As our society ages, more and more seniors want to remain in their own homes, and the growth of the elderly population means that senior care facilities may not be able to accommodate everyone and remaining at home may even become a necessity.

Safety is a primary concern for seniors living alone, and there’s often a gap between people who are completely independent and those who require the structured assistance of home health, assisted living, or nursing homes.

More and more families, especially those who live far away from their loved one, are turning toward high tech monitoring solutions to bridge this gap and make sure that an elder is taking proper care of themselves and is able to live independently for longer.

These types of devices can detect motion and send alerts if motion sensors detect deviation from someone’s usual routine indicating accident or illness, they can issue reminders to take medicine as well as indicate if medications have been taken properly.

However, the devices have raised some concerns as well as some resistance from older people who are not comfortable with technology. Funding for these devices is also a question as they can be expensive and they aren’t covered by insurance.

As with any new technology, there are the complex ethical issues of physical privacy as well as the privacy and security of health information that is transmitted. Among the questions we should consider: Should there be “monitor-free” zones in the house? Can/should the senior be able to turn off the monitoring? Who has access to the generated data and how will it be used? Does this “watch” actually encourage independence or does it promote dependence?

I’m glad there are safety devices such as these to assist seniors and their families, especially those families who live far away, but I can’t help but wonder that if anyone who is independent enough where this type of monitoring might be a reassurance more than a necessity would tolerate this type of intrusion.

We’ve come a long way from electronic pendants and bracelets (Think: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”), as new developments and technologies being launched every day.

It will just take time to gain trust in the benefits of these devices as the concept of “aging in place” gains popularity.

-Elizabeth Thielke