Technology

Learn from our home care experts when and if humidifiers for COPD should be used.

For seniors and anyone else with a lung condition like COPD, maintaining the best possible air quality within the home is vitally important. But are humidifiers for COPD the right solution? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. If the air is too dry, for example, it can cause or exacerbate health problems including:

Chapped, dry, or itchy skin
Nose bleeds
Dry eyes
Sore throat
Aggravated allergy, asthma, and cold/flu symptoms like congestion
And more

However, air that is too humid can cause mold and mildew to grow, which can lead to a host of health problems along with potential damage to the home.

Humidifiers, when used properly, can help maintain the ideal level of moisture in the air (between 30 and 50%), and in particular for those … Read More »

Learn about the tool that’s helping expedite Alzheimer’s research.

Alzheimer’s research took a giant leap forward, thanks to a tool that allows pathologists to analyze and classify amyloid plaques and abnormalities in blood vessels through technology similar to face recognition software – leading to the ability to process a vast amount of data in a markedly reduced amount of time. 

The study, conducted by UC Davis and UC San Francisco, tested the ability to automate the time-intensive process of reviewing, identifying, and analyzing microscopic amyloid plaques in brain tissue. Dubbed “blob or not,” this digital pathology tool was found to be highly efficient – correctly annotating plaque samples at the unimaginable rate of 2,000 per hour – limited only by the number of processors used in the study. The program was even able to distinguish between different types … Read More »

Those with senior vision problems can find help with these tech tools.

Affecting an overwhelming number of Americans, vision loss is as unique and individualized as each person who experiences it – from merely needing to don reading glasses when browsing through the morning newspaper, to full blindness and a plethora of varying degrees in between. And senior vision problems are even more prevalent, with as many as one in every three older adults experiencing some form of eye disease that impacts vision, including glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and others. The good news is that technology continues to offer new and improved options all the time to help those with vision problems. Following are just three of the many vision enhancement tools that are now available:

Be My Eyes. This incredible app connects sighted volunteers with those who have … Read More »

Seniors and their family seem to want to use care technology solutions. Find out why they typically are not.

Today’s older adults are overrun with an explosion of hi-tech products focused on bettering their independence and safety and providing life enhancement. With the touch of a button or two, older adults can automatically visit “in person” with friends and family through Skype, wear a pendant that takes action with emergency help and support when necessary, and even remain safe from getting lost with specialized receptors attached to clothes or shoes. 

The issue becomes how to encourage older adults (and family members who care for them) to shift from a low-tech frame of mind to embracing all that’s available to them, something that is continually top of mind for us at Hired Hands Homecare. AARP reports that only 7% … Read More »

Seniors and technology are the perfect match when facing these issues.

Whether you are looking to tune a guitar, study a new language, or just add cats’ ears to a selfie, there is an app for that! And when it comes to seniors and technology, specifically when older adults choose to age in place at home, high-tech tools are often an extremely important component in increasing safety, comfort, and overall quality of life.

Take Amazon’s Alexa, as an example. Whereas its current benefits for seniors are numerous, such as the ability to track sugar levels, make doctor appointments, and research information related to a specific health issue, it’s actually poised to dig even further into the medical care arena – possibly even detecting heart attacks and helping doctors obtain precise diagnoses.

Here are a few additional technology … Read More »

Teaching seniors technology is as important as giving high-tech care enhancing gifts.

More and more older adults are receiving high-tech gadgets as holiday gifts, for good reason: there are so many incredible benefits to enhance safety, socialization, and enjoyment. In fact, of those seniors who report using the Internet, a full 71 percent go online every day or most days, and another 11 percent are online between three and five times per week, per recent research from the Pew Research Center. And that same report revealed that seniors are more likely to own a tablet or e-reader than a smartphone.

Whether you give an older loved one a tablet, e-reader, or AARP’s new RealPad (made especially for older adults, with larger icons, fonts and around-the-clock live customer service), smart devices such as these are meant to make … Read More »

Learn how snake venom could possible provide treatment for cancer patients.

Besides helping to manage our mouse and rodent population, it may be hard to think of anything beneficial about snakes – especially poisonous ones. Yet there may be a surprising silver lining to slithery serpents: innovative new treatments for cancer.

Just ask Steve MacKessy of the University of Northern Colorado. He’s been collecting and studying snake venom for decades, freeze-drying the venom to retain its properties. He still works with samples gathered as many as 40 years ago, sharing, “A lot of other protein drugs are inherently unstable, but venoms in particular are designed to be stable under bad conditions.”

Because the toxins in the venom bind very specifically to the receptors of its prey, they have the potential to target only the cancer cells themselves, unlike … Read More »

When our parents were younger, telephones were wired to walls, mail was delivered by postmen, and if grown children lived at a distance from their parents, checking in on them meant asking a neighbor to stop by to see how they were making out. If seniors were housebound as a result of illness or frailty, they could very easily start feeling isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. Social circles grew smaller, and distant family members often felt at a loss because they weren’t able to be there to help. But the world has changed dramatically over the past few decades and technology has changed how we communicate and function with our everyday tasks. Technology has also allowed for a revolution in home care for older adults and those who ordinarily might not have been able … Read More »