The dictum, “You are what you eat,” just leapt to the next level. Yes, it’s important to eat right, especially as we age, and to take appropriate, doctor-prescribed medications on schedule. Smartphone apps such as Medminder and e-Pill (which also offer locked pill dispensers that only unlock the specified compartment at the right time), Tricella (which pings a reminder if a senior forgets a dose) and PillPack (which delivers each dose to a senior’s door as needed) have sprung up to make remembering which pill to take when a lot easier.

Now technology takes it even further, with tiny ingestible sensors that track when elders take their medication. It’s like having a microscopic AI keeping your HECM clients and prospects on track, health wise. And it is huge: according to the report Smart Pills Technologies Market (2012-2017), the global smart pills market is expected to reach nearly one billion dollars in sales this year.

Leading the ingestibles evolution is Proteus Digital Health, a health technology company partnering with U.S. health care systems to optimize outcomes for patients with heart failure, cardio metabolic risk and hepatitis-C.

Not Hard to Swallow

For some seniors, especially those wary of technology, it may be somewhat easier to swallow the pill than the concept. Here’s how Proteus works:

The system is comprised of ingestible FDA-approved sensors, a small wearable sensor patch, a mobile app and a provider portal. Each pill contains a sensor the size of a grain of sand, coated in two digestible metals: copper and magnesium. These minerals are safe to consume because they occur naturally in our diets, as well as being sold in vitamin and mineral supplements.

Once swallowed, electrolytes within the body activate the sensor when it reaches the stomach, sending a signal to a small wearable sensor patch on the elder’s torso. The patch records the type of medicine ingested, dosage, and when it was taken. It then relays this information to a senior’s (or designated family member’s or caregiver’s) mobile device. If someone forgets to take their medication, the Proteus software sends a reminder to the designated mobile.

Oh, and the ingestible sensor? It passes harmlessly through your reverse mortgage client’s body like food. If you recall Star Trek: The Next Generation tiny bots capably repairing parts of the engineering system no person could safely reach, you have a grasp of how ingestible sensors work. The 24^th century is happening now.

Eight major U.S. health care systems are currently testing Proteus smart pills. According to company co-founder Dr. George Savage, fewer than 50 percent of people take their medication correctly. “Digital medicine helps doctors make better decisions,” he says. “Physicians can see if patients are failing to respond to the therapy or if it’s how they are taking the medicine that is at fault.”

More Palatable Than A Colonoscopy

Another welcome role for ingestibles is diagnostic imaging. In lieu of the typically invasive colonoscopy procedure recommended for people over 50 to screen for colorectal cancer, the PillCam™ COLON system sends a tiny camera inside an ingestible capsule to provide a direct view of the colon. This simple, completely non-invasive procedure enables a physician to conduct a thorough, accurate exam.

On the horizon: ingestible sensors that can diagnose heart conditions such as abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), or breathing problems, including emphysema or asthma. Because swallowing a capsule is much simpler than wearing an electronic monitor, this technology will improve patient compliance, and thus, health outcomes, say researchers.

Since we’re already becoming bionic, perhaps the idea of ingestible health sensors will soon become as easy to swallow as the pills themselves.

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