Top trending gadgets that can keep your parents safe

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Key Takeaways: When you stay abroad, one of your major priorities is to take care of your loved ones back home. Thankfully, you can get a wide range of high-tech devices such as motion sensors, smart cams and intelligent wearables that will help your family stay safe. We bring you a round-up of the most popular safety gadgets that you can buy right away.

When you live thousands of miles away, especially from ageing parents, worry is a constant companion. An unanswered phone call can set off waves of panic. But it needn’t be so. The market is teeming with an array of care and safety products that can make sure your parents are safer, healthier and better connected to you and the community around them.

Smart watches

Most people use smartwatches to manage their fitness routines and daily to-do lists but these intelligent wearables can also be a boon for seniors. Some smart watches come with advanced location tracking and SOS features, while others have built-in ECG monitors and fall detection capabilities. A few variants can monitor sleep patterns and heart rate variability to check for stress and some even have features to remind wearers to take medicines or to keep a doctor’s appointment. You can choose a watch for your parents with features that suit them best.

Personal alarm

If your senior parents are living alone, you can provide them with a device that is useful in case of medical emergencies or potentially unsafe situations (like a sudden panic attack or a house break-in, for instance). A panic button is a simple, hassle-free key-chain-sized gadget that your senior parents can use to call attention with the press of a button. When pressed, this device transmits a signal to the main unit, which emits a loud siren to attract attention and sends an SOS to registered phone numbers.

Smart cameras

One of the best ways to keep a check on your elderly parents is via a connected smart cam. Most of these cameras are compact, have in-built motion sensors, low-light capability, wifi connectivity, cloud storage of recordings and two-way voice. Installation is relatively simple and you can track activity on the camera from your smartphone – no more panic over unanswered calls. You can even set it up to send you an alert when the camera spots movement. The advantage with smart cameras is that you can install multiple cameras and monitor them from a single app.

Home security

If you are worried about your parents’ safety, then it’s worthwhile to invest in a good home security system. Start with a video door phone which will allow your family to screen visitors before opening the door. The latest video door phones come with wifi connectivity to let you check your visitors on your phone with sensors that detect motion and record videos. If you want more protection, get a burglar and fire alarm system. These are typically a plug and play system comprising of a central unit, multiple sensors to detect motion and smoke, set of remote controls to trigger an alarm and an in-built loudspeaker. The system can automatically send an alert via SMS to registered phone numbers in case an alarm needs to be triggered.

Fall prevention devices

Falls are a common complaint among the elderly and can cause serious injury.

Some of the easiest solutions to prevent falls are a combination of anti-slip mats, grab bars in the bathrooms and night lights in the bedroom. Socks with anti-slip treads are also a great option while moving around the house. To avoid climbing on to stools or ladders, which can often lead to falls, use a reacher grabber, a device that works like the extension of your hand and lets you grip and retrieve things you can’t reach.

Automatic pill dispenser

Taking medicines on time every time is one of the best ways to stay healthy and safe. The automatic pill dispenser makes sure your family members do not forget their daily dose. These nifty devices can be preset to sound reminders at different times of the day and then dispense the right medicine and dose at that time.

Final Note: Technology has made it easy to keep our loved ones safe and healthy. While these gadgets are no guarantee against accidents, they can certainly help reduce risks and ensure help is available when needed. Most of the devices allow you to remotely keep track of your parents’ well-being, thus giving you the much-needed peace of mind.

*Disclaimer: This article has been shared purely from an information perspective and we do not necessarily endorse any of the above mentioned products.