Senior Living in Florida: Why Communities Need to Stay Current With Technology

If you are searching for senior living in Florida, one thing on your list should be to learn how the community stays abreast of technology. Technology is an important part of daily life at every age, and finding a senior living community committed to innovation is important. Senior citizens should feel comfortable in using technology and we should facillitate that, checking out cell phones for seniors can help them take a further step in learning technology, with a clear screen and big letters/numbers, this will help them stay up to date and feel happy using them. Knowing how older adults are using technology to stay independent and engaged will help you make the most of your senior living search.

Seniors and Technology

According to a 2017 Pew Internet Research survey, seniors are adopting technology in ever-increasing numbers. Here’s what researchers discovered:

• Older adults are surfing the net: 82% of seniors aged 60–69 and 75% of those aged 70–74 use the internet regularly.
• Tablets are also popular: One-third of seniors report owning and using a tablet device of some kind.
• Socially connected: Older adults find social media an easy way to connect with friends and loved ones. 47% of adults aged 60–69 and 41% of those 70–74 are active on social media. Seniors use technology for a variety of other reasons, too.

Technology and Senior Living in Florida

Residents in Sonata Senior Living communities in Florida also take advantage of technology for a variety of activities:

1. Wearable technology: An active lifestyle helps us all live longer, healthier lives. Seniors find tech products that track their activity during the day to be useful. These devices can monitor how many steps the wearer has taken that day and how long they have been sitting still. Some devices can even alert the senior when it’s time to move. This prevents an older adult from becoming too sedentary, a condition researchers now say is just as dangerous as smoking.

2. Video chat: Many families are scattered across the country. This makes it more difficult for everyone to stay connected. Video services like Skype are popular with older adults. Look for a senior living community in Florida that helps residents connect with loved ones by video chat. Nothing beats a “face-to-face” conversation with a grandchild!

3. Health records: Digitally storing medical information is also easier with today’s technologies, and doing so allows adult children to quickly view the information, too. The senior and their loved ones can access and update files from the comfort of their favorite chair. A few tools that score well on family reviews include CareZone and MyMedical.

4. Reading: Tablets have made it much easier and less expensive for seniors to borrow books virtually from their local library. They can use the senior living community’s WiFi service to download books and magazines to read at no cost.

5. Brain health: There are a variety of brain apps that seniors can download to a tablet. The apps have games that are fun to play while also encouraging cognitive health.

6. Emergency alerts: Technology also makes it easier to keep seniors safer in much subtler ways than in the past. GPS tracking bracelets that can track an older adult’s location in real time look more like a watch than a security system. Pendants and bracelets that can be used to summon help are more discreet today than ever before.

At Sonata Senior Living communities in central and south Florida, we are committed to innovation in every aspect of our residents’ daily lives. From safety to resident care, we invite you to schedule a personal tour to see how we embrace technology.