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Technology Helps with Distance Caring for Seniors

Technology Helps with Distance Caring for Seniors - By Lydia Chan from www.alzheimerscaregiver.net

A senior’s caregiver, such as an adult child, often can find the care giving task stressful and exhausting. Also, it can be scary when the caregiver is not able to be with the senior 24/7, as is the case for most people. With the cost of nursing home care rising every year to astronomical rates, many are looking for cheaper, but still effective, ways to provide care. One way to reduce costs is to find a solution that allows a senior to stay at their home. This trend of senior care facilitated to a large extent by technology. Here are some tips on how to take advantage of today’s technology to care for your senior loved ones from afar.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Technology such as wellness system trackers and smart home appliances permit remote monitoring of seniors. For example, the Nest camera systems can be positioned throughout a senior's home so that children can remotely check in on their senior parent. These cameras can also send notifications when there are visitors and can be set to alert when motion is detected. The cameras record data in the cloud, which can be configured to archive for a particular period. Live feeds and video files are accessed through a website or smartphone app. It can be reassuring for a caregiver to be able to open their phone and see that their loved one is safe.

Other technologies can help with tracking medication by providing reminders to both the caretaker and senior. And technology can help seniors who have dementia, as well. A particularly ingenious app, designed by a 12-year old granddaughter, addresses forgetfulness by setting alerts when it notices repetitive phone behavior - such as calling the same number over and over - and integrates facial recognition to prompt the user, too. Often an Alzheimer's patient recognizes the face of a loved one but cannot call up their name. This app may be an excellent tool for assisting those with memory loss.

And technology is not only about keeping tabs on mom or dad it’s also about giving them quality of life. Tablets are so intuitive that practically anyone can master them. Their ease of use enables seniors to play games, listen to music, browse news and stay up-to-date with family and friends through social media.

Tablets, smartphone and smart TVs also encourage communication in ways that connect people much more closely than with just voices. Video calling encourages face-to-face interaction between a senior and different family members. Since grandchildren and other relatives can be spread out over geographic areas, the ability for the senior to connect is priceless.

A problem with the senior community that is often overlooked is the existence of substance abuse either in the past or as a continuing struggle. Some of these technologies can help by allowing others to monitor activity but can also aid by reconnecting family members who may have been hurt by a senior's prior addiction. Video chat can be a way for old wounds to heal gradually.

Like many aspects of out life, technology has the ability to improve senior care. It provides levels of monitoring and connectedness that are almost as effective as living with a senior. These apps and devices allow caregivers to lead a less burdened life, while resting assured of their loved one's health and safety. At the same time, the technology permits a senior to retain the dignity of living on one's own. Until such time that the senior's health requires assisted living, families can take advantage of new technologies for monitoring, safety and more.

Technology Helps with Distance Caring for Seniors

By Lydia Chan from www.alzheimerscaregiver.net

 

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Retirement Village Residents Not Valued

Retirement Village Residents Not Valued - In the 2018 Villages.com.au National Resident Survey of 19,500 retirement village residents only 37% recorded that they felt a valued customer.

"One of the most compelling statistics out of our Villages.com.au National Resident Survey 2018 was the statistic that just 37% of the 19,500 residents surveyed felt valued as a customer by their operator.

Customers who don’t feel valued certainly won’t be loyal customers.

Customers who don’t feel valued will happily discuss their grievances with regulators and the media.

Witness Aveo and the Four Corners/Fairfax coverage last year.

The resident associations sum up the problem as a ‘lack of communication and respect’.

It is now clear that the majority of complaints however are not acknowledged and not responded to. The longer a resident is in a village, the greater the opportunity to have a complaint and the greater the opportunity to not be listened to and not be respected." - Chris Baynes

Retirement Village Residents Not Valued

 

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Minister Delivers Both Praise and Concern

Minister Delivers Both Praise and Concern

The Weekly Source reports:-

"The Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, Matt Kean, spoke to the retirement village sector at our LEADERS SUMMIT last Friday for the first time since he received Kathryn Greiner’s Inquiry report in December.

He identified that the Four Corners/Fairfax program, which led to his establishing the Greiner Inquiry, revealed “the stress, anger and misery” that is apparent in the retirement village sector, plus a “power imbalance” when it comes to contracts."

The full story is available here - NSW Minister Matt Kean delivers both praise and concern

Minister Delivers Both Praise and Concern

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Victorian Retirement Village Fire Safety Issue

Victorian Retirement Village Fire Safety Issue - Victorian Retirement Villages can suffer a heightened danger when it comes to an emergency. There is no law that mandates that a village operator must have an emergency evacuation plan or emergency assembly point.

Given the recent bush fire emergency in South West Victoria and a fire in the recreation centre at a Melbourne retirement village this seems a dangerous oversight by successive Victorian governments.

There is a retirement village in rural Victoria with over 150 units that when quizzed by the elderly residents about the matter advised them that in an emergency they were to ring family or friends for assistance.

Should a disaster occur who would be the most culpable, the operator or the government of the day.

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Retirement Village Operator Abolishes Hated Fee

Retirement Village Operator Abolishes Hated Fee

In a move that may have an impact on Australian retirement village operators NZ operator Metlifecare has abolished weekly fees on empty retirement-village units in their large national chain of retirement villages, leaving many elderly people and their estates potentially much wealthier.

NZ Herald reports - Metlifecare abolishes weekly fees on empty village places.

"Weekly fees have been abolished on empty retirement-village units in a big national chain, leaving many elderly people and their estates potentially much wealthier.

A lobby group representing inhabitants has welcomed the move, saying other villages should fall in line.

The 24-village Metlifecare wrote to residents last month saying fees would end once they left their places, whereas previously residents were liable for up to half a year's fees.

Asked why the company had changed its policy, Sowry told the Herald: "We have reviewed all aspects of our commercial offering and formed the view that this change was appropriate to ensure competitiveness and value to prospective residents. We have also implemented a new offer which is an industry first whereby on all new Occupation Right Agreement's entered into post February 26, residents or their families will be able to access $20,000 of their capital sum on vacation of their unit.

Colin Porter, a member of the executive of Retirement Villages Residents Association and chairman of the Auckland region, welcomed the change.

"Under the code, they can carry on for six months, then be reduced by 50 per cent. That's part of the code. We don't think it's fair. We applaud Metlifecare for the change its made," Porter said."

Retirement Village Operator Abolishes Hated Fee

Read the full story here :- Metlifecare abolishes weekly fees on empty places

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Pensioners Warned Beware Of Downsizing

Pensioners Warned Beware Of Downsizing

YourLifeChoices reports:-

"Ann recently sold her home to downsize and deposited the funds in her bank account until she bought a new dwelling. This had implications for her Age Pension and she wants to warns others of her experience. Financial adviser Kane Jiang explains why.

ANN 

I sold my home to downsize from four bedrooms and a granny flat, now that I am widowed, mum has passed on and the kids have left home.

Centrelink subsequently advised that I owed them money because of pension over-payment due to being assessed on my (temporary) bank account before buying another home.

I disputed this and lost.

Kane Jiang, financial adviser

Yes, proceeds should be exempted as “assets”, i.e., if you sold the house for $1 million (which is not uncommon if you are in Sydney as this is the median price), then your $1 million is exempted in the assets test for the next 12 months or until you purchase your next home.

However, as this $1 million will generally be put into a cash account prior to buying the new home, and cash is also “financial investment”, then this asset will be assessed for the income test."

Read the full story here - Ann warns age pensioners to beware of downsizing

Pensioners Warned Beware Of Downsizing

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43% Of Retirement Village Residents No Happier

43% Of Retirement Village Residents No Happier.

The Weekly Source reports:-

In an industry survey of 19,477 residents across 529 villages residents who purchased within the last 5 years, the Weekly Source reported 57% of village residents reported their life satisfaction and happiness had improved as a result of their move. However this highlights that a whopping 43% have reported that their life satisfaction and happiness has not improved and 13% reported that it had in fact decreased.

There were no results announced for retirees who had been a village resident longer than 5 years.

Given the immediate and long term financial cost of retiree accommodation in a retirement village as apposed to residential accommodation within the general community, this 43% figure and the 13% figure would be expected to grow over time as residents begin to understand the true financial cost of retirement village living.

There are reports that the true cost of living in a retirement village as opposed to a residential tenancy agreement within the general community is almost double. See story here - Renting cheaper than a retirement village

This highlights the importance of Government reforms to ensure retirement village accommodation costs are clear and fully transparent and that the balance between investor returns and accommodation costs to retirees is fair and reasonable.



 



 

43% Of Retirement Village Residents No Happier.



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Kathryn Greiner Warns Retirement Village Operators

Kathryn Greiner Warns Retirement Village Operators.

The Weekly Source reports -

"Kathryn Greiner’s warning for village operators: transparency should be top priority.

Alison Cheung of Commercial Real Estate, part of Domain, reported Ms Greiner saying: “It’s about providing accommodation at a price that people can afford, whether it’s the high end, the middle or the low. Call it for what it is, deal with it transparently,” she said.

As we reported last Friday, Ms Greiner said: “You run a reputational risk because retirement living is seen as a property play dressed up as care. It’s a property play, nothing wrong with that. But don’t pretend it’s a care factor issue.”

Ms Greiner, who also chairs the NSW Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing, also warned the current village model was ripe for disruption, labelling over-55’s housing “a really old concept”.

“You have to think about this to see how you adjust and modify your work practices and improve the brand so it is a true option in the community.”

Food for thought from the head of the NSW Government inquiry into the village sector. Her report was given to the Minister, Matt Kean, in December and we await his proposed actions."

Full story here - Kathryn Greiner’s warning for village operators

Kathryn Greiner Warns Retirement Village Operators.



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