Link to article in Eden Prairie News
Guest Column by Deb Taylor
The so-called golden years can be a rich time of life to enjoy. Here’s the opportunity to truly enjoy the benefits of free time and your lifetime of accumulated experiences and skills: to pursue a new hobby, take a class, visit loved ones or volunteer to help others.
Studies show that older adults are happier, more content and more forgiving. The later years represent a special time that we can’t afford to waste. With it, of course, comes the inevitable aches and pains, some reduced mobility, and other physical and mental diminutions of body that vary widely from person to person.
But with a little support, older adults can enjoy life more fully and safely in ways not available to previous generations — thanks to assistive technology.
Today, smart home sensors, necklace pendants and cameras help caregivers and seniors better enjoy life. High-tech medication dispensers can report to a family member if a loved one forgets to take their medications. Shoes can be GPS-equipped to help locate a wandering senior with dementia. Motion sensors can detect changes in the normal household routine that may indicate a problem. These tools help old er adults live and move about more safely, summoning help when there’s an urgent need for support.
Senior Community Services, which helps Minnesotans reimagine aging, will hold a statewide Independent Living Technology Conference from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the Minnetonka Community Center in Minnetonka. Caregivers, seniors, city officials, health professionals and others will gather to discover the latest advancements in assistive technology to enhance life for the state’s growing population of older adults.
U.S. Sen. Al Franken will welcome attendees with video comments. The keynote address, about innovations in senior housing, will be presented by John Louiselle, CEO of NextDoor Housing. NextDoor has developed a new, portable senior housing option — Drop Housing.
The Drop Housing — often called the Granny Pod — is a small, handicapped-accessible unit (30 feet by 8 feet, 210 to 240 square feet) that may be located on a family member’s residential property. The units offer security, convenience and enhanced well-being for both seniors and family caregivers. A Granny Pod will be available for touring at the conference. An engaging panel discussion and Q & A will focus on the benefit of these units which are being carefully studied and evaluated by communities throughout Minnesota.
Other conference events include:
The demonstration of many innovative assistive products by representatives of the Minnesota STAR Program, a federally-funded initiative to support seniors and families.
The popular Care Nextion website will be explained and demonstrated. The free, easy-to-use web tool was developed by Senior Community Services to help families — especially those with members widely dispersed — better manage care and communications about their older loved ones. A caregiving family member will share the many benefits of using CareNextion for managing the care of an older adult.
Information and registration for the Independent Living Technology Conference is available atwww.seniorcommunity.org, click on Events.
Assistive technology offers ways to help seniors age in place and delay the need for long-term care in a more structured — and often mo re costly — institutional setting. As Minnesotans come together to reimagine aging, let’s ensure our goal is to make technology fit the older adult lifestyle, and not the other way around.
Deb Taylor is CEO of Senior Community Services (www.seniorcommunity.org) and its Reimagine Aging Institute, a nonprofit that advocates for older adults and helps seniors and caregivers maintain their independence through free or low-cost services.
