Beginning in March of 2020, older adults were cut off from their families. Senior living companies of all types were caught in the triple bind of no-visitors, worsening worker shortage and the spread of Covid-19 to their residents. The pandemic caused older adults to defer health appointments and interactions with others, resulting in the usage of telehealth and other technologies like Zoom and FaceTime to skyrocket. Many of the technology stopgaps will become part of permanent change in how seniors connect, how businesses serve them, and what innovations matter most.
Companies and products worth noting in August. It may be the dog days of summer, but life and innovation move forward – and so it is with offerings to note that serve older adults. In particular, it is great to see the emergence of Primetime Partners, specifically focused on the aging-related market opportunity. The first, HomeEXCEPT was one missed at the time, emerging from a 2017 AARP Innovation Business Plan competition. The last was offered by a giant US network. Go figure.
Nursing homes – consternation, condemnation are words that rule the day. Rant on. It must be tough to be focal points for nursing home policy these days. Even as a task force is being set up to focus on nursing homes, on the one hand, that seems positive. On the other hand, Leading Age CEO was 'enraged' about shortages of PPE. And seniors (AARP) who are most likely NOT in nursing homes, demand that workers have adequate PPE, that the public be notified which nursing homes have cases of Covid-19, workers are striking at nursing homes, and so on. Go back to 2019, for just a moment. What were the top issues early in the year? "Challenges facing nursing homes serving primarily long-stay residents covered by Medicaid; workforce challenges, which are unlikely to dissipate; nursing home regulations; and the growing popularity of Medicare Advantage."