5 Best Health Monitoring Devices for the Whole Family

Monitoring your family’s health is a great way to improve wellness and catch early signs of disease. Whether you’re caring for a child, an elderly parent, or just want to manage your own well-being, there are several innovative tools you can use to help gather information.

Fortunately, it’s never been easier to keep tabs on your wellness. With smart health devices, monitoring health metrics can be done anytime, whether from home or on the go.

Here are the five best at-home health monitoring devices for you and your loved ones:

Physical activity is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. But keeping track of your exercise and movement is sometimes easier said than done. Fortunately, you can find wearable technology like fitness trackers that make monitoring your activity levels a breeze. Whether you're a fitness expert who wants to track your workout routine or an exercise novice curious about their daily steps, activity trackers can provide you with straightforward information about your physical health.

Fitness watches measure a variety of health metrics. Depending on your needs, you can find fitness trackers that monitor heart rate, blood pressure, activity duration, exercise intensity, sleep cycles and more. Some fitness trackers even offer premium subscriptions, so you can have access to step-by-step fitness and nutrition programs. And with smartphone connectivity, you can review your health metrics with easy-to-use smartphone apps. You can even find fitness trackers for kids for all the active youngsters in your life. For more information, check out these helpful tips on choosing the best fitness tracker for your needs.

Body temperature can tell you a lot about the state of your health. Whether you’re hoping to monitor a fever or check your basal body temperature for fertility reasons, thermometers are essential at-home health monitoring devices. But these medical tools aren’t your grandparents' mercury-filled tubes anymore; now, you have options. With digital thermometers, you can receive rapid results on an easy-to-read screen.

Thermometers come in a variety of styles, so you can find the best device for everyone in your family. Mouth and ear thermometers use electronic heat sensors to determine body temperature and can be a great choice for older children, adults and seniors. For infants and children that have trouble sitting still, a forehead infrared thermometer can offer a quick and contactless approach. You can also find thermometers with helpful features like Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable batteries, water resistance and more.

Having a safety plan is essential if you have people in your family who are vulnerable to falls and subsequent injuries. You may not always be around to catch someone as they slip, but you can invest in smart health devices that provide quick access to professional help in case of an emergency. Many medical alert devices can be worn on the body for individuals with mobility issues, such as older adults or people recovering from surgeries.

Medical alert systems can also have valuable features that expand beyond just calling for help. Some devices come with access to a 24/7 Lively Response Team or can be upgraded to include access to medical advice from physicians and registered nurses. But what if your family member falls and is unable to press their medical alert device? No problem. Lively offers medical alert systems with optional fall detection and enhanced GPS technology, so your loved ones can receive the help they need no matter their condition or location. For more information, check out our discover and learn center for tips on independent living for older adults.

Your heart rate can tell you valuable information about your endurance, heart health and more. Whether you need to monitor your heart rate as you recover from an injury or want to measure your cardiovascular performance for athletic feats, a heart rate monitor can track, display and store your data. Heart rate monitors use small sensors to detect your pulse and transfer that information to easy-to-read digital screens or smartphone apps. These personal health monitoring devices can help you optimize your workout or manage heart conditions. Make sure to brush up on some tips for using a heart rate monitor properly.

With the advancement of technology, you now have a few choices for where you prefer to wear your heart rate monitor. You can find a heart rate monitor watch that fits securely around your wrist. These wristband monitors are often discrete, comfortable and sometimes even stylish. Or, for an even more accurate reading, you can try heart rate monitor chest straps that wrap around your ribcage and gather heart rate data closer to the source. If you want to learn even more about your heart health, you can also use a blood pressure monitor to manage conditions like high blood pressure.

For families with newborns and infants, there are several ways you can use at-home health monitoring devices to watch over your children. In the past, baby monitors were almost exclusively just listening devices. But now, you can find baby monitors that let you listen, look, and collect important health data. Whether you want to make sure your baby is sleeping soundly through the night or track specific health conditions, baby monitors can now provide you with more information than ever before.

Depending on your needs, you can find audio, video or wearable baby monitors. If you’re just hoping to keep an ear open for crying or other concerning noises, an audio baby monitor can provide you with crisp, clear sounds from a distance. But why just listen when you could also watch? Many video baby monitors let you see what your baby is up to while also providing audio. But if your baby has concerning health conditions or you want to track their sleep cycle, you can find wearable baby monitors that offer more information. Wearable baby monitors come in socks, pajamas, swaddles and more, so you can find the most comfortable monitor for your child. Visit our discover and learn center for more information on how to find the best wearable baby monitor for your family.