2020 Technology Trends & How They Can Benefit Both Individuals & Their Caregivers
As the demand for excellent healthcare continues to grow, technology will continue playing a central role in the lives of elderly people, those with developmental, physical, or intellectual disabilities, and especially their caregivers. Recently, AARP released a report that showed an increasing interest in technology for older adults and people with disabilities.
This tech market is enormous, with hundreds of millions of Americans looking to use new products. The same is true for the caregivers who treat individuals in their homes, because for caregivers, being able to use advanced technology helps their line of work. So what kind of technology trends can we expect to see in 2020?
Hearing Aid Improvement
The U.S. legal system has recently changed a law so that you no longer need to visit an audiologist to buy a hearing aid. This has changed the market for hearing aids, bringing down the cost of this tech. For example, customizable hearing aids are being commissioned, with companies creating custom products out of client ear molds. App-enabled hearing aids are another new addition.
Shaving Technology
For many caregivers, performing daily tasks for elderly clients is part of the job. Sometimes, that includes shaving. Procter & Gamble is releasing Gillette Treo, a razor that is specifically designed for someone to shave another person. This razor will be particularly useful to caregivers who work closely with adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The razor’s features include a shaving cream tube that dispenses as you shave.
Voice First Technology
Similar to voice assistants and smart speakers, Voice First is a voice-enabled technology that will assist caregiving staff members in both clinical and remote settings. Voice First allows for easy appointment setting, note-taking, and providing instructions and prescription information. Older adults and individuals with hearing impairments that utilize this tech will have access to a phone-based assistant.
Wearables
Electronic Caregiver’s Premier, also called “mobile security and care support system, is a wrist device that has many activity monitoring features such as an emergency button, a GPS locator, and medication reminders. This device is extremely useful for home-bound individuals and their caregivers. The wrist device also connects to an app that will keep loved ones in the loop no matter where they are. The device comes free when with the purchase of a $40 or $60 subscription, depending on the level of monitoring each unique individual requires.
DCI’s Mobile Application
Direct Care Innovations (DCI) is a healthcare technology company that helps caregiving organizations. We provide business management platforms for provider agencies that work with Medicare, Medicaid, private pay, and managed care markets. We provide an efficient, easy to use business management platform to assist our clients with billing, scheduling, payroll solutions, electronic visit verification, authorization management, and more. DCI has developed a state of the art systems that streamlines administration so we can direct more resources to the hands of direct care workers.
Our mobile application software makes it much easier for caregivers to provide care while ensuring their hard work is being accurately documented. We are proud to be considered a trusted technology partner for caregiving organizations as the interest in healthcare technology continues to grow. To find out more about us and our EVV solutions, contact us at (480) 295-3307 to request a demo today!