with increasing age With the population eager to remain in their own homes, elder care is a growing issue in the United States. Whether people are dealing with chronic illness, dementia, or simply having difficulty getting to the store, we will all need some help at the end of our lives. Even elders with paid caregiving still need support from their families, and those who cannot afford care need double the support.
But you may also have children to care for, a partner to support, and a challenging career. If you don't live near your parents, it's not always possible to visit, and even if you do, busy lives can get in the way. You'll be concerned about whether they're taking their medications, eating properly, and avoiding rising tides stalker scamsIf you can't reach them on the phone, the fear that they may have fallen and be unable to get up is excruciating.
JubileeTV is part of a new wave of products and services that seek to give you insight into how your elderly relative is doing and empower you to help from your own home. It's a package that includes a box designed to sit on top of the TV to enable video calls, sharing of family photos and videos, and reminders for medications, appointments, and other important events. For those who need it, JubileeTV can track activity and attendance, and enables you to control the TV from anywhere on your phone.
I've been testing JubileeTV for the past few weeks. It all seems a bit complicated, requires an expensive subscription, and raises privacy concerns. But it makes it easy to stay in touch, boasts some thoughtful features, and can make life simpler for many families by reducing the burden of elder care.
senior setup
Installing JubileeTV is a challenge, and you'll want to do it for your grown-ups (there's an option to book an individual installation for $99 or video call assistance for free). Everything is color-coded, and the instructions are great, but set aside at least a half hour. A TV with an HDMI port and a Wi-Fi network is required.
Photograph: Simon Hill
JubileeTV looks like a bulky set-top box and is designed to work with your relatives' existing TVs and services. To be clear, it doesn't provide any content, so you still need it a netflix subscription Or cable service. For all the features to work, you need to plug a TV and a cable, set-top box, or streaming player into the JubileeTV box (you can connect up to three devices via HDMI). I tested with a rokubut check Jubilee Website For a list of supported devices before purchasing. It also has a special split power cable and smart plug, so you can connect the TV and box to the same outlet and control them remotely.