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TECH NOW: Best new tech to help aging parents

Jennifer Jolly
Special for USA TODAY
Tech can help the tech-savviest, selfie-snapping seniors, and even those not so savvy.

My newly retired mom is a fairly tech-savvy senior. She plays a mean game of Words With Friends, knows how to post photos on Facebook (not always a good thing), and shoots a decent selfie every now and again.

Turns out, these seemingly simple digital doses of daily life might soon be just what the doctor orders for both older adults and the people who love them.

TECH SUPPORT FOR 'AGING IN PLACE'

There's an elder-care tech evolution underway. For the sandwich generation — the one in every five Americans now caring for an aging parent, while also raising a family of their own — the latest tech tools can provide a watchful eye, constant connection and comfort on both sides knowing that you'll be there when your parents need you most.

For the 95% of people 75 and older who want to live out the remainder of their lives in the comfort of their own homes, gadgets can help hang on to independence longer, while also ensuring safety and comfort. And none of it has to cost a fortune or be overly complicated — a new study shows seniors who simply use Internet are less prone to depression.

Technology can help in other ways, keeping us connected with our older family members while at the same time enhancing their quality of life. Here are some of the best new tech tools at our beck and call to help our parents grow old with grace and gadgets.

SENSIBLE SENSORS

The Lively sensor-based activity tracking system is the coolest gadget I've reviewed so far that keeps a watchful, yet unobtrusive eye on loved ones. By attaching the suite of sensors to your parent's everyday items — like a bedroom door, medicine cabinet or other commonly used item — the system keeps tabs on their routines even when you're not around. Reports are generated in real time via the Web or smartphone app and can alert you if something seems out of the ordinary. One of the best things about Lively is that since it uses a cellular network to relay its information, it doesn't require a Wi-Fi connection in order to work.

If you're looking for a more eyes-on approach, for as little as $100 you can install a Dropcam or Piper in their house to check in on, and even talk with them, from half a world away. These cameras can give you a window into the home whenever you need it, and since the cameras themselves are small and elegant, they keep the creepy "I'm watching you" vibe to a minimum.

KEEPING IN TOUCH

Even in this day and age, some seniors resist using smartphones. They're often a bit too complicated, with tiny text and too many features. The Jitterbug Plus mobile phone is a great companion, with easy-to-use buttons and ultra basic on-screen commands. Forgetful users won't be punished for forgetting to charge it thanks to a stunning 25-day standby time, and since the phone uses GreatCall's own network, health professionals and emergency services are just a button press away. The phone is priced at a reasonable $100, with plans starting at just $15 a month.

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Your parents want their independence, and you want peace of mind. SmartSoles by GTX are a great way to to always know where your loved ones are without pestering them to check in. The GPS-equipped soles slide into any shoe and keep tabs via a simple Web app accessible from regular computers or smartphones. You can bring up the wearer's location at any time, which is perfect when your senior parent is running errands or suffers from memory loss. People with Alzheimer's or dementia don't always realize they're lost and, if frightened, might even decide to hide.

THE PILL PROBLEM

By age 70, people are taking an average of 12 medications a day. The inability to take them unsupervised accounts for up to 40% of nursing home admissions. The good news is that tech has stepped in with a solution in the form of automatic pill reminders. A company named E-pill offers several medication-monitoring gadgets such as the E-pill station, which stores a full month of medication and sounds an alarm when it's time to take them. There's also the E-pill Multiple Alarm Plus, which can be programmed with over 40 different alarms and even reminds you if you've missed a dosage. For as little as $30 you can buy the Multi-alarm TimeCap, which fits onto a standard pill bottle and tells you the last time the meds were taken, complete with an alarm to keep track of forgotten doses.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

Research shows that nearly 40 million Americans are living with some degree of hearing loss, and many of them are our parents. Starkey's Halo hearing aid can help with this. Featuring Bluetooth connectivity, the Halo can stream phone calls directly to the hearing aid from an iPhone, and Apple's built-in virtual assistant Siri can respond to voice commands and read e-mails and texts on its own. It even has a "find my hearing aid" feature, its own version of "Find My iPhone" app. At more than $1,000, the Halo is pricey, but the good news is it may be covered under your parent's health insurance plan.

CLEANING UP

If your parents aren't as nimble as they once were, household chores can take on an extra degree of difficulty. But wait, we're living in the future! It's time to call in the robots. The Moneual Rydis H68 Hybrid robotic vacuum not only cleans both carpets and hard floors on its own, but it learns the best paths for each room it tackles, creating its own cleaning pattern and hitting all the nooks and crannies. It even docks and charges itself when it's low of power, making it well worth the $499 asking price.

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech contributor and host of USA TODAY's digital video show TECH NOW. E-mail her at techcomments@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly.

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