End of a busy year -- let's rest and get ready for 2010.  Having pinged and ponged around North America these past few months, I am happy to be sitting still. it's a good time to reflect  and think. I am reminded of the Washington Times article that kicked off 2009 in January: Boomers Power Up by Aging in Place. No longer a descriptor for continuing care communities and their Independent to Assisted to Skilled Nursing residences, in 2009 Aging in Place truly began to mean successfully age and remain in one's home of choice." 

Driven by a variety of factors, this is a significant change and has implications for every related sector - health care, assistive technology, home renovation, home automation...and technology. In February, 2009, the NY Times featured a front-page story about monitoring technologies that really validated the category in which GE QuietCare, Healthsense, GrandCare Systems, and now WellAWARE have staked out. 

For me, 2009 was major -- launching Aging in Place Technology Watch. Following months of blogging, in March, I completed the 2009 Market Overview, announced the formation of the company Aging in Place Technology Watch, and signed up the first paying clients (Halo Monitoring and Gilbert Guide!), and gave my first speech -- at the Baby Boomer What's Next event in Silicon Valley. Since then, momentum (not to mention travel, speeches, and writing) have all been going well! The client list (including AARP) and feedback and press awareness is excellent -- from pre-launch startups to large organizations. And our first blogger addition, Liz Boehm of Forrester Research, promises to make 2010 an interesting year in the blogosphere.

Where are we on the path to greater adoption? For the technology sector, a number of significant indicators from 2009 promise to drive product and service awareness in 2010. Here's a summary of those that will make a difference in the months ahead.  I can't overstate the importance of location-based technologies, cheaper touch screen hardware, and growing senior broadband access. Just as exciting, large company and VC interest in home and health monitoring, plus the growing caregiving market area -- promises to help boomers.  For both, mobility matters -- the capability for information and tools to move beyond the walls of the home. This reach will mitigate risk and worry, close long distances, and shore up the ability to 'age in place.'

And here are three blog posts from the past month about marketing and selling:

Starting your own business to serve boomers and seniors. I have heard in recent months from vendors and service providers about all types of businesses -- some well-planned, with excellent market research and methodical step-by-step partnerships and groundwork. On the other hand, some have been starting as trial balloons to see if anyone is interested, perhaps validating technology ideas in search of a purpose, and signing up advisors before solidifying any directional specifics. My gut feel is that the former approach is more cost-effective than the latter -- but we'll have to wait and see.

Caregiving in the US offers material for tech marketers. Speaking of market research, there have been a number of interesting research reports that can spark ideas for products and validate technology and market choices. Please see the Trends section of this website, where we post everything we find that to be interesting and useful. For those mulling over the caregiving segment, a look at the new Caregiving in the US research is instructive for helping companies narrow targets and help meet caregiver needs.

Marketing and selling technology for aging in place. And what does it take to create awareness of products and services -- and then close the deal in this market? It's not easy -- this post outlines ten steps for product and brand marketers, sets up 10 decision-points at which consumers or their caregivers and providers may be motivated to look for a solution, and finally suggests tactics to close in on deals with professionals in the senior care industry.

Remember, you can sign up for blog post notifications on www.ageinplacetech.com by putting your e-mail address into a Subscribe 'Feedburner' box on the left. (Of course within the posts you receive, you can unsubscribe as well.)  Registering on the site also enables download of the newly updated  2009 Market Overview and Health and Technology reports as well.

All the best wishes for end of year and kicking off 2010!

Laurie Orlov