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For Those Eager To Grow Old In The Comfort Of Home, High-Tech Solutions

(CBS)  For Sandy Davis and her 89-year-old mother, Margaret, the idea of growing old together comes with both comfort and fear, CBS News science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg reports.

"See, my brother wants us to move to an assisted-care program," Sandy says.

"But I don't want to," Margaret said.

Sandy is convinced their age-old problem could be improved with some new-age ideas.

"The technology is there, we just need to figure out how we can orchestrate it to live comfortably," Sandy said.

That's exactly what Prof. Gregory Abowd of Georgia Tech is trying to do in an experimental home, full of high-tech tools to help the elderly. For example, motion detectors throughout the house track a resident's daily movements and send them to an unobtrusive photo frame located in any relative's home. It's connected to the Internet.

"If it's a circle, there's no activity recorded, small butterfly little bit of activity; big butterfly a lot of activity," Abowd said. "So you can compare whether today is like a typical day or not."

Tap on the screen and it reveals a more detailed hourly snapshot.

"So you're able to see whether she's spending more time in the kitchen or living room," Sieberg said.

Having memory problems? How about a cell phone that automatically records the last 30 seconds of everything you hear.

Another handy innovation: A tiny chip in a drug label, referred to as a "tag," meant to track whether someone has taken their regular medications.

"The tray here knows when that tag is present or when it's away," Abowd said.

The computer keeps a record of it, and can share information with relatives elsewhere, which in Sandy's case might put loved ones more at ease.

"My brother would probably calm down about us selling this place and moving to an assisted care program, because he would have access to see what we're doing, what's going on in our household," Sandy said.

Researchers say most of these home enhancements are less than five years away from the market.

But if Sandy and her mother can wait to join the digital generation, they might be able to stay right where they are.

[michellem99-2009]

nice ideas.. there are seniors that are not comfortable with hi tech things..they can''t afford them..some don''t own a computer..It is one use to stop senior abuse that happens in them homes the want to put the seniors. My room mate hates the computer. He has lifeline.