Elderly people have a higher chance of suffering from illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. One common health problem that affects them is Alzheimer' s disease, which affects a person' s memory, behavior, and thinking. Because of memory loss and behavioral changes, people with Alzheimer' s may slowly become unable to take care of themselves, eventually requiring constant care from family members or caregivers.
There is no cure for Alzheimer' s at the moment--drugs can only treat its symptoms.
But technology can improve the lives of those living with the condition by making it easier for them to go about their daily activities. For example, tracking devices placed in watches or jewelry can monitor where a person is. Automated reminders can also be stored in motion sensors and placed around the house. When a sensor detects movement, it can play a recorded voice message to remind the person to lock the door or turn off the stove.
Alzheimer' s disease is a huge challenge, but we may be getting close to finding a solution. In the future, it might be possible to treat Alzheimer' s without using drugs. A team of researchers in Australia has created a form of technology that can send sound waves into the brain. These sound waves help to clear waste in the brain that contributes to Alzheimer' s. The team has tested their technology and found that it helped to restore memory in 75 percent of mice. Work on the technology isn' t complete, but, if successful, it could prevent memory loss in people with Alzheimer' s. This really does fundamentally change the understanding of how to treat this disease and researchers foresee a great future for this approach.