Many older adults are keen to age in place in their own home and community. However, they may need additional support or even full-time attention—making aging in place difficult. Some may have no choice but to make the move to a senior home environment to meet their needs, despite the perceived loss of one’s autonomy. While aging is a different for everyone, living and aging in-home can be possible for many people with support from their caregivers.
Caregiver support is the key to aging safely in-home
Growing numbers of caregivers are supporting family members in Canada. In 2018, 25% of Canadians (about 7.8 million) aged 15 and older cared for an individual with a long-term health condition, a physical or mental disability, or problems related to aging.1 Caregiving is a balancing act and often, very stressful. Many caregivers are part of the sandwich generation where they are supporting both their children and parents which can feel like a never-ending tug-of-war. Both need caregiver’s attention and both need caregiver support—often emotional and financial. Balancing multiple needs, including the caregiver’s own personal and financial needs, can be difficult and stressful.
It is essential to support caregivers with technological innovations to relieve potential stressors and reduce caregiver burden. Around the globe, smart home and monitoring technologies are developing at a fast pace to effectively monitor activities in older adults with complex needs and improve ways of providing care. For example, motion detection technology has been used to understand behaviours such as sleep disturbances, agitation, and wandering; sensor data has provided insights to better understand the family member’s behavioural changes.2 Technology is ever evolving and the pace of advancement is hard to keep up, but wellness monitoring technologies are changing the way we interact with our families.
What is Assured Living Wellness?
Sensor based wellness monitoring technology like Best Buy’s Assured Living solution, supports caregivers with insights about a family member’s daily activity and sends a notification should anything be out of the ordinary. Caregivers can support their family member with actionable insights using technology.
The Assured Living solution is equipped with: 1 Wi-Fi and Cellular Control Panel, 3 Contact/Door sensors, 1 motion sensor, and 1 bed sensor. With Assured Living sensors throughout the family member’s home, caregivers can use the Assured Living app to view activities and trends over time.
Assured Living Wellness Package (Top left: 1 Wi-Fi and Cellular Control Panel, Top right: 1 motion sensor, Bottom left: 3 Contact/Door sensors, Bottom right: 1 bed sensor)
Assured Living Behaviors Dashboard page: The family member woke up later than usual. The caregiver can check-in with them and make sure they are okay
Take a look at a day in the life, with Assured Living
Meet Elijah
Elijah cares for his mother who has become increasingly frail in the last couple of years. Elijah has two siblings but as he lives closest to his mother, Elijah has become the main caregiver. Elijah works full time and often feels overwhelmed, taking his mother to appointments, doing her groceries, laundry and maintaining his own priorities. Elijah only recently recognized that he is a full-time “caregiver” for his mom and started to seek for affordable support to aid in his mother’s care.
Elijah found Assured Living after talking with his mother. They decided that this would give Elijah the support he needed and the independence for his mother to stay in her home for as long as possible. He received a free consultation with an expert Assured Living advisor on what his concerns are in the home and how Assured Living can support him. After the consultation, Geek Squad installed the Assured Living Wellness package. Once completed, Elijah and his mother received a detailed tutorial on how to use the Assured Living app and set alerts. Elijah and his mother were also provided one phone number to call for any technical issues or questions they may have about Assured Living.
An inclusive conversation
It is important that the conversation about monitoring technology is inclusive of the family member. The solution should work for both the caregiver and family member receiving support. Take the time to describe to the family member and have an open conversation about what the technology can do to help them to continue to stay connected, live independently and safely at home.
What are key benefits of wellness monitoring technologies?
1) Peace of mind – Even at a distance, caregivers are informed when someone is at the front door3, if a door is left open and even when the family member is not in bed in the middle of the night. Wellness monitoring technologies provides safety and security using discreet, unobtrusive sensors placed in the home without changes in the daily life of the family member. It can act as a digital extension to help the caregiver stay vigilant when they can’t be physically present.
2) Independence – Wellness monitoring technologies gives the family member the privacy and autonomy of living at home independently. It offers a lower cost option compared to around the clock care or long-term care homes. Wellness monitoring technologies can effectively support a family member to age in place in their home and community for as long as possible until care needs increase.
Is wellness monitoring technology right for your family?
When exploring technology for caregiving, the big question is, how do I choose an appropriate tool to make my busy life easier and not more complicated? Since the usage of wellness monitoring technology is new, Best Buy works to ensure Assured Living does not add to the frustration or time demands for caregivers.
Best Buy’s Assured Living Wellness monitoring is designed to provide caregivers with insights, peace of mind, time back to enjoy with family. Best Buy provides a no obligation consultation to assess needs and provide a personalized solution. Supported by Geek Squad Agents, installation, tutorials, and continued maintenance of the solution is included in the service.
How do I get started?
If you are you a caregiver interested in using technology to support your caregiving needs, Best Buy Health is here to support you. Call us at 1-866-697-4501 for a non-obligation consultation.
For more details, visit Best Buy’s Assured Living website.
1 Statistics Canada (2018)
2 Hesebo, B. et al. (2019)
3 Assured Living Wellness Package comes with: 1 Wi-Fi and Cellular Control Panel, 3 Contact/Door sensors, 1 motion sensor and 1 bed sensor. Additional products such as the Smart Doorbell can be added to the ecosystem at retail price. For more information, visit Best Buy’s Assured Living website
Disclaimer
Best Buy’s Assured Living program is subject to terms and conditions available by calling 1-866-697-4501 or on https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/help/policies-and-terms-and-conditions/geek-squad-terms-and-conditions. The Assured Living program consists of hardware and service components. Minimum hardware component (control panel, one motion sensor, three contact sensors and bed sensor), monthly service, and professional installation of hardware required. Certain features require additional hardware. Assured Living program options are not available in all locations. The Assured Living program is not a monitoring service. The program does not provide or act as a replacement for medical care, diagnosis or treatment in any manner. Please consult your health care professional for health-related concerns. The Assured Living program should not be used for emergency or urgent care needs. In an emergency, call 911 or got to the nearest emergency room.
