With people living longer than ever before and, increasingly, staying in their own homes rather than making the move to a care facility, new medical treatments and healthcare solutions this year will, it is hoped, improve the health and quality of life of the elderly.
Table of Contents
Making a Smart Home
Preventing falls and other accidents is one of the primary ways to keep elderly people safe in their own homes, mitigating the need for care and medical treatment. Smart tech is being used more and more extensively in this regard, with smart alarms providing a wireless way for family members or an emergency responder to be made aware if a fall or injury has occurred.
This year, though, holistic Smart Homes will come to the fore in terms of keeping our elderly loved ones safe. A Smart Home will incorporate a range of monitoring devices, usually wearable, that will keep an eye on the individual’s temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels. This data will be available for doctors and clinicians to review, meaning that there may be no need for a patient to stay in a hospital if this is simply for monitoring their condition; instead, they can remain in the comfort of their own homes while still receiving an appropriate level of care.
A Smart Home can also feature a range of voice-activated apps that will, for example, remind the person that they’re due to take medication or to charge an important device. The idea behind a Smart Home is that this allows your elderly loved one to maintain as much independence as possible while also ensuring that they stay safe and that any health conditions are carefully monitored.
Online Healthcare and Treatments
The pandemic was largely responsible for making online doctor’s appointments and virtual healthcare services more accessible and in demand than ever before. For the elderly, especially, being able to have a consultation in their own home – without the need to travel or wait for a prolonged period to be seen – is hugely beneficial. As well as being a vital service for those who are frail or who have problems with mobility, remote consultations also mean that there’s no risk of them contracting covid from another patient at the practice.
Now, online doctors’ services can offer a range of support and specialist advice; most provision has a range of different ‘clinics’ such as those for asthma, allergies, minor injuries, and mental health, meaning that most non-urgent healthcare can be provided virtually, and appointment times can be arranged when it’s most convenient for the service user.
Have a look here for more information on some of the most highly-rated virtual doctor services, which also answers some common questions, such as ‘can I get a prescription written online free?’ and provides details on the cost and associated benefits of each package.
Monitoring Fall Risk
As mentioned above, falls are one of the leading causes of injury in the elderly. Companies are now beginning to trial systems that use AI and machine learning to monitor an individual’s fall risk and raise the alarm where it’s considered to be significant. The tech works by gathering data from across the whole country on fall statistics and known fall risks – such as the taking of certain medication, which can make a patient feel dizzy and therefore more susceptible to a tumble.
This data is harvested from a variety of sources, including national stats on falls, hospital EMR, and patient histories, and the AI then analyses this vast swathe of data to discover how best to prevent these accidents: what devices and policies are effective, for example, and which don’t make much of a difference.
In the trials, the results were significant: the system resulted in a decrease in in-hospital falls of around 40%.
Improvements in Alzheimer’s Treatment
Earlier this year saw a potentially groundbreaking study regarding the repurposing of the FDA-approved drug sargramostim – clinical trials showed that it resulted in an improvement of memory function in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.
The drug has been being used safely for thirty years and is known to be well-tolerated. People with Down syndrome are known to be at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s, and it is hoped that this breakthrough will have far-reaching effects on the quality of life experienced by these individuals.
The Impact of Genomics
Finally – genomics concerns the study of genes and the mapping of individual genomes. Major advances have recently been occurring in this field, and they’re set to continue in 2022. Genomics is proving to be useful in creating personalized medicine for individuals and is also playing a role in the development of new treatments for serious conditions, including Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, and arthritis.
Nutrigenomics may be in its infancy, but this subfield of genomics is also likely to promote medical advances throughout the year. It allows for the creation of bespoke health and diet plans based on an individual’s unique genetic factors – this, it is hoped, will help us to live not only longer but healthier lives.