New Technology Helps Older People Stay Independent

For immediate release 6 December 2011

New Technology Helps Older People Stay Independent

Bupa Personal Medical Alarms has launched new technology aimed at helping older people with dementia or other medical conditions stay in their homes for longer.

As new medical alarm technologies continue to grow in popularity and peoples’ desire to stay at home longer increases, health and care company Bupa has invested in sourcing compatible technology to make staying at home easier.

The latest range of sensors, help detect both activity and inactivity, when the person is moving about or not moving. These sensors either link to a personal pager used by the carer (in the same house), or link to the Bupa monitoring centre, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the first time this technology has been linked in this way in New Zealand. This allows the person whose activity needs to be continually monitored more freedom in the home. Their carer can be more relaxed, secure in the knowledge that they will be alerted immediately, if needed.

There are three products available for supporting carers and people living with dementia or other medical conditions. A pressure mat sensor which can be placed in a range of locations and will trigger a pager or send a call to the monitoring centre when the person with dementia crosses the path of the mat, indicating that they are on the move.

The bed occupancy sensor works in a similar way and is activated when the person with dementia gets out of bed which in turn alerts the pager of the person in the home caring for them. This sensor can be set at various levels depending on the normal movement of the person ie. It can be set to trigger after the person has been absent from the bed after a set amount of time. This sensor can also be used for inactivity ie. If the person does not get out of bed at the pre determined time an alert will also be sent.

The third product is the property exit sensor that is triggered by the door opening. Generally used on a front or back external door, to indicate that the person is leaving the house.

Margaret Owens General Manager, Bupa Independent Living, said: “We want to help people stay safe, secure and independent in and around their homes. Caring for someone at home with a medical condition or disability can be a stressful role and these sensors can reduce some of this stress. These solutions are designed to offer peace of mind to friends and family and provide support for living with the condition stay in their own home.”

For enquiries about Bupa Personal Medical Alarms, call 0800 60 80 99 or visit www.bupa.co.nz.

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