Should we entrust the care of people in their 70s and older to artificial assistants rather than doing it ourselves?
Washington, DC, May 31, 2013
Nat'l Aging in Place Conf, Wash, DC, June 14, 2013
Washington, DC, September 16-17, 2013
August 2011
Will you get old before you get rich?
Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 11:54Outliving our vision of ourselves. Just back from the Philips Active Aging Think Tank meeting – in which we echoed the recent frequent Wall Street Journal topic -- living to 100 and beyond. Most of us see ourselves as living to the age (whatever that was) of our parents and grandparents. Since life expectancy has inched past age 80 for women (in more affluent regions) that may seem sensible. Though we may not want to exit in the same way with the same illness, disability, or dementia that they had. But rationalizing optimists that we are, most likely we ascribe what they had to some lifestyle or behavior in the way they lived their lives -- we will overcome heredity just like we’ve overcome setbacks in the past. >>> Read more . . .
Where Broadband Isn't -- and Aging in Place Tech
Submitted by Susan Estrada on Thu, 08/25/2011 - 10:02A long, long time ago, in an FCC commentary far, far away. Back in the dark ages (2009 to be exact), the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened a public comment on the US national broadband plan. David Isenberg’s response, It’s the Internet Stupid, (http://itstheinternetstupid.com/) is the consummate comment on broadband. “The direct, most immediate way to “advance consumer welfare, civic participation, public safety and homeland security, community development, health care delivery”, etc., is via broadband connections to the Internet. (I was an original signer to this document.) >>> Read more . . .
Consider technologies designed for all, including older adults
Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Mon, 08/22/2011 - 11:43Summarizing the Pew Research reports to expose boomer/senior tech adoption trends was quite an eye opener, shining a light on the wide gap between enthusiasm and hype versus the reality of actual boomer/senior buyers and users. For example, in case you were wondering: the tablet, E-reader and smart phone have not taken the 65+ population by storm. But 24% of boomers and 11% of seniors have smart phones today – and I believe that number will double at the next survey. Not exactly a groundswell, nevertheless a clear recognition of benefit. >>> Read more . . .
Is a disaster required to improve focus on older adults?
Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Thu, 08/18/2011 - 10:08Will it take a tsunami to create a coherent vision of more successful aging? It was a disaster. On March 11 of this year, one-third of the 16,000 Japanese tsunami deaths were among the 65+, no doubt embarrassing the citizens and government, who most likely believed they had done a good job of providing for an aging population. An article in The Gerontologist spells out why: In 1989 the Japanese government developed a vision for long-term care, refined in 2000 with its own slogan "from care by family to care by society” complete with "policy to make home, community-based and institutional services a universal entitlement" based on physical and mental status regardless of family availability and economic status. >>> Read more . . .
Whither the Senior PC?
Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Sun, 08/14/2011 - 19:26Were senior PCs reviewed in a column of the Wall Street Journal? Sort of. Last week, Walt Mossberg wrote about the Telikin PC for Seniors, which was unusual. The tech columnist-turned-Apple enthusiast for the Wall Street Journal periodically writes about other new tech (between Apple product announcements). The Telikin, first launched at the October 2010 AARP Convention, is not exactly new. Bet from reading the Journal, you didn’t know that the average aged WSJ newspaper print subscriber is a 57-year-old baby boomer with an average income of $191K. Also note that half of all baby boomers have one living parent. So tech for seniors should be of interest to baby boomer Journal readers, as well as the affluent NY Times readers, who spend more than $800/year just to read the newspaper in print. Both groups still have parents, both groups can afford to buy them a device currently on the market if they’re willing. But since only 42% of the 65+ population are online, that still leaves a mere 14.8 million people 65+ with online access to nothing. >>> Read more . . .
Are older adults disconnected from technology or marketers?
Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 12:13What are the basic facts about boomer-senior connectivity? Pew Research and others have been releasing report after report about technology use, but without a summary sheet, marketers might not be able to see the forest for the trees. So here are the basics from the past year of Pew-published surveys – to my knowledge, the only source for this number of categories that include 50+ age cohorts: >>> Read more . . .
Robots for caregiving -- pick up the pace or give it up
Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 12:30Patience, patience, when it comes to robots and elder care. When it comes to robots to assist with caregiving and the elderly, we want to believe. It was just 2 years ago that Gecko Systems issued a press release saying that they expected "Medicare/Medicaid Payments to Increase Personal Robot Demand." Makers of the CareBot, the company announced its dealer program in June 2010 -- but it is unclear whether the company has moved into commercial release. It was just 3 years ago that the uBOT-5 (UMass Amherst) was offered up as having the potential to provide elder care for aging baby boomers. >>> Read more . . .
Linkage Links People and Products
Submitted by Susan Estrada on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 20:22400,000 consumers are ready for AIP Tech. Linkage (www.linkageconnect.com) is an organization based in Mason, Ohio that collaborates with more than 600 senior living communities – reaching 400,000 residents. Linkage aims to connect and extend its members, vendor partners and corporate sponsors to older adults who choose to stay in their own homes. Scott Collins, Linkage President/CEO, says, "Reaching the 'aging in place' population is one of the many initiatives Linkage has identified for its members as a way to ensure sustainability and create additional revenue streams amidst a turbulent economy and shifting demographic patterns." >>> Read more . . .
Changes in longevity, health, housing must drive bundling of tech solutions
Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 14:21Elder care, housing and aging – the present is not like the past. We are entering the patchwork quilt era of senior housing that reflects lengthening life expectancy and a stretched economy: steady-state occupancy in assisted living at around 2.1 million for- and non-profit, a lot (1000) fewer nursing homes in the last decade. So what else is out there besides caring for an aging parent in your guest room? Quite a bit, actually. There are national networks and websites today that describe NORCs (Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities); there are Virtual Villages, there is the Maine Approach (building a grass-roots volunteer network shored up with video monitoring), and now there is a national Co-housing Network. Meanwhile, over in China, the land of supposed taking care of aging parents in the home, check out all the senior group homes forming. >>> Read more . . .
The market is ready, but are the vendors?
Submitted by Susan Estrada on Mon, 08/01/2011 - 15:55Why is it so difficult to get AIP technology in the door? Senior living providers and senior home care agencies want to adopt eldercare technology into their daily activities. AgeTech California is a joint effort is to assist providers in implementing proven, cost-effective technologies that will increase the efficiency of care and the quality of life for clients receiving care. At Mary Furlong’s recent Boomer Venture Summit, Joanne Handy from Aging Services of California, one of the AgeTechCA partners, presented a slide that every AIP tech vendor should heed. >>> Read more . . .