5 Devices That Will Monitor Your Medical Problems

Blip Wi-Fi Blood Pressure Monitor

High blood pressure also known as hypertension is a common condition associated with aging. It has no symptoms which makes it more dangerous. High blood pressure strains your heart and your arteries, if this happens over a prolonged length of time; your arteries become inflexible and thick, increasing the chances of clogging. Several clogs lead to a blood clot which can lead to:

• A stroke
• Heart attack
• Kidney failure
• Dementia

Checking your blood pressure regularly and noting it down helps to:

• Establish whether you are actually hypertensive. Sometimes you may be anxious when at the doctor’s causing false readings. This is commonly referred to as “white-coat hypertension”
• Guide the physician to know whether the medication is working or needs to be changed

The Blip blood pressure monitor comes in handy. It is the first WI-FI enabled blood pressure device. It can transmit your results to your doctor or loved ones from anywhere around the globe as long as you have a working Wi-Fi connection. It comes with the allowance of checking blood pressure for two users which is perfect for couples.

Review

A reviewer Iltifat Husan, MD, who is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, bought this for his aging father. He says that once he set it up for him, it was quite easy to use. All you have to do is put your cuff on and select on the right user (user 1 or user 2) the blip blood pressure; monitor will then take your blood pressure and upload it online to a secure portal using Wi-Fi connection. Your doctor and family receive updates every time you check your pressure. Isn’t that effective?

Husan, however, advises that a person with a good working of computers be available to set up for the senior unless the senior is tech-savvy, they may have a hard time. Once the set-up is done, the senior can manage alone.

MedMinder

As you grow older, you experience some level of cognitive decline which most of the times means you are more forgetful. You may forget to feed your cat, forget to go for your yoga class, or forget to take your medicine, or mix up the dosage (take too much or too little). The latter, can be dangerous since your medication is critical to your health. A med minder is a digital device that reminds you to take your medicine and also dispenses it. You or your caregiver should fill the medicine tray, your adult child (or any other loved one who is computer savvy) goes online and writes down a schedule, she will be notified if you forget to take the medication. When it is time for your medication, the MedMinder will flash and unlock if it was locked. If you do not take the pill, it will beep, if say you do not hear the beep and take the pill, a prerecorded voice say of your daughter will remind you to take your medication. If you still do not take the pills, you receive a call reminding you to take it; your family member is also notified by email, a phone call, or a text.

Review

Lara Reeves moved with her husband from Portland Oregon to Green Forest to be close to her father in law who has Alzheimer’s disease. Her father-in-law had been skipping his medication or taking an overdose. While they did not want to take away his independence, they still wanted to protect him. The MedMinder device was helpful to them.

A Tricella smart pillbox works similarly. If you take the wrong pills or forget to take your pills your loved ones will be contacted.

Reminder Rosie

The Rosie alarm clock is quite resourceful. Your loved ones can leave up to 25 prerecorded voice reminders for the things that you are most likely to forget. For example, when it is pill time it will say: “Hey, mom, I love you, it’s time for you to take two orange pills and one blue pill.’’ A personalized reminder warms the heart and helps you feel closer to your loved ones. The reminders can also be about walking the dog or feeding the cat to attending your support group.

Review

Heyyoung is a caregiver for her 85-year-old mother-in-law who suffers from Parkinson’s disease and her husband Mike Beadle 61, is a disabled veteran. They live together in Lawton, Okla. They both use the device; Mike’s mom says that she is reassured by her son’s voice on the reminder. Heyyoung says that the device lowers her stress since she knows neither of them will skip their dose.

Medical Alert Device

A medical alert device comes in the form of a pendant, you can also tie it around your wrist or belt. The pendant is waterproof because most falls occur in the bathroom. When you fall or have a medical emergency, the pendant has a button that you press to notify the call center that then send you help and contacts your loved one immediately. This device is excellent for people who live alone; it helps you to go by your life independently while knowing that in case of anything, help is just a button away. The device has two main parts, the pendant and the communicator which is basically the home base of your system. When you fall (within working range of the communicator) and press the button, the communicator works like a speakerphone, the attendant’s voice will boom from there asking you whether you are okay and she will be able to hear you whichever part of the house you are in.

When shopping for this device, it is advisable that you go for one that has fall detection. You will pay a higher amount for this but this is an important feature. Sometimes the senior falls but is too confused or too embarrassed (falling in the bathroom naked) to press the button, or he may fall and become unconscious and, therefore, in no state to press it. The fall detection notifies the call center that there has been a fall and help is sent immediately.

Also, consider how big the range is. Can you work from outside say at your garden and be protected? Can you go for a walk around the block?

Review

Malyarez’s says that the medical alert system saved his father’s life. His father fell on 13th June when his heart stopped. The system detecting the fall had a responder call a medical team in 7 minutes. Malyarez’s father was hospitalized and walked himself out of the hospital days after.

GrandCare Systems

This is a multipurpose system that tracks things such as your daily activity and your health information in real time (heart rate, weight, glucose level, blood pressure, oxygen) and then uploads this information to a safe website where your long distance caregiver can access it. You can also make specifications as to when you should receive alerts say, “alert me when mom doesn’t go for her daily walk” and so on. The interesting thing about this device is that it comes with many other features such as Facebook to connect with your loved ones, video games to challenge your brain, and music to relax you.

Review

Gladys Jules from Atlanta has used the GrandCare system to check on her mother and aunt and keep them socially connected. After having her colon surgery, Jules, 62, says she uses GrandCare daily to check her health information and record her children’s medical information. She vouches for the quality of this device.