How new monitoring systems keep a close watch on older people

Technology isn’t a substitute for face-to-face interaction, said Crista Barnett Nelson, executive director of Senior Advocacy Services, a nonprofit group that helps older adults and their families in the North Bay Area outside San Francisco. “You can’t tell if someone has soiled their briefs with a camera, you can’t tell if they’re in pain, or if they just need an interaction,” she said.