Hope the winter finds everyone as well as can be expected in a tough (and sometimes inspiring) January! 

Blog roundup from the past month. First things first, speaking of inspiring:

Silvers Summit and CES in Las Vegas were, actually inspiring, in my view. First because meeting determined and very smart entrepreneurs is always cause for hope, and second, because so many people around and at the Silvers Summit event are knowledgeable about the dilemmas of aging.

Interesting new vendors at CES targeting boomers and seniors piqued my interest, some of them like Ingenium Care and Independence Labs are pre-launch, or Doro, new to the US, so you have to keep an eye out for news of them.

Healthsense™ eNeighbor™ was the topic of a conversation I had last week -- and it merits a blog entry and greater awareness if you don't know about this sensor-based resident monitoring product line (from PERS to Nurse Call) for CCRCs.

Can baby boomers afford to pay for their parents' aging in place technology? This turned out to generate quite a bit of passionate discussion (yes, no, should, shouldn't maybe, seniors will pay, but not til the tech is better). You can read that discussion in the comments that accompany the post. This led me to launch:

Forums for discussion, including one for this boomer pay topic -- please put your two cents in, if you haven't already done so. I've also started a Quick Product FAQ for consumer questions about products that can be quickly answered with a bit of research (like the key locators).  The other forum topics are categories of Aging in Place technology that are the cornerstones of the...

...Market Overview which I am finishing in the next few weeks. Now at around 25 pages (kind of like a Forrester Report, gee, I wonder why?), it will lay out a discussion of the why, what, who, and a view to the future of this market -- plus a chart of (currently count 'em 46!) vendors by category and sub-category with contact info. Criteria for inclusion  -- products reflect one of the following:

a) Deliberately incorporates messaging to and about boomers and seniors

b) Products resonate with boomers and seniors

c) Product is available across the US, not just within a single region

d) Product is available free, for a price, or subscription fee -- not exclusively from insurance coverage

Rants about facilities for seniors. The number one reason I do this research is because I believe that lives of boomers and seniors can be enhanced (and protected) through smarter and even minimal technology. We know that a significant percentage of us may need a nursing home -- ironically because we can't safely live elsewhere.So ALFs and nursing homes should keep us safe and comfortable. But it ain't always that way. So I've included a link to a rant about the illogical Money Follows the Person initiative, and a link about nursing home abuse that I think facilities have the responsibility and can afford the technology to prevent. ALFs, CCRCs, SNFs, all of 'em.

That's it for January! Next month's newsletter will summarize the key points in the Market Overview, include blog likks cover a discussion of several products, including Philips Lifeline and telehealth product lines, and dive into another AARP survey or two.

Finally if you just can't wait to read the next blog entry, sign up on www.ageinplacetech.com with your e-mail address -- and every time one is posted, I think FeedBurner will send it to you.

All the best,

Laurie Orlov, Principal Analyst,

Aging in Place Technology Watch

p.s. And as I said last month, if you never want to receive this e-mail again, reply with UNSUBSCRIBE as the subject and I will take you off the list.