Caregiving for a family member has become a new job title for many relatives. Currently, 39% of U.S. adults provide care for a loved one. This statistic has increased 9% from 2010. Long-distance caregiving for an elderly parent is common due to families relocating based on a specific career path. Research has found that many caregivers utilize technology to help diagnose and manage their loved one’s health care whether they live in close proximity or far away.

A product that I have found to be helpful in my patient advocacy business for family caregivers is called UP developed by Jawbone. It is a $130 wristband that is used in  conjunction with a free Internet app to track your daily sleep, food consumption and mobility. It is very user-friendly and provides data that can help you proactively manage your health. The data obtained will allow you to make informed decisions on current and anticipated care needs.

Since sleep patterns change considerably as we age, especially for individuals living with dementia, it is beneficial to know not only when one falls asleep throughout the day but also how long do they sleep and how frequently do they get up.

It has been stated that 10,000 steps per day for an active person is a healthy goal. But what about an elderly person who has a medical condition that affects his/her mobility? The UP wristband will allow you to track on a daily basis the amount of steps taken. This information can be used to justify increasing therapy and/or revising an exercise plan to maintain or improve results.

Food consumption can be monitored once it has been entered into the application. Depending on the cognition level of the older adult, someone may need to assist during this process or you can choose not to track food intake and calories.

If an in-home caregiver has been hired or an assisted living community is utilized, this is also a good way to monitor their personal care for your loved one.

For more information about UP, visit https://jawbone.com/up.