Supporting people with loss of autonomy to remain at home is a major social challenge today. Despite population aging and the rise of chronic illnesses, staying at home remains the overwhelming preference of those affected. In fact, 90% of older adults experiencing loss of autonomy want to continue living at home (1).
This wish is also largely shared by caregivers, who want to support their loved one, vulnerable due to age or illness, within their familiar environment. For them, institutional placement, such as a nursing home, often feels imposed, and is accompanied by feelings of guilt or frustration (1).
Yet, the reality is not simple. Facing the loss of autonomy of a loved one is demanding for caregivers, even with home support services. Despite existing assistance, the daily burden remains heavy. In this context, could remote monitoring provide a valuable solution?
The Burden of Caregivers in Home Support
“Supporting people with loss of autonomy to remain at home is a major social challenge today.”
Loss of autonomy creates numerous daily challenges: regular in-home help is often required, living environments must be adapted, continuous presence is needed, and many everyday tasks require support.
Beyond the practical aspects, caregivers face another often underestimated dimension: the psychological toll of their role. Among those regularly supporting a relative aged 60 or older, 37% report at least one mental health impact, such as exhaustion, loneliness, depression, or anxiety (2).
Even with professional help, knowing their loved one is alone at home remains a major source of worry for caregivers. This concern is legitimate: vulnerable individuals face many risks depending on their health status. The most common is falling. Each year, nearly one third of people over 65 living at home experience a fall. Consequences are significant: in 10% of cases, serious physical trauma occurs. Psychologically, falls can also provoke lasting anxiety or even a persistent fear of falling again (3).
Beyond falls, other uncertainties fuel daily worry: no news for hours, doubts about medication or meals, or the risk of wandering for disoriented individuals. These unanswered questions inevitably increase mental strain, keeping caregivers in a state of constant vigilance: “Is everything okay? Did they eat? Have they gone out?”
How then can home care be made safer without compromising caregivers’ own balance? Could remote monitoring provide a fitting response to this complex equation?
Remote Monitoring as an Ally
Remote monitoring refers to systems that use electronic devices (sensors, cameras, alarms, etc.) to detect and signal unusual or risky events in a given place. It is widely used to protect people and property by transmitting alerts to a monitoring center or authorized responders.
This should not be confused with medical remote monitoring, which is part of telemedicine and involves tracking patients’ health conditions remotely via connected medical devices.
In the context of home support, traditional remote monitoring offers real benefits. It ensures continuous surveillance, especially when the person is alone. If an anomaly occurs, such as a fall, lack of movement, or pressing an emergency button, an alert is immediately sent, allowing family or professionals to react quickly.
For caregivers, these systems provide a reassuring form of remote presence. They also help reduce mental strain, by ensuring constant surveillance without the need to remain permanently on edge.
The Limits of Remote Monitoring
However, traditional monitoring devices are far from a perfect solution in caregivers’ eyes. Many criticize the intrusiveness of these systems: cameras, microphones, and personal data collection are often perceived as disturbing, even degrading, by those being monitored.
Another limitation: most systems are designed around alerts. They notify caregivers only when something goes wrong. Outside of emergencies, they remain silent, a silence that is anything but comforting. Instead, it creates ongoing tension, keeping caregivers in a state of anxious anticipation. They long for reassurance, yet the very tool designed to bring peace of mind often maintains a climate of worry.
Are There Better Remote Monitoring Options?
Thanks to innovation and research, new monitoring solutions have emerged, designed with caregivers’ needs in mind. These modern systems aim to enrich home care by offering a balance between safety, discretion, and peace of mind.
Zensor Care is a strong example, providing a reassuring and non-intrusive solution designed to ease caregivers’ daily lives while respecting everyone’s privacy.
Privacy First
Zensor Care offers a discreet, respectful form of presence, far removed from the intrusive nature of cameras or microphones.
The principle is simple: small, discreet sensors are placed in strategic areas of the home aligned with daily routines (e.g., refrigerator door, kitchen cabinet, front door). These sensors detect activity patterns without using cameras or microphones, avoiding any intrusion into private life. Data collection is kept minimal, ensuring personal information remains secure.
Caregivers can then access an intuitive mobile app, designed for ease of use even by those less familiar with digital tools. It provides real-time updates such as “Fridge opened at 8:15 am” or “Bathroom door closed at 10:00 am”.
Reassurance Through Positive Signals
This ingenious solution allows caregivers to know their loved one is fine, without disturbing them or needing to check constantly in person. It provides much-needed peace of mind by delivering positive, reassuring signals every day.
Where traditional devices only react to problems, Zensor proactively reassures by providing signs of normal life. This shift transforms passive surveillance into a calming presence.
Instead of stress from silence or anxious anticipation of bad news, caregivers gain a tool that allows them to feel reassured anytime, from home, work, or even across the globe.
A Family Testimonial
“Our family used Zensor motion detectors to support the well-being of our 88-year-old mother in her independent apartment. She has cognitive impairment, and we couldn’t install fall detectors on her as she would remove them. Zensor sensors were the perfect compromise, giving us peace of mind throughout the installation period. We could see if she was following her normal routines—whether she got up at night, moved around, etc. If there was no movement for a while, we could call. Thanks to these detectors, she was able to remain in her apartment a little longer.”
Conclusion
Home care is more than a service: it’s a life project, shared by older adults and their caregivers. It allows everyone to preserve familiar routines, autonomy, and dignity. But this choice often rests on caregivers’ full commitment, as they juggle daily support, professional care, and constant vigilance, at the risk of exhaustion. Their well-being, though essential, is too often neglected.
This is where remote monitoring comes into play. Thanks to recent innovations, it now offers a dual promise: protecting vulnerable individuals while also relieving caregivers’ mental burden.
Do you want to care for your loved one at home while regaining peace of mind?
Discover how Zensor Care helps you combine safety, privacy, and reassurance: https://zensor.ca/fr/learn-more-about-zensor/
References
(1) French Senate. (Oct 26, 2024). Maintien à domicile des personnes en perte d’autonomie. Written question no. 05089 – 16th legislature. https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2023/qSEQ230205089.html
(2) Léa Toulemon (Institute for Public Policy) (Oct 2024). Perte d’autonomie : quels effets sur la santé des proches aidants ? DREES reports, 122. https://drees.solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/publications-communique-de-presse/les-dossiers-de-la-drees/241002_DD_perte_autonomie
(3) Régis Gonthier. (June 2014). Épidémiologie, morbidité, mortalité, coût pour la société et pour l’individu, principales causes de la chute. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001407919312567