Why is the elderly's adoption of technology so good?
The AARP study also stated that the elderly want a happier, healthier life and to connect with their loved ones (family or friends) with the help of technology. This study also said that 45% of participating older adults (50+ years old) reported increased motivation for healthier living after six weeks of using a wearable activity or sleep.
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What features are helpful for seniors?
Current smartwatches have interesting health and wellness features such as SOS alert, Heart Rate (HR), Blood Pressure, SpO2 measurements, fall detection, GPS locator, and 2G/4G Phone, which support the elderly needs.
4G GPS Tracker
With this feature, the location of the elderly can be tracked. So, it can protect them from the danger of being lost. This feature is also useful to notify us when our grandparents leave the safe location where they are. This tracker works with the help of satellites approximately 12.000 miles above the earth's surface. Each satellite rotates around the earth twice while sending a microwave signal to the GPS receiver on our smartwatch. The GPS receiver must detect the GPS satellites, at least three satellites for latitude and longitude, and four satellites to measure our elderly altitude. And then, the smartwatch captures the signal data and uses the triangulation method to pinpoint our location exactly.
Furthermore, the device counts when the signal was sent from the satellite and also when it was received on the device. This technique is the technique of the device to measure how far the satellite is from your location. GPS tracker can also work offline without the internet.
SOS Phone Call
This feature can be useful for sending messages or emergency calls when our grandparents or parents are in danger. When a message is sent to the emergency contact, it will automatically notify the location of the older adult's whereabouts. This feature cooperates with the 4G GPS tracker feature to deliver the user's precise location after making a phone call.
Reminder Feature
This feature can be used as a reminder or an alert to take medication or make an appointment with a healthcare provider. In addition, this feature can be handy in reminding the elderly always to be active if they are inactive for a long time. But beware, the elderly might get bored if they hear too much alert, so it becomes ineffective.
One-Click Call Features
This feature is unique for seniors who need simplicity when they want to call their grandchildren or children. Phone calls will be made with just one button tap, and voila, the call is set.
Fall detection feature
This feature works with sensors (usually after activating the wrist detection option), tracking the user's movement. When the wearer is not moving, the sensor will detect it then the smartwatch will show a warning message, which the user can choose to contact the nearest health service (after pre-arranged, of course) or say that we are okay.
Monitoring and recording health data
Blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, number of steps, and distance traveled can help record for the elderly. The recorded data can be used in the communication process of the elderly with a healthcare provider. It would be better if this feature had connectivity with health care facilities usually visited by the elderly as a part of the personal health record.
Sleep Monitoring
For older people, sleep quality becomes essential. A study showed that the elderly needs high quality of sleep to maintain their cognitive, muscle strength, normal blood pressure, and quality of life. Sleep monitoring features will assist our beloved elderly in achieving their sleep quality target. This sleep monitoring work as we are asleep. To feel refreshed the next day after sleeping, the "deep" portion of our sleep plays the primary role. Smartwatches can track sleep by being worn on the user's wrist. With the sensor that attaches to the user, the smartwatch detects the body movement during sleeping to determine how much time the user probably spent awake versus asleep. Most smartwatches are also designed to monitor the heart rate changes during sleeping to evaluate the sleep quality and how much time the users spend in each sleep cycle.
What features are most important?
With a variety of features on offer, of course, the question will arise, which features are the most important in a smartwatch? The answers can vary. Features such as a 4G GPS tracker, One-Click Call, and fall detection are essential for the elderly who are active outdoors. These features will protect the elderly. Additional features that record blood pressure and heart rate are also beneficial for the elderly with chronic diseases such as hypertension and coronary heart disease. And then the most important is the ease of use of this smartwatch. Ease of use includes a clear and simple interface and large and consistent icons. The Wonlex 4G CAT1 GPS SOS Private Elderly SmartWatch product can get all the above features.
Retirement homes and Smartwatches
The smartwatch features we already mentioned above can also be helpful if we can implement them in a retirement house to assist the elderly. A review study from Cicirelli et al. proposed the idea of an Active and Assisting Living (AAL) System. This system offered a concept about three principal aspects involved in assisting life for the elderly. The three principles in the AAL System include "Who," "Where," and "What." "Who" includes the users of this system, namely the elderly. "Where" includes the type of activity of the user, namely indoor (such as a private house or retirement residence) and outdoor (such as parking lots, streets, and public areas), indoor and outdoor (such as shopping malls or public service offices).
Then "what" includes vital sign monitoring, disease management, behavioral change management, environment monitoring, and social activity monitoring. With this AAL system, the existence of a smartwatch will be crucial. Features such as a 4G GPS tracker, SOS Phone Call, One Click Call, Fall Detection, and a health data recorder will play an important role.
A review from Ghorayeb et al. and Zhao et al. said that the elderly in retirement homes accept the existence of technology quite well. Features such as a 4G GPS tracker, SOS Phone Call, One Click Call, Fall Detection, and a health data recorder will significantly assist retirement house management in monitoring the health and safety of the elderly. Smartwatches in retirement homes can be part of Active and Assisted Living (AAL) systems that can help monitor vital signs, disease management, behavior change, environmental monitoring, and social activities.
Wonlex, one of the leading wearable device brands founded in 2009, is committed to providing the best smartwatches for the elderly. With features such as a 4G GPS tracker, SOS Phone Call, One Click Call, Fall Detection, a health data recorder, and ease of use, Wonlex can be an option for our beloved elderly group. Supported by excellent customer service, Wonlex teams will assist us in choosing the right smartwatches that suit our beloved elderly group and aid the AAL systems in the retirement house. Another advantage of Wonlex is that buyers can pick up goods by ODM and OEM or, in other words, place their trademark using goods from Wonlex.
Conclusion
Smartwatches can be an essential part of the Active and Assisting Living (AAL) system that supports the daily lives of the elderly so that they can live their old age with quality. So, the elderly can get along very well with smartwatches, even though they are not yet fully able to optimize the existing features. The features of a 4G GPS tracker and health and wellness support like blood pressure monitor pulse, respiratory rate, number of steps and distance traveled, and sleep monitoring that is easy to operate may be considered when buying a smartwatch for the elderly. Wonlex, as one of the leading wearable device brands, could provide us with products that suit our beloved elderly group, like the Wonlex 4G CAT1 GPS SOS Private Elderly SmartWatch. As a buyer, we also can buy Wonlex in terms of our brands (OEM/ODM). Wonlex excellent customer service will help us choose the best product that suits our needs.
