AT-HOME TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS SENIORS
TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT
GREATER MILWAUKEE AREA OFFICES IN BROOKFIELD, GLENDALE, MILWAUKEE, OAK CREEK & RACINE
Your Asset Protection Law Firm
840 Lake Avenue, Suite 200
Racine, WI 53403
(262) 634-6659
E-mail: tpc@exexpc.com
Website: www.TpcLaw.com
Most seniors would agree that one of their biggest concerns about growing older is the eventual loss of their independence. They worry that as they become unable to engage in certain activities of daily living, they will become a burden on loved ones or have to move into an expensive nursing home or assisted living facility. Fortunately, technological advances are offering seniors a variety of options to avoid unnecessary early institutionalization and allow them to stay in their homes if that is where they want to remain. An article on MSNBC.com examined these at-home monitoring systems and how they allow seniors to remain independent while providing families peace of mind.
Technology has come a long way since the days of devices which simply alerted someone that the wearer of the device had fallen and couldn't get up. At-home technology can now monitor senior citizens' movements and sleep and bathroom patterns. A senior's vital signs including blood pressure, pulse, weight and blood-oxygen levels can also be monitored at home. The information is sent to a medical provider who tracks it. If problems occur, then the patient can have a teleconference with a nurse or schedule an appointment with a physician. Some equipment can even be programmed to answer the telephone, turn off appliances that are inadvertently left on, and alert an individual to a fire or other emergency.
There are also products available that remind seniors to take their medications. These medication dispensing machines are programmed to hold a certain number of doses of medication per day. The machine will announce to the individual when it's time to take medications. Usually the individual is required to push some sort of button for the machine to dispense the allotted dosage of medication. If the button is not pushed within a certain amount of time of the reminder, then the device will typically alert a call center which will in turn notify the individual's caregiver.
Additionally, some machines will move any medication not taken into a locked chamber to avoid an overdose. This is extremely helpful to those patients who are on a lot of medications or who have memory problems.
All of these at-home devices are designed to allow older individuals to remain in their homes with more oversight from loved ones or medical specialists. These products can monitor how well seniors are managing the chores of daily living and offer peace of mind to caregivers or family members. For example, through these devices, a son living in California can see how his mother is doing in Virginia. The ability to closely monitor a person's lifestyle can assist family members in knowing when an older individual can no longer remain at home. Seniors like having technology provide this extra layer of security so they can maintain their independence as well as their privacy. These products tend to be the most successful when they are tied to an agency that can dispatch meals, medical help, or other senior services. On average, these at-home monitoring systems cost around $150 to $250 per month.
If maintaining your independence and privacy for as long as possible is an important goal for you, then at-home monitoring devices may be an option for you. Attorney Tim Crawford can assist families with their estate, financial, insurance, long-term care, veterans' benefits, and special needs planning issues.
“Those Who Plan Ahead Win.
Those Who Don’t Plan Ahead Lose.”
This article is for informational purpose only and is not intended as legal advice. It is recommended that you call Timothy P. Crawford for a free conference to discuss your situation in more detail. Attorney Crawford can be reached at 1-262-634-6659. Please refer to this article when you call.
*Attorney Timothy P. Crawford is a Nationally Board Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA). He has been Board Certified by the National Elder Law Foundation which has been approved as the Sole Certifying Organization for Elder Law Attorneys by the American Bar Association.
**Timothy P. Crawford was invited to join the Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP) of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) in August of 2005. CAP is a small group of premier elder law attorneys, all of whom have been members of NAELA for at least 10 years, are certified as elder law attorneys by the National Elder Law Foundation, and are AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, a service that provides an independent rating of the quality of attorneys, as one of the top attorneys in the nation.
Attorney Timothy P. Crawford has been selected as a Fellow of NAELA. Fellow is the highest honor bestowed by the Academy. Selection as a Fellow signifies that his peers recognize the lawyer as a model for others and as an exceptional lawyer and leader.
Attorney Timothy P. Crawford has a superb rating of 10 out of 10 with A V V O.
A V V O has awarded to Attorney Timothy P. Crawford the A V V O Client’s Choice Award.
YOUR ASSET PROTECTION LAW FIRM WITH GREATER MILWAUKEE AREA OFFICES IN BROOKFIELD, GLENDALE, MILWAUKEE,OAK CREEK & RACINE
"Helping Families in Wisconsin for Over 40 Years
to Protect Their Assets from Nursing Home Care Costs"
“A majority of text has come from an article prepared by Attorney Andy Hook, friend of Attorney Timothy P. Crawford, is used here with permission.”