This might seem invasive for many smart-wearable users, who prefer to use their smartwatches to track fitness levels and do quick info checks without pulling out their phones. For seniors and those caring for (or worried about) them, it’s a real relief.
The Tempo by CarePredict is a pretty nifty little piece of tech. The wearable part is a sensor that tracks motion and charges wirelessly. The other parts of the system are the receivers: beacons spread throughout the home to determine location, and a hub that serves as the main connection to the software.
The Tempo program records the user’s activities in an online journal, so caregivers can check in on their loved ones from anywhere with Internet access. Tempo alerts the care network assigned in the app to significant changes in the wearer’s daily pattern that may signal that something is wrong.
Context is key with this program. The Tempo’s website makes the good point: “lying for two hours in the living room may be a nap,” but the same is unlikely to be said of lying for two hours on the bathroom floor (unless that’s where grandpa usually does his calisthenics).
Of course, there are other services out there that can monitor people who may need help. Take Life Alert, for instance, which provides seniors with a little button on a necklace that can summon help with one push. Life Alert’s call center would have all the info about the senior on file — like medications, doctors, and caregivers — including the address, so help can be sent as quickly as possible. However, the resident has to push it.
Devices of that nature are reactive and most effective when combating emergencies. By comparison, the Tempo is designed to predict — as in the company name, “CarePredict” — downturns in user’s health before they become emergencies.
The watch itself has changeable bands for different looks, which may make it easier to give this smartwatch as a gift without explaining exactly what it does. Those seniors who don’t mind the life-tracking nature of the device will never have to cry “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”
That is, after the device launches; it’s now available for preorder at $169.
