People Power looks to adapt its DIY home-security system for 21st Century elder care
Software developer People Power thinks it has a solution based on its DIY home-security system. The company thinks that with some minor modifications, its Presence app—which supports a variety of sensors and can convert any Android or iOS device with a camera into a home security camera—can be put to use for in-home elder care.
People Power is calling the service Presence Pro Care, and has launched an Indiegogo campaign to support its efforts. In addition to the preexisting features ported from its security service, Presence Pro Care will track medications and monitor a person’s daily activities. The data is then analyzed, and caregivers are notified if the service notices any aberrations in the person’s daily routine.
Another key feature of the service is fall detection, something that is a considered one of the biggest dangers of seniors living alone, and is often a reason many are kept from doing so.
Currently the service is expected to retail for anywhere from $149 to $699, depending on the features purchased, when it starts shipping in mid-2016. A $15-per-month service charge will also apply.
Why this matters: If you’ve ever been a part of elder care and the decision-making process that comes with it, you know why People Power’s planned service makes sense. Often the biggest disputes between family, caregivers, and those being cared for is the ability to stay at home and live independently. There is data that suggests those who stay out of nursing homes live longer, so something like Presence Pro Care would be an option.
Presence Pro Care still offers the same functionality that services like Life Alert do, including the alert button pendant that most people are already familiar with. From there the service is significantly different, as it not only calls emergency responders, but also alerts a predetermined group of caregivers to incidents as well.
The monitoring services are also much better. To date, most services have focused on the reactive—i.e., the pendant button—and not the proactive, where monitoring plays a large part in the service offering. Here problems are acted upon without the need for the person to initiate them.
This is the reason why many of us—including myself—have had to go against the interests of those being cared for safety’s sake. Visiting nurses and in-home caregivers are prohibitively expensive, and often not an option.
That said, something like People Power’s planned service could be welcome news for those who would rather not have to make that difficult decision.