Innovative Refrigerator Safety Designs for the Elderly

Senior citizens are more likely to contract a foodborne illness because of their compromised immune systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smart refrigerators with IoT (Internet of things) technology offer data transmission/processing, sensor advancement and networking with other individuals. As people age, they might be more prone to make mistakes and can be forgetful. This developing technology will allow your parents and grandparents to continue living independently without worry that an accident may occur.

Keeping Foods Fresh and Nutritious

Elderly individuals may have a difficult time eating healthy and staying on track. Since nutrition is vital to a longer life, IoT refrigerators are being designed to assist. With a built-in cloud system, you can save recipes, use the system to shop for food and help with diet supervision to keep you motivated and in charge. You can connect through the refrigerator, your smartphone or tablet, indicated from a study conducted by the Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing.

IoT refrigerators have cameras to scan food products to see if the items are about to expire. If your favorite food is about to run out, the smart fridge will alert you. The fridge or freezer uses barcodes or RFID (radio frequency) scanning. This has a method in which to scan your fridge for ingredientsand look up a recipe based on the foods you currently have.

Freezing Technology

Freezers can hold a good quantity of food for a long period of time. However, at a certain point, ice crystals begin to form causing the food to have freezer burn. With IoT technology, your smart freezer can scan the products then alert you to use those products quickly. Monitoring temperatures on your freezer are important to keep meat fresh and your ice cream, creamy.

Monitoring for Maintenance

When the temperature changes or the power goes out, food can become dangerous. Some smart refrigerators can alert the homeowner or other members of the family in real time. If the power goes out, or a malfunction with the cooling element happens this technology gives you warning to move perishable foods or medicine that is kept refrigerated. The same setup can easily warn you if your freezer is heating up.

Smart refrigerators and freezers have the ability to transform the quality of life for seniors who wish to age in place, but studies are being conducted geared towards the advantages for families as well as the older generation. These reports have indicated that food storage and safety along with convenience is a high priority.

Water Safety Around The Home And Garden

Around ten deaths a day are due to accidental drowning, and one in five of those are children under the age of 14. Teaching children about water safety around the home is an important part of their learning. It doesn’t take much for a child to drown, but flooding can also be a serious problem in the home when taps are left on. Along with education, there are devices that can warn you before this happens to help keep your home and family safe.

 Cameras And Lights Can Improve Safety In The Garden

 75% of drowning deaths in children under 15 years old occur at a private residence, such as a family pool or a neighbor’s. Having a swimming pool or a pond in the backyard can make your home more enjoyable, but it presents risks to everyone, especially children. Children should be taught water safety and how to swim and tread water, should they ever fall into a pool. When someone is used to being in the water, they are less likely to panic if they fall in, and have a better chance of saving themselves. Having cameras and motion sensor lights around your pool can increase the chance of you noticing when someone falls into your pool or pond, and you will be able to help them quicker. You should also fence around pools so there’s less risk of falling in, and keep ponds away from where children will play.

 Kitchen And Bathroom Safety

 Kitchens and bathrooms have a lot of potential water safety issues, such as sinks and the bathtub. Drowning is the biggest risk, so young children should never be left unattended when using the kitchen or bathroom, but there’s also a risk of flooding if a faucet is left running, which can cause significant damage to your home. Bathtub and sink fill devices can be placed on the edge of the tub or sink at the maximum height you want it to be filled. When the water hits the sensor, a tune or alarm will go off to remind you to turn off the taps or notify you that someone has left them on. This is particularly useful for busy parents and people with memory problems, such as elderly family members.

It’s important that children aren’t afraid of water or swimming pools, but that they understand the risks involved and how little water is needed for drownings to occur. Teaching children to swim will make them more confident in and around the water, and if they ever find themselves in trouble, they’ll be more likely to be able to save themselves.

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