Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide. 37.3 million falls that are severe enough to require medical attention occur each year.
According to the WHO website each year an estimated 684 000 individuals die from falls globally and adults older than 60 years of age suffer the greatest number of fatal falls.
Whilst prevention is the best strategy against elderly falls, a mitigation plan should include a way to detect the fall as soon as possible and do something about it.
If you search the Internet for "fall alarm", "fall detector for elderly", or "fall alarm system for seniors" you would find tons of clip-on or wrist-type gadgets. But the good news is that the latest hearing aid from Starkey is what you are waiting for plus a lot more.
I see more and more interest in health-related features in advanced hearing aids among seniors with hearing loss, and also their children who are looking after them and have a concern about their mobility and well-being.
Here are a few of the health-related features that senior users could benefit from in addition to the crystal clear sound of Starkey Evolv:
Fall detector - As soon as the wearer of the Starkey Evolv falls a signal will be sent to the smartphone of the people in the SOS register list of the patient. This is simply a lifesaver feature. Learn more about this feature on the Starkey website.
Personal reminders - Ask Starkey Evolv "Remind me to take medicine every day at 10 pm" and you will never forget to take your medicines again. This is a great feature for patients who have memory loss, dementia or are simply too busy with life that they forget their medicine or other health routines.
Activity tracking - The hearing aid through its App can track your activity including how much you have spent moving, walking running, and also how much time you spent in a conversation (a mind exercise).
Voice command - You can have voice commands to your Starkey Evolv hearing aids. Here are a few examples: "Change my hearing aid memory to the restaurant", "Unmute my hearing aid", or "Increase volume". This is a great and unique feature for people with dexterity or arthritis issues that have problems adjusting the volume on the hearing aid or the smartphone app.
Find my hearing aids, find my smartphone - If you lost your smartphone you can ask your Starkey Evolv to send a ring signal to your smartphone. On the other hand, if you misplaced your hearing aids you can locate them on the Thrive App with very good proximity.
Last but not least is that a pair of hearing aids doing additional health-related functions would eliminate the need of carrying, charging and maintaining other devices around. With Starkey Evolve the wearer only needs to put the hearing aids on and that's it, set to go.
Please note that most of the above features are only available in the top-of-the-range Starkey Evolv AI 2400. Please contact us or book a free consultation if you have any questions about this health-centred hearing aid and its features.
Learn more about what to consider when you purchase a pair of hearing aids in the UK.
