The ageing population in the United States is leading to an increased investment in home-based healthcare: encouraging seniors to maintain their independence for longer means lower costs to the sector than keeping them in long-term care homes or worse still, in hospital. A variety of specialised sensors have been developed to that end, and are actively helping to keep an elderly population in place, including patient tracking solutions to pick up on early warning signs of problems, even before the patient can. Sensors have been developed that can alert emergency services, doctors and hospitals to an increase in seniors' trips to the bathroom, or if there has been a recent absence in detected movement, allowing a rapid response. Trials of these connected homes are ongoing, but companies such as ClearCare are seeking to expand from pilot projects to commercial offerings soon.
The ageing population in the United States is leading to an increased investment in home-based healthcare: encouraging seniors to maintain their independence for longer means lower costs to the sector than keeping them in long-term care homes or worse still, in hospital. A variety of specialised sensors have been developed to that end, and are actively helping to keep an elderly population in place, including patient tracking solutions to pick up on early warning signs of problems, even before the patient can. Sensors have been developed that can alert emergency services, doctors and hospitals to an increase in seniors' trips to the bathroom, or if there has been a recent absence in detected movement, allowing a rapid response. Trials of these connected homes are ongoing, but companies such as HealthSense are seeking to expand from pilot projects to commercial offerings soon.