Technology is making elder home services more efficient and responsive
As the whole world is aging, India is no exception. According to the United Nations Population Division, the number of elderly persons aged 60 years or over in India is expected to increase from 133 million in 2021 to approximately 300 million by 2051 – to put that into perspective, that is slightly lesser than the entire population of The United States at the moment. This fast-approaching demographic shift has increased the demand for elder care services in India. Many individuals, especially those living abroad, turn to care-at-home service providers to support their loved ones with any required assistance.
In the past, joint families had been a traditional way of life in the country, where all elders were revered and respected. However, the trend of nuclear families, and the brain drain that started in the 1980s, when individuals moved abroad to explore better career and personal opportunities, has changed modern family dynamics. The traditional family structure, where parents and grandparents were cared for at home by family caregivers, is no longer sustainable for many families. With children living in different cities or countries, the elderly are often left alone and vulnerable.
While this has led to a clear-cut need for elder care services, many of these individuals are often opposed to shifting their elders into assisted living facilities or nursing homes due to their prohibitive, high-cost nature. There is also often a strong sense of abandonment, loneliness, and resentment associated with this transition. On the other hand, home-based care is a more affordable, flexible, and comfortable alternative that families use. Another advantage of home-based elder care is that they allow seniors to age in place, surrounded by a familiar environment and companions. This can be particularly important for these seniors with some cognitive impairments who may become confused or disoriented in new spaces. Home-based care can also be customised to meet the specific needs of each individual, thus providing a level of support and care that is difficult to achieve in institutionalised settings.
Some companies, like Yodda, use this philosophy coupled with state-of-the-art technologies to provide reliable, efficient, and easy-to-use services to elders. There are many ways in which Yodda is leveraging technology effectively for premium service delivery. In the growing technological world where everything from groceries to banking is conducted online, it can be overwhelming for most seniors to complete their routine tasks easily. However, failure to use the available infrastructure can make simple tasks challenging to fulfil and navigate. Now they are being trained to do just that. Members request routine assistance by simply tapping a button on their app, and for emergencies, they keep that button pressed and held for 3 seconds.
Furthermore, integrations have also been done with numerous lines of smartwatches, including the Apple Watch, which allows elders to seek help no matter where they are. In addition, AI/ML technologies also have great potential to improve elder care. For example, intelligent cameras and motion sensors can be used to detect falls, bleeding, and other accidents, alerting family members, caregivers, and organizations in real-time. AI-powered speech recognition tools can help seniors with cognitive or speech impairments communicate more effectively and analyse speech changes and other behaviours that may indicate health concerns.
Lastly, the rise of telemedicine and health record digitisation after the COVID-19 pandemic are essential technologies that support elder care, particularly in unstructured healthcare systems like those found in India. Telemedicine allows remote consultations, enabling disabled seniors to access healthcare providers without leaving their homes. Health record digitisation improves coordination between all parties involved in a particular service by ensuring that all relevant medical information is available to providers, regardless of anyone’s location. This technology can help reduce medical errors and improve patient outcomes.
(The writer is the founder and CEO of Yodda Elder Care)
