For the millions of boomers with aging parents, many of whom are living on their own at home, there's more to be concerned about than mom or dad taking a fall. Medic alert systems and other monitors are only useful when they're actually worn. Often, these systems only work if they're in range of a home base station, and some may be totally useless if they require the wearer to press a button when in distress.
Wellcore has introduced a new system to help caregivers and family members keep track of independent seniors. The Wellcore Personal Emergency Response System not only detects falls automatically, but also uses motion detection and pattern recognition technology to detect patterns of movement that could indicate a health problem.
The Personal Emergency Response System consists of two rechargeable "personal activity monitors"—one to be worn while the other is recharged—and a wireless communications base unit. Each activity monitor is equipped with GPS and Bluetooth, so it can be paired with a cell phone to provide monitoring when the wearer is out of the house.
The data from the activity monitor is monitored by the system, which can recognize the difference between normal movements and a fall. The system also uploads data from the sensor an online motion detection "dashboard which provides family members, caregivers and physicians information about the wearer's physical activity, including calories burned—giving them an idea of the overall health of the wearer.
The device also acts as a messenger, using text-to-speech technology to read messages and reminders to the person wearing the device. Family members and caregivers can send voice messages to the device. And if mom or dad forgets to put the device on, the device reminds them and alerts others that it hasn't been worn.