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Amazon's Alexa caregiver service now allows custom alerts
Amazon's Alexa service for caregivers now lets you set custom alerts for when a loved one opens a cabinet or turns on a light.
Amazon details custom Alexa programs for hospitals and retirement communities
Providers can manage their own version of the voice assistant through Alexa Smart Properties.
Black & Decker launches a line of emergency wearables for seniors
Black & Decker has launched a new health division with a lineup of personal emergency response (PERS) wearables aimed at seniors.
Singapore offers Bluetooth COVID-19 trackers to smartphone-less seniors
It’s not a given that everyone has a smartphone. To bring that functionality to seniors, the government in Singapore is sending Bluetooth pendants called TraceTogether tokens. As more tokens are made, they’ll go out to a broader range of seniors.
Medicare expands US telehealth coverage in response to COVID-19
In an effort to keep seniors at home during the coronavirus outbreak, Medicare is expanding coverage for telehealth nationwide. Medicare patients can now connect with doctors and other providers through phone or video. This should allow millions of older adults to seek medical advice without potentially exposing themselves or others to the virus.
Your smart speaker could tell if you're experiencing cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest frequently happens at home, and victims don't always have someone around to call for help. Your smart speaker might one day fill that role, though. University of Washington researchers have crafted a proof-of-concept AI that can detect the audio cues of cardiac arrest and respond accordingly. The system is trained on 911 call samples to listen for the telltale sounds of agonal breathing (that is, distinctive gasps for air) that come with cardiac arrest. It initially asks for help from people nearby to provide CPR, but will call 911 if there's no response.
Walabot wall sensor calls for help if you fall down
Many people injure themselves from falls in the home, but most people unsurprisingly don't want to wear a watch, pendant or another device just to get help in case there's an injury. You might not have to make that sacrifice in the future. Vayyar Imaging has launched Walabot Home, a wall-mountable gadget that uses low-power radio waves to detect falls without the hassle of a wearable. You just have to place it in a location where you think you might fall, such as the bathroom -- if there's a tumble, it can call an emergency contact all on its own.
T-Mobile's latest plan gives seniors a discount on unlimited data
You can't really sugarcoat it: senior citizens get a raw deal when it comes to cellphones. Carriers tend to either assume that you don't use data (and want a basic cellphone) or else give you a modest discount at best. T-Mobile thinks it can do better: it's launching a One Unlimited 55+ plan on August 9th that, for the most part, acknowledges that many seniors use smartphones as enthusiastically as the younger crowd. The offer gives you two lines with unlimited data, talk and texting for $60 per month, or $50 for one line. There are a few gotchas, but it still amounts to a huge deal for empty-nesters who want to post their vacation shots on Instagram.
Sensor tech predicts when senior citizens are at risk of falling
Falls are dangerous for anyone, but they can be particularly worrying for senior citizens whose bodies aren't as resilient as they used to be. University of Missouri scientists may have a way to prevent those slips. They've developed a sensor system that measure changes in your gait speed and stride length to predict likely falls up to 3 weeks before they happen. If you slow down or shorten your stride in a significant way, it can alert health care workers (complete with imagery) so that they can take action before there's an injury.
Lyft takes you to the doctor even if you don't have a phone
People who don't have a cellphone need rides too, and Lyft is looking to lending a hand. The transportation service teamed up with National Medtrans Network in New York City to take folks to the doctor who can't hail a ride from the app. Instead, Lyft has a web-based Concierge tool that allows service providers to book rides for them. After the rider's name, pick-up and drop-off addresses are entered, a Lyft driver will be dispatched when the time comes. This NYC partnership is a pilot for the Concierge feature, so there's no word on when, or if, it'll make its debut in other cities. [Image credit: Lyft]
Comcast is offering cheap internet for old folks
Comcast is launching pilot schemes for its low-cost internet service aimed senior citizens, coming to San Francisco and Palm Beach County, Florida. It forms part of Comcast's Internet Essentials service that launched in 2011,offering cheaper internet connections to low-income families since 2011. Internet Essentials consists of a 10 Mbps connection (recently doubled) for just under $10. The expansion of the scheme should help to cover where are unable to get connectivity, while giving some welcome good publicity to, ugh, this company.Comcast says the scheme has so far "connected more than 500,000 families" to its service. The internet provider also references research from Pew that found that less than half of seniors (aged 65 and older) have high-speed Internet at home. At the same time, alongside improving the speed of the service, Comcast is offering a free WiFi router to existing Internet Essentials customers. [Image credit: Flickr/ Dauno Settantatre]
GreatCall outs Samsung-made Jitterbug Plus, for folks who want a phone without all the smarts
Adding features to a senior-friendly phone kind of defeats the purpose, but a sleeker design, improved battery life and boosted speaker? Sure, we'll take it. That's what you'll get with the new Jitterbug Plus, a bare-bones mobile phone for users who really only need to make and receive calls, and perhaps check the occasional voicemail. Manufactured by Samsung, the no-frills r220 includes an incredibly straightforward interface, with clearly marked Yes and No button options and large, backlit keys, including a panic button that puts you in touch with a 5Star Urgent Response agent. This latest model also adds a very basic 1.3-megapixel camera, which lets you post photos to Facebook with the touch of a button (you'll need to forgo the Instagram filters, though). The Jitterbug Plus is available now in red or silver for $99 at retailers like Best Buy, Radio Shack and Fry's, along with the company's online store, however pricing is expected to jump to $119 shortly after launch. Overall, the device appears to be a great choice for seniors, though CNET called the phone "overpriced" in its review, which you'll find at the link below.
Clarity Pal hands-on, a new phone for senior citizens
In a perfect world, your grandparents wouldn't need a lick of help getting the most out of a smartphone, but let's face it: the devices are complex, and if you don't have the proper motivation, they can be a bit difficult to learn. You've previously seen the C900 from Clarity, and tonight we stumbled upon its second generation of handsets for senior citizens known as the Pal. Similar to the predecessor, the phone features a panic button on the back that'll call and text message up to five people in the case of an emergency. Other features consist of a backlit keypad that can read aloud the numbers that are pressed, along with a talking caller ID and up to 26dB of amplification for the earpiece. We received a quick demo of this last feature, and the volume was sufficient enough to cut through a noisy room while allowing us to hear everything that was said -- in other words, we have no doubt that the Clarity Pal will be perfectly suitable for those with moderate hearing impairment. The phone is compatible with GSM networks in the US and Canada, and for more ambitious seniors, it features SMS functionality and Bluetooth for pairing with Clarity's headset. Fortunately, the company has gone through a good amount of effort to refine and simplify the menu scheme, which is quite helpful for those wanting only the basics. The Clarity Pal will be available on May 28th through the company's website and will sell for $99. If you've got someone in your life who might need a simpler phone, take a peek at the gallery below. Sean Cooper contributed to this report
Emporia Telecom expands to North America and Latin America, brings a couple new phones with it
Emporia Telecom, an Austrian phone manufacturer that focuses on making basic and easy-to-use handsets, announced this morning that it plans to expand its boundaries to include North and Latin America sometime this Spring. Along with the endeavor, Emporia plans to introduce two new handsets: the EmporiaCLICK clamshell and EmporiaSOLIDplus rugged candybar. These devices -- much like the others in the lineup -- are geared toward first-time phone buyers and seniors who aren't interested in a smartphone, boasting simple features such as large buttons, loud speakerphone and ringtones, high-powered vibration motors and a one-touch Call to Care button that automatically alerts emergency services when pressed. The company plans to show off the handsets at CES next week, so keep an eye out for more updates as they roll in. In the meantime, read up on the press release below.
Introducing Memo Touch, a tablet designed for elders with short-term memory loss
Here's a product you don't see every day: a tablet designed specifically for senior citizens -- albeit with rather limited functionality. The Memo Touch is designed as a reminder tool for those who struggle with short-term memory loss, and can be used to deliver gentle cues when its time to take a medication, go to the doctor and the like. It's collaborative, too, as family members may add calendar events, phone numbers and to-do items, or even share photos and personalized messages, all from the product's companion website. Based on the Archos 101, the Memo Touch sells for $299 and requires a six-month ($174) or 12-month ($300) subscription. For those who don't take to the new-fangled gadget, the tablet carries a three month return policy, where purchasers may opt to receive a refund or have the tablet restored to its Android roots. Hey, it's one more way of keeping that rascally parent under your thumb, anyway. Overbearing children will find a full press release after the break. Now, where'd we put that damn tablet?
Three things iPads do well for seniors
Forbes has put together an interesting list of three things the iPad does well for seniors. The writer points out that Apple's iPad makes it easy for seniors with bad eyesight to adjust the text inside apps like Safari or iBooks. Safari's pinch to zoom text adjustment is especially easy compared to iBooks because there are no menu button commands to tap. Forbes relates a touching story of a man in a nursing home whose hands were crippled with arthritis. Normally he wouldn't be able to hold pictures in his hands if he wished to look at memories of a family vacation. However, with the iPad's ability to navigate photos just by swiping a finger (or any part of a hand) over the screen, the man was able to browse all of the photos his family loaded onto the iPad. Forbes also says Apple got one thing wrong. They say that most people over 40 don't like looking at pictures of themselves, and that facial reflections in a dark (sleeping or powered off) iPad screen are an oversight on Apple's part. That's an idea I frankly find ridiculous. However, maybe Forbes will overlook that when they see all of the gesture accessibility menu options that are added in iOS 5.
Kompott 'robotic agent' helps the elderly stay connected, enjoys a nap
Full-fledged humanoid robots helping the elderly are certainly well and good, but what about somebody that just needs a little help staying in touch with their family? They might one day be using something like this so-called Kompott "robotic agent" designed by some students at the Zurich University of the Arts Interaction Design lab. As you can see, it's actually just a robot head, which has a touchscreen for a face and a couple of sensors that let you tap it on top to wake it up, and on each side to scroll through items. To simplify things even further, the bot also boasts both voice recognition and text-to-speech, and a single button on its chest that lets you access a list of contacts. Of course, it's still just a prototype, but it does appear to be fully functional -- head on past the break to check it out in action.
Seniors can be tricked into exercising with video games, study might suggest
It doesn't take a research grant to figure out that exercise -- heck, just walking around the block once a day -- can have a dramatic effect on a person's well-being. The problem is that so-called "older adults," who are particularly prone to a mild but no less debilitating depression known as subsyndromal depression (SSD), are really just too bummed out to do much of anything. Here's where the grant money comes in: Dilip V. Jeste, MD, and his team of researches at UCSD gathered up 19 seniors diagnosed with SSD and had each of them play Wii Sports for 35 minutes, three times a week. "The study suggests encouraging results from the use of the exergames," Dr. Jeste reports. "More than one-third of the participants had a 50-percent or greater reduction of depressive symptoms." Additionally, most participants claimed that learning to to play those darned vidja games was actually pretty easy -- even enjoyable. Uh-oh. Red flag! You see, had Dr. Jeste continued his study, he might have found that his guinea pigs would soon discover that Wii Sports can easily be played with the slightest flicks of the wrist and, ah yes, it is nice to just sit back on the couch again, but, oh boy, this game is really getting boring, so let me just get on the dag blasted google and see what -- here we go -- "the best videogame right now," okay, the yahoo's answer says: World of Warcraft. Warcraft, eh? That certainly sounds better than bowling. Couldn't hurt to give it a quick gander ... click.
TV Ears TV ears-on: it could save your marriage
You know how much we love gadgets, right? With gadgets like the TV Ears TV, our love is easily recognizable. We had a chance to go ears and eyes on with the rig at CES. Wearing the dangling headset wasn't like walking on a cloud, but the volume was easily adjustable using the chin strap. We didn't get a chance to try out the Jitter-Bug-esque remote, but we're guessing that using the dongle is a walk in the park. Although it might not be your cup of tea, if you get a senior discount at the movies this might just be for you. %Gallery-82522%
"Senior-Friendly" TV Ears TV turns itself off at naptime, has Jitterbug-style remote
Sure, you may scoff at a television designed especially for seniors, but we think members of the Greatest Generation deserve a little high definition in their golden years, and thankfully so does TV Ears. The company, which produces those wireless headsets you see advertised during The Price is Right, will soon be introducing the TV Ears TV, a 32-inch LCD with an integrated transmitter, meaning fewer confusing wires, doo-dads, whatsits, and thingamabobs. The set ships with a specially designed remote control (featuring a grand total of six buttons) and will turn itself off after four hours of inactivity, saving power when the user dozes off -- or falls and can't get up. The set will be available in March for $1,199 and, before you cry foul at the 300% markup over comparable youth-friendly sets, know that the price also includes delivery, installation, and a toll-free support number. Not having to be grandma's personal television tech support? That's the greatest gift of all.