Elderly Parents and technology, You know what is the importance of parents in our life. Today more elderly people are connected with the world through advanced means of communication than at any other point in history and the numbers keep growing.
After an initial hesitation that they feel while adopting the latest technology, most of them grow accustomed to it and some even grow so fond of it that they consider modern technology to be indispensable for everyday activities.
They realize that their children may not be able to meet them frequently due to distance or hectic lifestyles, so it is imperative to utilize the virtual modes of communication that technology offers them.
So you can now see grandparents video calling their grandchildren on Skype and commenting on their children’s Facebook pages while sharing photographs of their travels and such in an instant. Despite the physical distance between them and their children, they are thankful that technology, in a sense, has managed to bring them even closer.
From a son’s or daughter’s perspective, the one thing that always keeps them worried is their elderly parent’s health. It is not uncommon to see elderly people having medical issues in old age, and here too technology can lend a helping hand to us.
Portable and economically priced gadgets can enable us to monitor vitals such as blood glucose level, heart rate and blood pressure within the comfort of our own homes any time of the day or night, so that any medical issues can be diagnosed at an early stage.
Taking this a step further, techno-medical startups such as Practo offer patients the chance to get virtual consultations with local doctors registered with the app so that elderly people living alone don’t have to visit the doctor for every small query that they may have. Similarly techno-pharma companies like netmeds enable people to order medical supplies online and get them delivered to their doorsteps within a short time.
Mobility is also a major issue with elderly people because they find it difficult to drive on their own as they get older. Technology proves to be a boon here as well because a tech-savvy elderly citizen with a smartphone can avail of the services provided by companies such ola, uber or taxi4sure to get a cab at reasonable rates and easily get from point A to point B. They can also keep a tab on public transport schedules using the road transport company’s website and book railway tickets online to plan their traveling.
All of the above was mostly about how technology can help our elderly parents and citizens, but there is also the aspect of how we can benefit from their immense wisdom once they are connected with us through modern methods.
Sharing their age-old experience with us through blogs and websites, we have learned a huge amount from them regarding various facets of life, be it business administration or career, the importance of religion and faith in life, traditional remedies for ailments based on Ayurveda or even old recipes that no one except them knows.
Technology gives us the tools to reconnect, take care of and learn more from our elderly parents in a way that is immeasurable and it is upon us to take the responsibility of getting them introduced to it so that they become tech-savvy and don’t feel obsolete or outdated with respect to the world of technology and live a long healthy fulfilling life. If you want to add something about how technology can help our elderly parents and citizens, then write in comments.