For those of us young enough to understand emails, iPods and webcams, there is no need to fear our old age. Tales of leaving our own hard-earned home behind and submitting ourselves to the often understaffed care homes will be a thing of the past with what visionaries hope will become the norm – the virtual granny flat.
Using high tech devices such as video conferencing for keeping in touch with friends and family to micro chips that detect wandering or falling elderly and infirm, these are the things that scientists hope will keep us in our own homes for longer.
Research into how to care for the elderly has been carried out by the Life Trust foundation after it found that, thanks to excellent health care, people are living longer but what’s really lacking is quality of life.
Safety sensors will be fitted to these ‘granny flats’ in floors and household furniture to monitor movements and will even notify medical staff if a resident should take a fall. Voice prompts will be fitted to sensors that detect if a pan has been left unattended or the bath has been left running.
It will even be possible for these residents to babysit or interact with their grandchildren from the comfort of their own home with the video conferencing device that could be as big as wall sixe giving the impression that you are in the same room.
This technology is being utilised to assist the elderly in remaining in their own homes while still having company when they want it. Loneliness is one of the biggest problems for people as they get older and this will give them many more options. It is hoped that ‘virtual granny flats’ will start becoming available by 2028.
All this technology may sound expensive but with the average care home currently costing £540 a week this would soon enough pay for itself and with family’s often being spread throughout the world, this will be an absolute god-send for many elderly and distant relatives who can keep their independence and still feel part of the wider family and community.
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