It seems that the current solutions available to deal with the aging population are like putting Band-Aids on a bleeding artery. The socio-economic system in America is bleeding out fast, and we need to plan a surgical strike to deal with the upcoming problem.
How do we prevent some of the issues that come up with an aging parent? We seem to scramble when the problems related to aging become an issue, but we do not practice preventative planning as often as we should. Many children of aging parents and grandparents have the same challenges. They include the parent denying they are getting older, not realizing that dementia is setting in, the parent not wanting to go in to assisted living because they do not want to leave their home, and parents too shameful to admit they have been victims of elder-fraud. As my friend Samantha put it, “It seems like something we continuously realize only in retrospect.” We are taken by surprise every time.
The mechanical and technological devices that we need are not complicated, and should work with updated technology that incorporates biotechnology with practical use. They should include automated message sending to caregivers and doctors when the readings go out of a certain customized and preset parameter. The prevention of financial fraud of the elderly, banks must work directly with the caregivers and authorized panel to oversee transactions of a prescribed upper limit.
A peer review process to insure their accuracy and competence should vet these devices. This is not to eliminate all the options currently out there, but instead, to weed out overpriced, unnecessary, or ineffective riff-raff. The solutions need to be direct, and user friendly. Do you see any desirable, feasible, and viable integrated system out there right now to help keep the aging population in their homes longer?