By Astro Teller, Ph.D.

Today’s world is a stressful one. Many people struggle daily to balance family and work demands and leave little time for them. As a caregiver, you are more than familiar with these daily challenges. Not only are you faced with the demands of your own life, but you are also responsible for the healthcare of another—realistically a full-time job in itself.

This physical and emotional overload is highly stressful and often kicks off an ugly cycle that many of you may experience. Your high stress leads to a stress-related illness, which in turn compromises your ability to provide quality care to your loved one.

You may ask yourself: “How can I give the best care possible when I can’t physically be there 24 hours a day seven days a week?” and “How can I be a good caregiver when I feel like I’m so run down I need my own caregiver?”

Wearable body monitoring may help you with both of these concerns.

Remote Care

Wearable body monitoring can help when you can’t physically be with your loved one. Your loved one wears something lightweight and comfortable that gathers information continuously about their body like heart rate, activity level, sleep state, and orientation, such as whether your loved one is lying down, sitting, or standing. This same device then reports this information via the Internet to your computer or cellphone. You can know immediately if your loved one has fallen, changed their sleep patterns in uncharacteristic ways, has been sedentary for too long, or is not getting enough exercise. Access to this kind of body-state awareness, anytime and anywhere, helps to reduce the worry and guesswork when you can’t be there, as well as give you the opportunity to intervene if something should go wrong, and your loved one is unable to contact you.

When your loved one wears a body monitor, it enables you to obtain some much-needed respite, and perhaps even take a walk with your neighbor, or go to lunch with a friend. Doing this helps you relax and reduce your stress as a caregiver, and it also helps your loved one feel a bit more independent and perhaps even get a much-needed break from you (everyone needs space). Now he or she does not necessarily need to be watched over 24/7 (depending on his or her condition—check with your doctor to be sure!)

Protect your Health

Many caregivers have concerns with stress, weight management, and sleep deprivation but don’t understand how to improve these issues. The same body monitors that can help your patient or loved one can also help you. Like your patients, leading a healthy lifestyle is the key to healthy living. Monitoring what you eat and how much exercise and sleep you get, can help you understand where you are deficient or out of balance. In the end, it’s this kind of body-knowledge that can help you manage weight, depression, and ultimately the onset of disease.

Practically speaking, good technology solutions to address your needs as a caregiver are available today, but there is much room for future improvements. Comments and suggestions from caregivers such as YOU can truly help companies such as BodyMedia work to evolve these products to meet your need. You can always go to www.BodyMedia.com to make suggestions.

In this picture, Ann is wearing a commercially available body monitor from BodyMedia. This particular body monitor records a range of physiological vital signs like skin temperature and motion many times a second and then obtains higher level statements about her, such as how many calories she has burned, her sleep/wake state, level of physical activity, and aspects of personal distress.

This body monitor is sold today in weight-loss markets, and for scientific research and home care. It is not yet sold specifically for caregiver support. For more information, consult your health professional or visit us online.