Seniors and the Benefits of ‘Digital Living Skills’

There is an unfortunate “technology gap” between generations. Younger generations know there is an expectation to help the seniors in their lives with electronics. As it turns out, seniors don’t want to be left behind and new technologies can greatly enhance their lives. They don’t want to consistently rely on others when it comes to technology. This presents an opportunity for support and encouragement that caters to their needs and comfort with technology.

In the 10 years PocketFinder has been serving families and businesses, we’ve witnessed technology exceed expectations, especially when it comes to benefitting seniors. 

A recent study performed in Australia found that smart devices designed for the home improve the overall well-being of seniors. Not only is there an eagerness to learn, but once learned, there is continued success with other useful technologies. It’s about finding the best ways for seniors to understand various technologies and designing technologies around the needs of seniors. 

For instance, seniors in the study preferred devices with tactile feedback and no disturbances at night. With PocketFinder, our personal tracker has an SOS button built into the hardware; alert notifications make sound through your phone with a text explanation. Even with the personal tracker automatically locating, Track Mode is a convenient way to locate between tracking cycles. These are multiple features that are easy to set up, even if you’re in another state setting up for them, and have been developed based on feedback from the families of seniors that use our technology. 

As the study eloquently states, there are “benefits, opportunities, and challenges of incorporating smart home devices in the homes of older people”. But there can’t be any doubt these challenges can be overcome. We see this with current technology for seniors. There are already apps that schedule and alert for medications, with some that even alert the family once medication is taken. There are smart watches that track your steps, heart rate, and even sleep patterns. Hearing aids and blood sugar devices now have bluetooth capabilities so you can store all the information on your phone. Even in the world of mental health, you can play video games with family directly through your phone when in-person game night is missed.

Seniors not only need opportunities to learn digital living skills, they need to be provided with affordable and reliable internet services so said skills can be acquired. Spotty coverage will only add to the initial frustration and further set seniors back from their full potential. 

A core goal of PocketFinder is to provide independence for those being tracked. This can be seniors, children with autism, new teen drivers, and even employees. Those who monitor get the peace of mind from accurate locations and those being tracked can continue to enjoy their independence.  

PocketFinder is proud to continuously work towards bettering technology for seniors and all who benefit from our services.