If you’ve ever watched the film ‘Still Alice,’ you’ve at least seen the struggles of people with Alzheimer’s disease, and the dangers that come with the illness. However, although the film painted a very real picture of life with Alzheimer’s, we could never truly understand what it means to suffer with the disease unless we go through it ourselves. Alzheimer’s threatens to put a strain on a patient’s entire family – sometimes leading to torn families – and could even be life threatening since individuals with the illness may walk themselves straight into danger without knowing it. While losing chunks of memory is unimaginably hard for patients, watching a loved one reach a point of complete dependence can be incomparably tough for family members. But, wearable technology is looking to ease things for both patients whose safety is threatened and loved ones who could do with a helping hand. On the eve of World Alzheimer’s Day, we look at 6 stunning wearables that are ensuring both parties make it through this illness in the smartest way possible.
Comfort Zone Check-In: One of the oldest attempts at marrying wearable technology and a web-based app, ‘Comfort Zone Check-In’ – by the Alzheimer’s Association – is a wonderful system for the peace of mind of patients, caregivers and family members. Powered by Omnilink, the tech works via a tracking device that can be worn (or a phone working on the Sprint network), and a web-based app. Apart from providing daily scheduled location alerts, Comfort Zone Check-In even lets families monitor patients using its on-demand ‘Find Me’ and ‘Follow Me’ sessions. What is truly touching about this GPS-based system is that unlike many others, it was developed specifically keeping Alzheimer’s patients in mind. With it, caregivers can even set safety zones and be alerted within just 30 minutes, if a patient strays from one.
Wearable Cameras: Who knew cameras could help people with Alzheimer’s better deal with their condition?! Meet ‘Autographer’ and ‘Narrative Clip’ – two brilliant little wearable cams that automatically snap hundreds of photos per day from their user’s perspective. Although the perfect duo of devices for social media buffs, according to research, these wearables can not only help those with memory loss recall important events, but may also be able to improve their memory abilities. But, they aren’t the only ones. There’s also the ‘SenseCam’ by Microsoft Research, that has been proven to help Alzheimer’s patients recall an average of 85% of key factual details about events, after a fortnight of viewing its images every other day. Looks like a trio of wearable cameras is all it takes to aid memory improvement among Alzheimer’s patients!
Freedom GPS Locator: A system designed exclusively for adults at-risk, this combination of a locator watch and mobile receiver by Bluewater Security Professionals, is ideal for Alzheimer’s sufferers. While the ‘Freedom GPS Locator Watch’ for patients boasts the use of the dot matrix LCD for communication/messaging and a panic button, it also comes with a mobile RF receiver for caregivers. Since it is highly possible that the watch and receiver may get separated if a patient wanders too far, Bluewater has already prepared for this situation by ensuring an alarm sounds on the receiver, so the watch then connects to the GSM network and sends its position to the caregiver by email and/or SMS. What’s more is that the two devices even come with a charging station that caters to both!
PocketFinder: Although not built specifically for those suffering from Alzheimer’s, the ‘Pocketfinder’ is one of the most effective instances of wearable technology for location tracking. This wearable is so versatile, it even comes as a variety of devices, including a GPS Child Tracker, a GPS Pet Tracker, a 3G GPS Vehicle Tracker and of course, a GPS Senior Tracker. The final device, designed exclusively for the elderly, is ideal for Alzheimer’s patients since it lets caregivers set geo-fence zones and alerts them when the wearer of the device enters or leaves them, via real-time push notifications, texts, or emails. Further, the PocketFinder works alongside an accompanying Android or iOS app, that will display the patient’s location via Google Maps every 2-minutes. It even lets an unlimited number of people view the wearer’s location.
GPS SmartSole: Ever heard of a smartphone hidden and sealed in an insole? Well, now you have. Welcome to the ‘GPS SmartSole’ – “a smartphone hidden and sealed in an insole,” that like a smartphone, uses GPS and cellular technology, requires activation and a data service plan and works cross country. But, its likeness to a smartphone isn’t why the GPS SmartSole has made this list. This wonderful wearable – which was designed for seniors with Alzheimer’s and dementia, the autistic and people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) – uses cellular networks to send it’s location updates to the GTX Corp Monitoring System every 10 minutes. Caregivers can view a map with the patient’s location, either online or via the SmartLocator app. Moreover, the tech even sends caregivers geozone alerts along with the last known location.
Clevercare: This wearable is exactly what its name says it is – a clever care product. Although the ‘Clevercare’ watch has been designed for both people with Alzheimer’s and diabetes, its use in the former case is more effective. The smartwatch boasts ideal features to help patients attempt to live independent and safe lives. For instance, Clevercare includes the ability to add reminders for activities, with alarms set to repeat until the patient dismisses them, to ensure that s/he is constantly reminded. But even better is the watch’s ability to alert caregivers if the wearer crosses a designated boundary, and the added ability of letting carers make calls to patients. However, the best aspect of Clevercare is probably that the wearable – as stated by the company itself – “is a standalone device and does not require a companion to a smartphone.”
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