SENIOR TECH and 'Happier Ageing,' Mining Boomer Golden Years With Silicon Valley
10,000 baby boomers turn 65 in the US every day – can Silicon Valley help with 'happier ageing'? Companies are creating new devices and apps to mine seniors’ golden years and address the challenges of growing older. The Guardian, 9/3/19.
Silicon Valley has long sought to disrupt virtually every aspect of modern life. Now comes technology’s final frontier: old age. Tech that’s specifically designed for seniors is a growing market, fueled by inexorable demographic trends – about 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. Senior tech is increasingly showing up in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. A company called It’s Never Too Late proffers a massive 70in high-definition touchscreen computer that provides older people with little prior tech experience easy access to everything from travel videos and music playlists to a library of college lectures.
Paro, a robotic seal stuffed with sensors and actuators that react to voice, light and touch, is being used to help those experiencing memory loss and social withdrawal. A movie system called 3Scape provides immersive 3D filmed content for the elderly and mobility-challenged in order to stimulate cognitive function and relieve depression and anxiety. “At retirement communities these days, technology is no longer a selling point, it’s an expectation,” says Davis Park, executive director of the Center for Innovation and Wellbeing at Front Porch, a not-for-profit company that manages 12 retirement communities nationwide.
'Paro,' a robotic seal from Japan responds to voice, light & touch; helps those with memory loss & social withdrawal.
San Francisco’s Bay Area is ground zero for the emerging senior tech boom. The Trousdale, a new assisted living center in Burlingame, California, touts itself as a “technology-driven community and innovation hub inspired by Silicon Valley”. Every new resident at the Trousdale is issued a tablet computer, and all of the bedrooms feature smart sensor lighting that adapts to the routines of each occupant. “Find the best version of you,” declare print ads for the Trousdale, accompanied by a photo of three silver-haired residents crowded around a tablet computer, laughing uproariously.
Rhoda Goldman Plaza, a residential care facility in San Francisco, offers “decision-support tools” to address the challenges of growing older, including a Useful Apps club that allows residents to “unlock the potential of your smartphone”. The senior-targeted apps include pill organizers, medication reminders and guides on how the elderly can use Amazon Alexa.
Sunny View, a retirement community in Cupertino, California, features the sort of leading edge technology you would expect from a residential community located just minutes from Apple’s world headquarters. Sunny View offers its residents everything from immersive 3D virtual reality systems to “exergame” bikes that use computer-simulated environments to promote wellness through competition.
Several tech companies have joined in on the gold rush to mine the golden years. Aiva Health, a Los Angeles-based startup, uses Google Home, Amazon Echo and smart speakers to support a mobile app for assisted living caregivers that manages help requests, performance reports, and remote controls for TVs, lights and thermostats.
ElliQ, “the sidekick for happier aging”, is a robotic voice-enabled assistant designed to make it easier to make video calls, set medication reminders and arrange doctor appointments. GreyMatters is an interactive storybook app that pairs visual reminiscences with music and games to jog memories. The senior tech field is quickly becoming more crowded than the early bird special at a South Florida restaurant...
More, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/03/senior-citizens-apps-tech-devices
~ At 65, everybody needs a 'smart toilet!' Lol.