term care residence.

This is an emotional journey where the caregiver can feel lost and may have to spend numerous hours researching their options. Sometimes they don’t even know who to contact to help navigate the healthcare system. They may also experience the guilt of not being able to provide the best care due to their own busy schedule and, unfortunately, home care services may not be affordable. To tackle caregiver burnout and the rise of healthcare costs in Canada, there is an urgent need for innovative and easily accessible solutions. That is why Best Buy has created Assured Living to help caregivers and their loved ones.

So, how does it work?

Interested in knowing how Assured Living can work for you? Take a look at these 2 case studies.

The comfort of home

Ken’s mother has dementia, which is always a concern when someone is living alone.  Ken, who has a full-time job, had spent the last several years researching how to best support his mom and what steps to take when his mom’s dementia progresses. Having tried many different things, including everyday visits to his mom’s home, he was in constant worry. This past January, he had even thought about moving her into a care home to provide the best care possible since he could not be there for her all the time. That is when he learned about Assured Living.

He got the Assured Living Starter package installed in her home, which included window and door sensors, chair sensors, a bed sensor, motion sensors, and the main hub panel. He also got a couple of add-on products such as the smart door lock, carbon monoxide detector, smoke detector, and a smart thermostat to support his mom’s needs.

Through the Assured Living app, he receives daily notifications at work about her activity. Using the smart door lock, he can check on whether the door is secured or if she went out for a walk with the dog. The app also notifies him if there is something out of the ordinary; for example, the fridge sensor can inform him about whether she has opened the fridge at all. If she has not, he can call and remind her to eat.

Ken enjoys having Assured Living let him know of her daily activities so he can stay involved and informed. It gives him peace of mind to know she is safe at home and, as a result, he has been able to cut down on his daily visits to check on her. Assured Living allows Ken to keep his mom comfortable and happy in a place that is familiar and safe without disrupting her life and extend the amount of time she can stay in her own home.

Staying connected

Silvia’s mother-in-law has cancer. With timely medication doses being of utmost importance, Silvia had been worried about whether her mother-in-law was managing well. So, although Silvia has a full time job, she was dropping by every night to check in and spend the evening with her.

Signing up for the Assured Living starter package, with smart doorbell add-on, Silvia gets peace of mind when she receives daily notifications on her phone that show that her mother-in-law is taking the necessary steps to manage her own health.

For example: Silvia’s mother-in-law must take medicines for her cancer at certain times of the day. With the sensor on her fridge door and medicine cabinet, Silvia can see when her mother-in-law is accessing her medication while she is at work. If she does not receive a notification, she is able to call her mother-in-law and remind her to take the medications.

Silvia’s favourite part of Assured Living is “using the app and knowing; it’s peace of mind.”

The Geek Squad advantage

geek squad supports elderly careAs a caregiver, there is a lot to manage. Life is not always perfect and our technology may sometimes fail us.  If a fridge breaks down or there is a virus on your laptop, it is an added stress to your daily life and you may not have the energy nor the time to deal with it.

To better support caregivers, Geek Squad Home Membership is included in the home where Assured Living is installed. This means that if you or your loved ones need help setting up new tech, fixing old tech, or just need general tech support on your devices (purchased from Best Buy or not),  Geek Squad Agents will be there.

In addition, Best Buy has taken the step of investing in health certification for employees and Geek Squad agents and training them to work with older adults. With that expertise, you know you’ll always have seamless support.

Because Geek Squad’s Home Membership takes care of all your tech concerns, you can spend less time worrying and get precious time back to yourself.

Peace of mind with Assured Living from Best Buy

With Assured Living from Best Buy, you can dispel your everyday worries and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are connected to the people you love. With an assortment of connected devices, and access to Geek Squad Home Membership, you are able to support your loved one from afar while still allowing them to live in the comfort of their home for as long as possible.

Learn more about Assured Living from Best Buy

and call us at 1-866-697-4501 to get started.

 

Best Buy
Best Buy is one of Canada’s largest and most successful retailers, operating the Best Buy (www.bestbuy.ca), Best Buy Mobile, and Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.ca) brands.