Worried About Your Parents? Here’s How You Can Support Their Health From Afar
Those of us with aging parents likely worry about their health from time to time. From heart disease to dementia, there are a number of health risks that only increase as we get older.
While it would be nice to have a magic button we could press to teleport to our parents at any time, the reality is that keeping tabs on our aging parents’ health can be a challenge, especially if you’re separated by distance or isolation requirements. And there’s only so much you can gather about their health from a phone call or video chat.
Luckily, tech now exists that can give us a glimpse of how our parents – or any loved ones – are really doing, no matter how far apart. All it takes is one simple device and a free-to-download app on your smartphone.
Check their vitals with the iheart device
The iheart device is a small but powerful tool for measuring internal health. Safe and easy to use, it’s a fingertip oximeter that measures heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and breathing at the touch of a button. It also offers the highest resolution of any consumer oximeter on the market – in other words, it gives you the best detail and most accurate results.
Unlike other oximeters, the iheart device can accurately measure aortic stiffness, a scientifically proven indicator of risk of heart disease and cognitive decline.
The iheart device pairs with five easy-to-use apps on your smartphone to give you big-picture insights into your overall health.
Monitor their health from anywhere with iheart Remote
One of the apps that can pair with the iheart device is iheart Remote.
The iheart Remote app was designed to let you view another person’s heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and a visual display of their breathing patterns in real-time, from wherever you are. As long as your parents have an iheart device and a smartphone, you can easily and clearly see how well they’re doing on the inside.
This technology has endless applications. Here are a few examples*:
- Monitor the oxygen saturation of a parent with lung problems
- Find out how a parent is doing after a cardiovascular scare
- Check in with the health of a parent who is ill and at risk of health complications, such as breathing difficulties
How Does it Work?
Using the iheart device and iheart Remote app is easy enough for anyone to use.
Here’s how to get started:
- Both users must have the iheart Remote app installed on their smart device (free to download in Google Play and the App Store).
- One user clicks "New Session" which generates a connection code and an option to send via email or text.
- The app will prompt the user to connect with the iheart device. Insert left index finger fully and make sure to be seated comfortably on a chair with back support. Left hand should be resting on left thigh.
- The recipient will click "Join Session" and enter the code provided.
- After joining the session, the recipient will be able to watch the user's pulse wave in real time. *In addition, you can see blood oxygen saturation and heart rate. You can check up on a loved one, a patient or a client remotely, and take action if necessary.
*It is important to consult with your health care provider about what to look out for regarding heart rate and blood oxygen saturation. This device does not replace medical devices that monitor cardiovascular health, or any other medical device.
Stay connected to their health from anywhere
Take the guesswork out of caring for your aging parents. Whether you live down the street but can’t visit due to illness or you’re separated by thousands of miles, iheart Remote makes it easy to track the vital data of your loved ones near and far.
Learn more about iheart Remote
*iheart is intended for personal health and fitness assessment. It is not a medical device, and is not intended for diagnosis or to replace the advice of a healthcare provider.