How To Take Care of Elderly Parents Remotely

In today’s globalized world, it is very common to relocate for your job and business opportunities. That, however, does not mean that you can move away from your roots. It is equally vital to take care of our elderly parents irrespective of our location. While it is not always possible to be at the side of your elderly parents but with the help of remote care, you can now take care of your elderly parents easily.

Essentially, you can provide your parents with all care benefits remotely as well. That is why: remote care these days is gaining more and more impetus. We will today share with you a detailed guide to take care of your elderly parents remotely.

* Since Seniors Living Independently is always a popular topic on our website, we’ve been writing a lot about this and we even have a whole session dedicated to it. If you want to check our other posts about this subject, click here.

What Kinds of Care Exist?

After going through the benefits of remote care above, indeed, the next question in your mind will be the options which I have in terms of remote care for my elderly parents? We will share with you the answer to this question.

1. Informal caregivers

In many cases, your elderly parents might not need round-the-clock assistance. In such a case, you can create a network of relatives and friends to assist your parents with various tasks like preparing meals, shopping for groceries and travelling for medical appointments. The informal network of relatives and friends can help your parents in your absence with the specific activities.

2. Professional caregivers

If your elderly parents require more help, professional caregivers are the perfect option for you. They will visit your parents on a proper schedule daily. You can decide the frequency and the duration of the visit. A certified nursing assistant will assist them with various tasks at home. The cost of professional caregivers varies from $ 18 per hour to $ 35 per hour. The cost varies depending on whether you need a personal caregiver for your parents or a certified nursing assistant. It is one of the best options when searching for a long-distance caregiving solution.

3. Adult day care

The adult day care facilities are similar to child day care facilities. They look after the adults for a day in a completely secure environment. The advantage of these the centres is that they not only monitor the health of your elderly parents but also provide various other therapies which can help them. They also offer various activities like exercises, games, arts, and crafts which adults can practice. These centres can not only help you take care of your parents but also keep them occupied and engaged.

4. Community care

In every community, there are volunteer groups and community care groups which can take care of the adults. They can provide you with services like preparing the meals, going for grocery shopping for the adults and also doing some light maintenance work. You can easily connect with such community care volunteers to help your parents.

5. Remote care through tech

Lastly, you can also set up a network of devices and apps to help and monitor your parents. With the help of mobile applications, virtual assistance, and other gadgets, you cannot only track your parents but also assist them and remind them of their medications.

What are the Advantages of Taking Care of Elderly Parents Remotely?When you’re looking for the options which exist to take care of elderly parents remotely, these are the five options which you need to consider.

The advantages of remote care using technology are plenty, here are some of them:

• Ability to monitor your elderly parents throughout the day
• Freedom to communicate with them through video conferencing
• Hiring a professional caregiver for them
• Ensuring that they lead a comfortable lifestyle

With the advent of technology, nowadays it became extremely easy to take care of parents, even if you live far from each other (which is my case, by the way, my mother lives alone and she lives almost 10.000 kilometers apart from me). So if you reside in a different city – and sometimes even a different country – due to your career or business or personal life, setting up remote care is a great idea and it works just fine.

Besides, using new technology for remote monitoring your parents provides you with numerous benefits. From having complete peace of mind to learning what you may need in the future, using gadgets for remote caregiving is beneficial not only to your parents or loved ones you are caring for, but also to you.

10 Benefits of Using New Technology to Monitor Elderly Parents

1. Complete peace of mind

When you’re living far away, you will be continuously plagued by the worries of your parents. However, when you opt for remote care, it becomes easy for you to have complete access to their routine, and especially, if they need help with anythig. This will definitely give you some peace of mind!

2. Freedom to communicate with them through video conferencing

Once you set up the right new tech devices to use, you can communicate with your parents through video calls multiple times throughout the day. It’s almost like you are close to each other phisically.

And by the way, I actually talk more frequently to my mother, living 10.000km away from her, than my brother who lives in the same neighborhood.

3. Ability to monitor your elderly parents throughout the day

Thanks to technology, Cameras and trackings, and even laptops, tablets, and smartphones, you are able to monitor your parents throughout the day. What they are doing, where they go, if they sleep, or if they fall. You can check everything as if you are there, even being far away.

4. Supervising health

In old age, there are bound to be some health problems for your parents. They might require extra medical assistance as compared to a young adult. With the help of remote care, you can supervise their health consistently. Whenever there is any medical problem, you can know about it quickly. It will help make suitable arrangements for them by contacting the doctors in the nearest hospital.

5. Keeping your parents safe

The world is full of antisocial elements. They prey on the weak like elderly citizens. If you’re not in touch with your parents, they are more susceptible to falling for the scam elements. By monitoring elderly in a distance and also opting for professional caregivers, you can easily keep them safe. You can look after their safety consistently.

6. Making lives more comfortable

It is common that during old age, their energy levels will be low, and they might not be able to move through the house efficiently. They might require additional assistance. When you hire a nurse or a professional caregiver, you can make their lives more comfortable. It will mean that they don’t need to worry about the day to day chores.

7. You won’t have to worry about whether your loved one is receiving good care

Because with new tech gadgets you can basically see everything that is happening in your parents lives, it’s easy to check if they are receiving good care.

8. Ability to fulfill your duties

You must look after your parents. Sometimes, it might not be actively possible in today’s world. However, when you opt for remote caring, you can fulfill your duties while leading your life. You will not have to disrupt your routine life to look after your parents. That is why: you can help your parents and fulfill your ambitions at the same time.

It will mean that in addition to your career and business goals, you can take care of your parents as well.

9. Even If You’re Already Close, You Might End Up Closer

Even if your relationship with your parents has always been good, helping them can take your relationship to a new level. And with the use of communication smart gadgets, relationships can really blossom.

10. You Learn What You May Need in the Future

By seeing what an older person needs, you may get a sense what you’ll one day need, plus insights and information you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Keep in mind that the needs of your elderly parents might be different from yours. That is why, instead of underestimating those needs, you have to be proactive and take care of them. They may say (or you may think) they don’t need to be taken care of, but most probably they do (or they will soon).

How Can New Tech Help to Monitor Elderly Parents Remotely?

As mentioned before, technology can make the task of assisting elderly parents remotely quite easy for you. It can also keep you in the know-how regarding the health and the medical condition of your parents. With the evolution of technology, long-distance caregiving is becoming easier. We will today share with you a few ways in which technology can help you with the same.

1. Phone Apps

Mobile applications can help you monitor the vital health aspects of your elderly parents. These mobile applications can also help you monitor their location. You can communicate with your parents with the help of these applications as well. That is why; these mobile applications are one of the best ways to take care of your elderly parents.

Here are the best apps to monitor elderly parents remotely.

2. GPS Trackers

GPS services have evolved a lot in the last decade. These days, the GPS tags can let you know the position which is accurate up to 1 meter. It is perfect for the elderly suffering from ailments like Alzheimer’s or dementia. You can monitor their location through your smartphone even if you’re thousands of miles away. You can keep a watch on the movement of your parents and ensure that they are on safe premises always. 

Check this example of GPS Tracker on Amazon.

3. Cameras

Cameras can help you keep a watch on the home of your parents. You can easily install the cameras at the entry and exit points. You can install them in the common living area of your home as well. The feed of the camera will be available through a mobile application on your smartphone. You can monitor it 24/7. It will help you ensure that your parents are safe always.

Check this example of Camera on Amazon.

4. Virtual Assistants

Recently, the popularity of virtual assistants has been on the rise. You can easily install Google Home or Alexa in the house of your elderly parents. Using these assistants, your elderly parents can easily control the various functions of the home. Moreover, these assistants can also remind them of their medication schedule. They can help them manage the television and other entertainment options in their home. You can also program these virtual assistants to send your mail on a specific event or a trigger. It means that you always get alerts regarding the schedule and health of your parents. That is why these virtual assistants are so useful.

Check this example of Virtual Assistant on Amazon.

Here are the best gadgets to monitor elderly parents remotely (a list of many other interesting useful gadgets for remote care).

5. Patches

There are also patches available these days, which monitor the vital source of any individual. If the doctor prescribes, you can incorporate these patches on the patient’s body. With the help of these patches, you can easily monitor the vital health stats of your parents with the help of a mobile application. It will help you monitor plenty of stats like blood pressure, glucose levels, and heartbeat among others. With technology, you can monitor your elderly parents these days. With so many options available, it is easier than ever to opt for long-distance caregiving.

Can Remote Care Completely Replace a Human One?

The answer to this question is a No. Remote care is good enough for taking care of your parents when you’re not around. It is suitable to monitor the elderly from a distance, but it cannot replace the human touch and emotion. Hence, you must visit your elderly parents from time to time. When you do so, it will be easy for you to make them feel loved and valuable.

The Bottom Line

So, if you want to take care of elderly parents remotely, you can follow our guide above. With the help of professional services, apps and gadgets, it is now possible to help your parents lead a comfortable and healthy life even when you’re not residing in the same town. Our guide above will provide you with all the details you need to take care of your elderly parents.

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