The GPS shoes from GTX ( GTXO - news - people ) tackle another senior problem--folks

The GPS shoes from GTX ( GTXO - news - people ) tackle another senior problem--folks who have Alzheimer's who wander and are at risk of getting lost or injured. A GPS device in one of the shoes will alert a caregiver if the wearer leaves a specified area. Don't expect the latest styles from Nike ( NKE - news - people ) or Steve Madden ( shoo - news - people ) . The manufacturer is Aetrex Worldwide, an orthodic and medical specialty shoe maker. Roll-out is expected by year's end. Read the full story Keeping an eye on Mom and Dad Remote monitoring technology aims to keep seniors in their houses and out of nursing homes Over the coming months a raft of new-and-improved remote monitoring devices will hit the market, from GPS shoes that can track the whereabouts of wandering seniors to MedCottages, portable RV-like units equipped with motion and monitoring systems that allow seniors to maintain some independence from the backyard of their adult childrens’ homes. “As we age, this is going to be a growing trend,” says Laurie Orlov, a Florida-based expert on so- called “aging-in-place technology” aimed at keeping seniors in their houses and out of nursing homes as long as possible. “We have to get past the fear and antagonism among the older people who need it the most. I don’t think they’re that technology-ready, but the boomers, who are their adult children, certainly are.” Motion sensors strategically placed in the three-bedroom home where Howe has lived for 53 years feed information right to her daughter’s laptop, detailing when she got out of bed (the Friday we chatted it was 9 a.m.), walked into the bathroom (9:15 a.m.) or hovered at the kitchen table where she keeps her pills (9:30 a.m.) Even her blood-pressure reading (165/76) is fed to her daughter’s computer, along with her daily weigh-in tally, providing a detailed graph which she often takes to her doctor appointments. The only thing GrandCare can’t tell Pierce, because her system doesn’t include cameras, is if her mother actually swallowed her pills. Monitoring and in-home help technologies will be a $20 billion U.S. business in North America by 2020, predicts Orlov, founder of Aging In Place Technology Watch. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_018171