Smart House Monitors Senior Safety

This medical video focus' on the new technological monitors that can be put in your house to help safety for elderly.

Jennifer Matthews: Most mornings Audery Mitchell remembers to take her medication. But sometimes at night she forgets. Audery Mitchell: That takes a little more remembering. Jennifer Matthews: But she's not the only one keeping track. Wireless technology allows scientists more than 20 miles away to see when Audery opens her pill box. Tamara Hayes: We do have some people who actually are very adherent. They take it on time everyday, same time, no problems. We also have people who think they take it on time every day, no problems, but in fact, they miss it very frequently. Jennifer Matthews: Audery is one of 50 people in Oregon with motion sensors in their apartment that allow scientists to track changes in her activity. Jeffrey A. Kaye: If you have a system at home where you're actually literally able to capture what's happening, 24x7, literally, you really have a much greater opportunity of checking or finding when trouble is beginning, way earlier. Jennifer Matthews: The monitoring devices can act as early warning signals when people are developing dementia or Alzheimer's. This system alerts caregivers if a patient falls while getting out of bed. Jeffery A. Kaye: This is not some kind of world's fair, future home that we'll never see. At least what we're doing is we're trying to devise ways of bringing this to people within the next few years. Jennifer Matthews: Of course, there's a trade-off. The person being monitored gives up some privacy, but Audery doesn't mind. Audery Mitchell: I don't find it intrusive at all, not at all. Jennifer Matthews: If her mind starts to fade, she says she wants someone to know about it. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.