High Tech Elder Care May Be Mixed Blessing 96
Hugh Pickens writes "Gerontologists say 'aging in place' vastly improves the quality of life for seniors, and is a lot cheaper for society than group homes and institutions. The trick is to do so without jeopardizing the health and safety of older people, which is why 480 people are taking part in pilot programs in Portland, Oregon that outfit homes with technology so elderly people can be monitored for illness or infirmity. With the first wave of baby boomers turning 65 this year, corporations such as Intel see lucrative new business opportunities tending to a generation of people accustomed to doing things their own way. As part of a test, Dorothy Rutherford's two-bedroom condominium has been outfitted with an array of electronic monitoring gear that might eventually find its way to retail shelves. Motion sensors along hallways and ceilings record her gait and walking speed. A monitor on her back door observes when she leaves the house, and another one on the refrigerator keeps tabs on how often she's eating. A special bed laced with sensors can assess breathing patterns, heart rate and general sleep quality, a pill box fitted with electronic switches records when medication is taken, and a Wii video game system has been rejiggered so that players stand on a platform that measures their weight and balance. But there is the downside, as some experts on the aging population worry that making it easier for elderly people to stay in their homes could reduce the incentive for children to visit or could create a false sense that technology can foresee every problem and address every need."
I see the golden lining (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:The problem... (Score:4, Insightful)
You need to get your mother to a neurologist ASAP. It sounds like she's having transient ischemic attacks, which some call "mini-strokes". My mom had them before she had her real strokes, including the one that ended her life. TIAs can cause all kinds of physical and mental problems, which pass as the brain manages to work around the minor damage, but which have cumulative effects.
I had to help my Mom take care of my Dad when he had Alzheimers, we managed to take care of him at home until almost the end, but it did get to the point where we couldn't handle the stress and the medical problems any more. We ended up putting him in a dismal hellhole of a "home" where he lasted about 3 months before the last medical emergency.
I never married and have no kids, so I'm used to living alone, but it sure would be nice to have things that can help me once I start getting to the point of needing help lifting or walking, or remembering, for example.
Re:Vast improvement (Score:5, Insightful)
We have to ask ourselves if keeping grandpa alive for another week (unconscious or in sever pain or zonked out of his gourd ) is really benefiting him.
My one grandfather got a pacemaker/defibrillator circa 2003. It had a defective battery, and his cardiologist replaced it circa 2007.
Grandma passed away in 2005, and by 2007 Grandpa was mostly ready to go himself. But his Cardiologist saw "low battery", Medicare and United Healthcare were covering the $50k for the replacement pacemaker, and by that point Grandpa was just along for the ride.
He went anemic ~2 weeks after the replacement surgery. I took him to the hospital, where they found a bleeding tumor in his stomach. He started hospice care later that week, and lived for another 2 years (hospice care was good to Grandpa - we think he liked the attention).
Medical prices are so obfuscated, people just don't have any idea what things really cost and therefore, they have this cost is no object mentality.
I think it's more, "if someone else is paying, why should I care what it costs?"
Re:I see the golden lining (Score:5, Insightful)
One problem with our society is that we build our relationships around work.
Once we retire, the work friendships disappear, and people are left with nothing. Back during the agrarian age, our friendships were mostly local neighbors who were always present right upto death.