New Gadgets For Better Aging

Aging in the 21 century

Technology is only meaningful when it improves human life. While life expectancy in the developed world is continually increasing, the elderly members of our society are often burdened by age-related chronic conditions that hinder their quality of life.
At the same time, modern day seniors don't want to be locked at home or in medical facilities. Retirement has become the age of new discoveries. Babyboomers are increasingly involved in social networks, use smartphones and look for new ways to make their lives more enjoyable. Home automation technologies, mobile apps and healthcare innovations are among the developments which seniors can benefit from the most.
While the majority of high-tech companies is targeting millennials and middle-age adults, fortunately, more and more newcomers realize the potential of serving the older population. Here are 5 examples of new and upcoming products which will improve health conditions of the seniors.

Memo Box

Anyone who has aging parents or relatives, struggling with diabetes, Altzhimer, or other life threatening disease knows the feeling of being constantly worried about their health. Memo Box can help you keep tabs on your loved ones' medical regime. It is a smart pillbox with built-in GPS and Bluetooth, connected to your smartphone app. The container has several useful functions: a reminder to take your pills, accidental double-dose prevention, medication tracking and remote monitoring. For instance, you can set it up to receive alerts, in case your elderly parent forgot to take or left their pills at home. The Memo Box has different sizes of compartment cartridges and seven days exchange sets. The device has been tested for several months and will hit the market this month.

Quell

For many people, senior age is accompanied by a whole bouquet of health problems associated with chronic pain. A vicious cycle is often triggered, where pain leads to immobility, which results in further deterioration. What's more, people in pain often resort to long-term use of painkillers, which in turn lead to harmful side effects. Quell is a wearable medical device that uses powerful intensive nerve stimulation technology to tap into the user's body's natural pain relief response, blocking pain signals by inducing the production of endorphins in the brain. The result is a drug-free and long-lasting dampening of pain, better sleep and more active life. Quell's OptiTherapy™ customizes and automatically adjusts therapy dose for optimal pain relief. The device is discretely worn over the calf and connected through Bluetooth® technology to the smartphone app which allows you to control therapy and monitor the results. Quell is most beneficial for people with back, nerve, leg and foot pain, and arthritis.

Gyenno spoon

Gyroscopic Self-Stabilizing Spoon with Intelligent Control is created for people with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease that result in uncontrollable tremor. This intelligent tableware detects and offsets 85 percent of the hand shaking. Moreover, it employs the latest motion sensors and intelligent learning technologies, which allow the Gyenno spoon to adapt to each patient's individual tremor pattern, making it beneficial for virtually anyone. Made of Tritan covering and medical grade anti-bacterial silicone top, the device features non-slip ergonomic design and can be used safely for a long time, enabling the users to become more self-reliant.

iHEARHD

Progressive hearing loss is another condition which is often associated with older age. Hundreds of millions people suffer from it, but only 1 out of 5 victims uses hearing aid devices. The main reason for that is their cost. California based startup has come up with an idea of an affordable, customizable product, iHEARHD. The kit includes a tool kit, USB cord and computer software. The tiny waterproof device features high-fidelity digital sound and advanced noise suppression, and is virtually invisible inside of the wearer's ear. Its modular design allows the patient to customize the fit in less than a minute using a seal tip that comes in four different sizes and calibrate the iHEARHD using the software. After that, the gizmo is controlled remotely, and the wearer can easily and discreetly adjust volume based on different sound environments.

RAPAEL Smart Glove

In the U.S., stroke has become the leading cause of disability, hitting someone every 40 seconds. An average rehab cost to the victim's family reaches $17,081. RAPAEL Smart Glove™ is a biofeedback system aiming to aid patients in regaining their hand mobility. It includes a glove-shaped sensor device which transmits the data via Bluetooth from the patient's hand to the computer software app. Artificial Intelligence technology creates a set of training virtual reality games simulating daily activities and adjusts the difficulty level according to the participant's performance. The device has been successfully employed by a number of hospitals since 2014. This year, Neofect (the company behind the innovation) will introduce a consumer version for use at home, which will be available for rent for $99 a month. A recent study has proven that, combined with traditional physical therapy, the program may result in significant improvements even after one month of use. It will be especially beneficial when combined with telehealth, because the stroke survivor will save time and money while enjoying flexible time for exercising, and the doctor can monitor the results remotely.

Technology is changing the way we age, enabling older adults to be healthier, more secure, more connected, and more independent. Developments in health care open up a new era for caretakers and their aging loved ones. They allow more customized approach and faster recovery process for people who hadn't had an access to quality medicine before. These devices represent a small part of the industry, which will improve the quality of life for millions of people.