The current health emergency has led to profound changes in our everyday life.
We have changed our habits, the way we interact with others and the order and nature of our priorities.
This major revolution has also led us to reassess concepts that we only considered as negative before, such as distancing, or to reconsider the usefulness of tools that we previously viewed exclusively as troublesome complications, such as technology.
Lockdown also taught us that not only can we take care of our loved ones, but that it is also important to do so, even from a distance.
It taught us that the gap created by physical distance can be closed by technology and that focusing on our own and our loved ones’ health is essential, and not just during a pandemic.
This is precisely the reason why we are acting as the spokesperson for an innovative, technological service: an application that is intended as a valid means of support of family safety.
A simple and concrete aid that uses technology to provide a complete solution for remote care of your loved ones.
We discussed it with Stefano Monti, the marketing manager of famil.care
Hello Stefano. Could you tell us what famil.care is?
Famil.care is a remote assistance app for the elderly. It is a simple and innovative system that offers concrete assistance to elderly people and their relatives, both in everyday life and in emergencies.
Could you explain to us in detail what it is exactly?
Famil.care is an application that can be downloaded from app store or play store. It is a system that allows you to care for your loved ones at a distance, whether they are self-sufficient or not.
The system is simple and innovative: the caregiver or a relative downloads the application onto their own mobile telephone and onto the telephone of the elderly person requiring care. Once the settings have been entered, the application allows the elderly person, for any need or in an emergency, to contact their relatives or the caregiver simply with a click in the app or by pressing just one button.
So famil.care uses the technological functions of a smartphone, but also includes an actual physical device, correct?
Yes, exactly. Our system includes the possibility of using a small button. It is a handy and discreet accessory, about the size of a two Euro coin, which the elderly person can wear like a pendant, thanks to the cord included in the box. The button is waterproof and has an integrated battery with a two-year warranty on functioning without charging.
The presence of an accelerometer also means that it automatically detects a fall.
That’s all clear. But let us return to the app. Could you explain its functions more precisely?
Simply by opening the application, it is possible to know where our loved ones are at all times, to monitor the battery charge on their device and call them on speaker or make a video call, in order to check that they are okay.
What happens in an emergency?
When the elderly person presses the button or clicks on the help button in the app, the application automatically calls the people who can help them, in the order of priority set by the relative or caregiver. Each person contacted can decide whether to handle the emergency directly or to contact someone else. In the event that no relative is close by at the time, the application will automatically contact the 112 single emergency number, requesting assistance in the geographical position where the elderly person concerned is located.
What are the costs of this system?
The application can be downloaded free of charge and used without obligation for a trial period of thirty days. The service is then proposed with an annual or monthly subscription.
The cost is 99 Euro for the annual subscription, with a single payment, or 8.90 Euro per month for twelve months, with an activation cost of 10 Euro, for the monthly subscription. The remote assistance button is included in both cases, at no extra charge.
Thank you Stefano. One last thing – where did the idea come from?
The founders and creators of this app have a lengthy background in digital technology and particularly in the development of mobile applications. However, the idea actually came from their own personal experience working abroad, when they needed to find a simple and functional solution for taking care of their relatives while they were away.
To find out more about famil.care
visit the website here
download the app on Google Play Store here
download the app on App Store here