Aging and Health Technology Watch

It seems as though there is a seasonal cluster to everything -- conferences (spring and fall), concerts (fall through spring), and... communication about surveys and studies. During the fall of studies announcements, we've seen some interesting and sometimes ironic juxtapositions:

Having watched the home health technology market crawl along at a snail’s pace for most of the last decade, I’m excited to expand my focus to aging in place.  I see a fundamental — and absolutely critical — difference between the narrow focus of healthcare unbound/remote health monitoring market and the more expansive purview of aging in place.  That difference can be summed up as the difference between fear and hope.

Adding an expert to this blog! I am so excited -- Liz Boehm, Principal Analyst extroardinaire at Forrester Research, would like to contribute her insights on aging in place and I am so pleased to have her write and to introduce her to readers.  I'll let her explain it herself -- why writing about this matters to her, but this is great for those of us who care about the topic and want to accelerate the pace of understanding and adoption. 

The planes are becoming full of holiday travelers... At Thanksgiving time, I wrote a blog post about visits with aging family members -- and being on the lookout to see if they need help remaining independent.  In that post, there were links to videophones, eBook devices, computers with cameras, and a variety of other useful items that you may have noticed could be helpful.

Caregiving -- by older women, for older women. The new report, Caregiving in the U.S.

Microsoft and AARP -- boomers and technology.

The Business of Aging -- or Aging and Implications? Just came back from a stimulating conference in a delightful and sophisticated city -- Toronto. Sponsored by the Government of Ontario and the MaRS Discovery District, this conference was titled 'The Business of Aging'.

GE buying Living Independently Group doesn't matter. While a bit of noise is being made, this has no significance in the near term and I suspect little money was spent on this compared to the sizable sum that must have been spent to market LIG's offering since its launch in 2003, first unsuccessfully to consumers, then to senior housing or

I have heard from a number of folks in recent months about the businesses they are starting, some number of whom have published what they want to do or are doing on the Forum link on this site.  So I would like to ask and answer a few questions about doing so. In particular:

As we celebrate our holidays (or don't) -- maybe surrounded by our aging parents (or maybe not) -- let's give some thought to how older people connect with others, stay safe and well, and keep on contributing to the world around them. Here are five reminders about care about our older relatives, things we can all initiate, that have some technology elements. This advice is, of course, easier to give than it is to follow.