What tech can I use to keep an eye on an aging parent?

My mum is in her mid-sixties, and lives alone. She's very active, but naturally we worry about things like: what if she falls or is otherwise incapacitated and can't get to a phone? She has a Moto G (Android), so I've been looking for an app that can run in the background and notify me if certain conditions are met. Say, for example, she doesn't use her phone for 24 hours. I've found one called Man Down, which I thought might do the job, but it would require her to log into the app regularly and set it up. I was looking for a "set it and forget it" solution. I've also searched for an IFTTT script – say, alert me if she doesn't log into Facebook for a day – but with no success.


I'm looking for a light-touch solution. She's not elderly, and I don't want her to feel like she's losing any freedom or independence. Do you have any suggestions? Stephen


Countries in the developed world, particularly Japan, have aging populations, and monitoring the safety of older people is becoming a big business. It's a market that American companies such as GrandCare Systems, Healthsense (eNeighbor), Independa and Lively are already addressing, and the New York Times ran an interesting story about the subject: Technologies Help Adult Children Monitor Aging Parents. However, most require monthly payments, and I haven't seen any similar services in the UK.


In the UK, of course, we have the Age UK personal alarm service. This "personal emergency response system" (PERS) uses a base station that connects to Age UK’s 24-hour emergency response centre. The user wears a small personal alarm. Pushing the alarm button connects them to the response centre and summons help. A self-installed system costs £69 then £3.47 per week, where neither price includes VAT.


Your mother will probably have heard of Age UK's service, it retains her independence, isn't intrusive, and would be entirely under her control. However, it's relatively expensive, and it doesn't do very much in comparison with American systems like GrandCare. That would allow you to monitor your mother's weight and blood pressure, track her movements around the house, and know when she opened the fridge door, for example. The system described in the New York Times story cost $8,000 to install plus $75 per month. The cost depends on the features, and most are simpler and cheaper. However, a comprehensive system may well be worth the money if it enables an older person to continue living independently at home (in the US jargon, "aging in place") rather than being moved to a care home.


Home monitoring cameras can also be purchased cheaply as webcams and baby monitors. Parents often use these to keep an eye on small children even while they're at home, and they can also be accessed remotely via the net. In this case, they may also function as babysitter monitors. You could use the same sort of thing to monitor an aging parent, as long as the parent is keen on the idea. It sounds too intrusive for someone in their 60s, but might be acceptable to someone a couple of decades older.


Mind the app

A smartphone app sounds like a good idea, and while I haven't tried it,ManDown should suit some users. ManDown will send an alert if an Android or Apple phone is immobile for a pre-set time, up to 24 hours. It also includes an SOS button. It looks as though your mother would have to reset it each day, but the website says: "For an elderly person living alone, the ManDown app turns their phone into a check-in device. Just set the timer for a once or twice per day movement."


ManDown is very cheap at $1.99 and there are no monthly fees. It sounds very close to what you want, so it's probably worth a closer look. If it's not quite right, ManDown's publisher has a web feedback form. I'd certainly give that a try. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anything better than ManDown for what you want. Maybe readers can suggest something.


What about Fitbit?


While I can see a growing market in devices and systems that monitor older people, this is really part of a much larger market that now comes under the general heading of "quantified self". Millions of people are now measuring and monitoring their own vital signs with the aim of living a healthier life.


Quantified selfers measure things like heart rates, blood pressure, calorie intake, blood sugar levels, sleep quality and, most of all, the number of steps they take each day. There are lots of wearable devices to help, such as the Fitbit trackers, Jawbone UP, and Samsung Gear Fit. Most if not all them connect to a smartphone, though ideally, you'd want one that supported low energy Bluetooth LE. This is sometimes called Bluetooth Smart, and first appeared as Nokia Wibree in 2006, before being merged into Bluetooth 4.0. Happily, the Motorola Moto G supports Bluetooth LE.

Your mum is probably not a quantified selfer, but plenty of older people use pedometers to measure how many steps they take, so she might be interested in trying a Fitbit Zip, Fitbit One or Fitbit Flex wristband. The device uploads data to the Fitbit website via a PC with a wireless sync dongle or an Android or iPhone app. It syncs automatically to Bluetooth LE, so she would just have to give you access to her Fitbit data ("share with friends"), and you'd have a good indication that she was OK.


Also, watch the watches. There's a lot of interest in smartwatches at the moment, but very few sales. However, Apple is expected to announce a health-monitoring smartwatch this year, so the market could take off. A smart watch could be a solution, though no doubt it will be much more expensive than a Fitbit.


I'd encourage your mum to take the Fitbit route. She can track steps, calories burned, or distance and, with the more expensive models, sleep. The gamification elements will encourage her to be more active and thus healthier, but she will have control. You could get one too.