You can plan ahead for aging on your own terms and mitigate the aging process without the loss of your personal freedom or independence.  The Boomer generation is the first to have readily accessible tools that enable smart strategies to age in place, saving tens of thousands per year in assisted living by aging safely in place.  

The latest technologies like robots, the internet of things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), personal assistants, and “smart home,” security, are all designed to meet the challenges of aging.  We can handle memory, vision and hearing impairment and move from reactive to proactive with the use of AI, Data Mining and Sensors. 

Want to start? Ask yourself…

1. Are you open to learning about the many tech tools available that can make life easier?
2. Where do you want to live your life? What feels right? Freedom is making the choice yourself, so you don’t have it made for you and end up living out your life in a place where you don’t feel you belong.
3. How are you going to care for your mind, body and spirit if people are able to live decades longer than expected?

Technologies that can help:

• Robotic Technology: In Ireland, Mylo the robot acts as a personal home assistant to alleviate stress and worry when living alone. Mylo can sense a fall or cardiac event, check the heart rate, locate his patient within the home and, if needed, initiate an emergency response and alert if his patient wanders.  Milo speaks a bit slower, is easier to understand and does not get irritated when the same questions are asked repeatedly. 
• Lighting: The Battery-Powered Motion-Sensing LED Stick-Anywhere Nightlight can be used on stairs, bathrooms, closets, kitchen and hallways. The Human Charger light therapy device enhances energy levels and helps you get restful, sustained sleep.
• Automatic pill dispensers keep you on schedule for medications; there are many options available.
• iGuardStove and FireAvert are automatic stove shut-off devices to prevent a fire or burned pan from unattended or forgotten cooking, saving lives and property.

Remember to make your environment simple and intuitive by limiting choices to increase independence and confidence. Technology allows you to stay in your own home, safe, and out of harm’s way without feeling overwhelmed when you have too many options. 

Plan for and plant your seeds for your own personal self-determined harvest, before you need it. You can and should determine what is best for you today so that you won’t be dealing with unhappiness and crisis in the future.   

Lisa Cini is an award-winning senior living designer, President / CEO, Mosaic Design Studio and author of The Future is Here: Senior Living Re-imagined, and Hive, which describes her family’s four generations living under the same roof in her own home. 

Note:  If you shop on Amazon via the Amazon Smile website (which has the same products and features as the regular Amazon site), the Amazon Smile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to help Older Adults Technology Services/Senior Planet keep us all aging with attitude!  You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for Amazon Smile donation” on their product detail pages – learn all about it here.