New technology created to connect remote caregivers to elderly family

ATLANTA - Elder care in America means a lot of things. However you approach it, it takes time and money to be a good caregiver. 

Ideally, we all want to live as independently as possible for as long as we can. But there is this middle space between living alone and needing outside attention. This is called remote caregiving. Jubliee TV is something designed to bridge the gap. 

A recent survey shows that more than a third of remote caregivers dedicated over 10 hours a week to helping an older relative or friend. That's a part-time job. 

Jubilee TV is a box and a remote in a senior’s home that works with their TV because televisions and how they work are familiar to them. All of that connects to your phone through an app. It works as a passive eye, meaning you can see what’s happening in that home. It can detect movement or no movement. It can help you see if people are in the home who shouldn’t be there.

Creator Ashish Aggarwal says it’s really important for his family, so it can remind his father-in-law to take important and lifesaving medication daily.

"Now every single time he gets a reminder on the TV. The camera turns on. It takes a picture of him taking the medication and I get notification he’s taken the medication," he said. 

One of the most helpful features is that you can provide tech support from your home to theirs without driving maybe 40 minutes to fix a remote. Things we are happy to do. But, if a teen can jump in and help from a distance while you make dinner, that saves a trip. Or someone else in the family can help them to maybe find a television program. That saves everyone time. 

It’s not free. You have to buy the box and that’s $199. There are three payment tiers.  You can pay $29 monthly, or you can get a discounted yearly rate. There is also the option to pay $699 and have no future payments.