CAI-NJ July 2020(w)

TechnologY's Role for Aging in Place

By Joseph Bonafede, President, Technocality Security Solutions

"Technology can assist in allowing seniors and others requiring assisted or additional help the ability to remain in their homes longer..."

D o you, your siblings, or a caretaker find yourself constantly calling your parents, loved ones or the person you’re caring for multiple times a day wondering if they took their medications? Are they ok? Is your 85-year-old mom cooking again when she shouldn’t be? Did dad go out for a walk and get lost? Can he find his way home safely? Technology can assist in allowing seniors and others requiring assisted or additional help the ability to remain in their homes longer, giving both you and them piece of mind. Technology comes in many different forms, from simple FaceTime calls to emerging technolo- gies. Here are a few and how they can assist. Z-Wave is one of the backbone technologies behind many of the new “smart” homes. It is a wireless commu- nications protocol used primarily for home automation. It uses low-energy radio waves to communicate from device to device allowing the wireless control of residential appli- ances and other devices, such as lighting control, security systems, thermostats, windows, locks, swimming pools and garage door openers. Users communicate to a main hub and control these devices via the Internet from a smart

phone, tablet or computer, and locally through a smart speaker, wireless key fob, or a wall-mounted panel. ALARM SYSTEMS today allow the resident and caretak- ers the ability to access many combined systems into one platform. The following would assist to age in place: • Alarming doors and windows (which is the actual alarm system) and the main hub to the peripherals. This allows piece of mind for the resident and the system functions as a normal intrusion alarm which can be armed/disarmed from the system’s keypad, smartphone or tablet and can also be programmed to arm automatically. • Lighting control can be as simple as screwing in a Z-wave enabled light bulb or installing a wall plug, out- let or switch. These devices can be scheduled to auto- matically turn on at dusk, off at dawn or any schedule you desire. • Thermostats can be incorporated and locked down so only an authorized user can set the temperature range, schedule thresholds and even send notifications

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