Tracking Devices for Older People: Features & Benefits

Smart tracking devices for older people are an ideal way to keep track of your elderly.

With ageing our parents and grandparents become vulnerable. Some of the biggest concerns we hear about old age are increased risk of falls/slips, Alzheimer’s, and dementia-related wandering.

You also can not stay physically with your elders 24hrs, but you can still protect and monitor them remotely using IoT technology. There are IoT based tracking devices for older people that keep you connected with your parents all the time even when you are far away from them.

This article is written to make us understand the importance of these devices and how they work.

Know About Tracking Devices for Older People

Currently, with the advancement of IoT technology, there have been developed and introduced several tracking devices for the elderly.

These tracking devices track the elderly’s movements, ensure their safety, and improve the overall quality of life by offering significant peace of mind to family members.

Although tracking devices can be of various types. It can be either a location-tracking device, activity-tracking device, or medical alert system.

1. Location Tracking Device

The most popular types of tracking devices for the elderly are location-tracking devices. With location tracking, family and caregivers can easily track the location of elders.

We all know that memory declines as people age, and seniors face the trouble of remembering routes, especially when it’s unfamiliar places.

A location tracking device helps in taking preventive measures and prevents the occurrence of situations like getting lost or going missing.

Location tracking devices are the best-suited solution for senior citizens with cognitive disabilities, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Activity Tracking Device

These activity-tracking devices or fitness trackers, are very common IoT wearable technology launched by big brands and are also available in smartphones.

These activity trackers track the activity of the wearer, like total steps taken by seniors, distance run, heart rate, SPO2, or total calories burned.

Some advanced activity trackers also record and monitor sleep quality, sleep patterns, and brain activity.

3. Personal Emergency Response System

The medical alert systems, or personal emergency response systems (PERS), are also tracking devices for senior citizens. These PERS devices detect and send fall/slip alerts if the wearer has gotten into an accident.

The device immediately sends SOS alerts to the wearer’s family, friends, or emergency helpline.
This kind of tracking device is best suited for seniors who live alone or are prone to heart attacks.

What are GPS Trackers for Seniors?

So, above, we discussed three types of senior citizen tracking devices. And one common thing among all three solutions is GPS tracking.

We cannot fully eliminate the risk of seniors wandering, but there are technologies like GPS tracking, that have recently emerged as the most relevant solution.

These GPS tracking solutions allow you to maintain the independence of the elders while also allowing you to actively monitor their, location, activity, and safety.

No, it’s not creepy. It’s a requirement to ensure the safety of our elders.

GPS trackers for seniors are small devices that can be easily attached to your elder’s clothing, belongings, or accessories that can accurately track and monitor their whereabouts in real time.

These GPS tracking devices for older people are very similar to the GPS apps on mobile phones, as they coordinate with satellites to pinpoint elder’s locations at all times.

The GPS tracking devices also send alerts if elders wander from their homes or move beyond the predefined boundary (safe zones). These smart tracking devices are also equipped with SOS emergency buttons that seniors can press if they need help.

How do Tracking Devices for Elderly Parents Work?

The tracking devices developed for seniors are always easy to use and straightforward. There can be some differences depending on the type of IoT technology used in making the tracking device, but the workings of all the smart IoT solutions are almost the same.

To use the tracking device, the seniors must simply wear it as a wristband, pendant, lanyard, or belt/bag clip. Once the device is activated, it can then be connected to the mobile app, from where the family members and caregivers can track them and receive alerts and notifications.

All these tracking devices are either powered by Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity. Moreover, the entire tracking device combines technologies like GPS, cellular connectivity, and different types of sensors to track the movement and health of senior citizens.

For instance,
An 85-year-old grandfather, who has early signs of dementia but loves his freedom and wants to live alone, uses a senior citizen tracking device so that his family members always stay informed about his whereabouts.

Grandfather wears the tracking device on his wrist and is connected to a mobile app used by his family.

This way, grandfather continues doing his day-to-day activity, and the device continuously tracks his location using GPS.

One day, while on the evening walk, Grandfather took the wrong turn and got lost. His family, concerned about his delayed return, checks the app, to locate his position.

Using the app, the family guides the grandfather back home through a voice call.

Features of a Senior Citizen Tracking System

Tracking devices for older people are designed to provide safety, independence, and peace of mind for both the elderly individual and their caregivers. Some of the core features of a senior citizen tracking system are:

1. GPS Tracking:

Real-time location monitoring to determine the wearer’s whereabouts.
So, caregivers can monitor a senior’s whereabouts and assist if needed.

2. SOS Emergency Button:

SOS devices and panic button is a quick and easy way to request help in case of an emergency. This feature allows you to quickly summon help in case of falls, medical emergencies, or other crises. Plus, it automatically sends the wearer’s location to emergency services.

3. Fall Detection:

Detects falls and sends alerts to caregivers or emergency services, even if the wearer is unable to press the SOS button.
Helps in injury prevention as early intervention can minimize the impact of falls and prevent complications.

4. Geofencing:

Sets up virtual boundaries to receive alerts if the wearer leaves or enters a specific area.

5. Two-Way Communication:

Enables voice calls between the wearer and caregivers. Provides a direct line of communication between the senior and caregivers. Also enables clear and immediate communication during crises. 

6. Activity Monitoring:

Tracks daily activities to identify changes in physical activity levels and potential health concerns.
In addition, detects heart rate and inactivity periods that could increase fall risk.

Also read- Remote Patient Monitoring System Using IoT

The primary functionality of wearable tracking devices is to provide zone-based location tracking. The device uses GPS technology to pinpoint the wearer’s location. By incorporating these features, senior citizen tracking systems offer a comprehensive solution for maximizing safety and independence while providing peace of mind for both seniors and their loved ones.

To Sum Up,

Monitoring and tracking are considered the best ways to improve the care we provide for the elderly.
And we will surely need technology to monitor the elderly 24 hours a day, given how demanding their care can be.

Hope this blog provides you with enough information about what technology and features to consider while developing the best tracking devices for older people.

If you think it’s a brilliant idea to start a business around it and serve consumers, then PsiBorg Technologies is a tech partner you will need to help you with the tracking device.

PsiBorg is an IoT solution provider, with expertise in developing tracking solutions for all industries.

We have developed and delivered a pet-tracking solution and a smart kid-tracker solution.

The good thing is that you can easily get a customized solution with features as per your requirements.

So, contact us to discuss what type of senior citizen tracking solution you require. Meanwhile, explore our success stories to learn what types of IoT products we have developed and delivered till no