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Tech Trends in Senior Living: What You Need to Know
April 3, 2025People love technology. They want it, and they want it now – even when they’re not sure how to use it. There are numerous tech innovations that are improving the lives of senior living residents, keeping them healthier, enabling them to engage with others, and helping to ensure compliance with their medication regimens.
Top Trends
Here are a few tech trends helping senior living residents stay healthier:
- Medication management devices. Forget alarms that people may not hear, especially when they are out of their homes. A promising new trend is smart caps for pill dispensers that can be connected to an app and send alerts to the resident’s phone – wherever they are – when it’s time to take medications.
- Automatic medication dispensers. These enable customizable alerts and notifications, and remote monitoring for caregivers. They organize and dispense medications with Wi-Fi-enabled remote monitoring and alerts.
- Smart watches with features such as voice control, pill reminders, automatic fall detection services, and more. Some have quick-swap battery systems and never have to be removed to charge. Many of these devices have built in Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity and don’t need a companion mobile phone to be used. They also can be connected to an emergency operator as needed, and some send caregiver alerts about things like missed meals or reduced mobility.
- Smart bands. These are wearables that send alerts designed to keep people from wandering and detect concerning changes such as increased use of the bathroom. Some come with an app to help people understand what their score means and how to improve their balance.
- Smart toilets analyze waste and transmit this information to a caregiver or practitioner. They can help identify signs that suggest medication noncompliance or adverse events. Some come with comfort features such as heated seats and built-in music.
- Smart scales. These measure balance and fall risk, and let the user know if their balancing is improving or declining. These can trigger a medication review to identify any medications a resident is taking that might contribute to falls or balance problems.
Liz Jensen, PhD, MSN, RN-BC, clinical director at Direct Supply, stressed the value of technology that centers around brain health and cognitive engagement. She said, “Older adults are interested in and willing to try new things and are having positive experiences with technology.” She noted that wearable technology, although it requires some learning and effort on the part of users, can make activities like medication management “interesting and fun.”
Of course, no technology is failproof or right for everyone. “It has a lot to do with what each person’s individual acceptance of technology is and what they are able and willing to use,” said Jensen. She added, “When I look at the technology that is being developed for staff to use around medication compliance, it becomes harder to determine which ones to implement.” It must be user-friendly for nurses and other staff, it must provide them with useful information, and any data relayed must be easy to share with the pharmacy, physician, and other appropriate team members. At the same time, it is important that technology not add tasks or time for staff, such as the need to manually place pills in a medication reminder. Organizations must consider the costs involved in purchasing and implementing technology, as well as staff training needs, and balance these with anticipated benefits.
Demystifying AI
Everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI); and while this technology is still in its infancy, it is being used in health care for a variety of purposes. It can diagnose diseases quicker and more accurately, it helps predict risks and prognoses, it enables more customized care plans, and it can promote better, more
effective communication between practitioners, practitioners and patients, and practitioners and families.
AI also can collect and analyze data quicker and more efficiently, freeing up staff to spend more time on improving engagement and quality of life for residents. Jensen noted, “We’re thinking about electronic health records and the integration of AI into those systems. What we’re seeing is its ability to do things that the human brain just can’t. I think we are starting to see AI enabling us to look at the health record on a broader scale.” She added, “When it comes to what we might be able to see in the future, I anticipate that AI will contribute to enabling more tailored medication approaches regarding what specific drugs and dosages each
individual actually needs and where the risks might outweigh the benefits.”
The future of AI is still uncertain. However, Jensen said, “One of our data scientists talks about how AI today is the worst it will ever be. It’s going to continue to get better.” She further offered, “I like that way of thinking because I believe we’ll continue to see improvements that we can’t even really imagine.”
Ultimately, technology can not only improve the quality of life and wellbeing of residents; it also helps keep people out of the ER. For instance, as Jensen explained, “One of the primary reasons someone goes to the ER and is admitted to the hospital is because they weren’t compliant with their medications. Technology has the opportunity to prevent this. It also can help identify behavior patterns or social determinants of health that need to be addressed to get and keep someone healthy.”