Chronic illness takes many different forms. I have been living with IBD as just one example for over 4 years now and although I have learned to manage it, it still has a huge impact on my every day life and can often be very unpredictable.
Tech can play a vital role in helping to manage many forms of chronic illness. Here are some examples of how technology can assist and how you can potentially use gadgets to manage your condition.
Monitoring Stats
With many chronic illnesses, it’s important to monitor various health stats such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, blood glucose levels and blood cholesterol. While doctors can run tests to measure these stats, people with chronic illness are increasingly being encouraged to do their own monitoring from home. This can be much more convenient and can allow you to much more easily track your illness. Some wearable devices can also offer remote monitoring so that doctors can also take a look at your stats whenever they need to. Some can even provide alerts when certain stats reach worrying levels. This can be very useful when dealing with conditions like heart disease and kidney disease.
Organising Pills
If you have to take a myriad of pills each day, a pill dispenser could be a useful gadget. These machines can alert you when you need to take certain pills and dispense the right pills for you. They’re designed primarily for people with dementia, but can actually be useful for anyone who has to take lots of pills as managing lots of different medication can get confusing.
Administering Injections
Got diabetes? If you need to inject yourself, you could consider looking into tech in order to help with this process. Insulin pumps can reduce the need for multiple daily manual injections and are compactly designed so that you can take them around with you wherever you go. Such gadgets can also monitor your blood sugar levels and automate insulin injections accordingly.
Relieving Pain
A lot of chronic illnesses can be very painful. Examples include sciatica, arthritis, fibromyalgia and IBS. Massages are a popular way of relieving pain caused by these conditions. Of course, not all of us have a massage therapist that we can call upon at any hour. This is where gadgets can come in use. Electronic massagers can provide pain relief when we need it. These include gadgets such as massage back patches, massaging chairs and massage guns.
Getting Around
If you have a chronic illness that affects your mobility, there are many forms of technology that you can use to get around this. Electric wheelchairs can help when getting around in indoor spaces – modern models are very easy to control and are often very compact to help get around tight spaces. When it comes to going up stairs, some people find it beneficial to install a stairlift, which could allow you to continue living in a home with two or more floors. As for negotiating outdoor spaces, a mobility scooter is the best solution. There are many compact versions that are great for travelling with, as well as fast versions for road use that can be useful for getting around more speedily without a car. Take the time to explore different options to help you get around.
Post in collaboration
Follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
