January 2026 is just around the corner. And so will begin the wave of 73 million baby boomers turning 80 over the next 20 years. Maybe they are all in great shape! Not according to a Johns Hopkins researcher: only 25% are ‘robust and active’. 'The rest are a mix of frail and vulnerable, slowed down by health issues.' And many in their 80s and 90s will be aging in place alone – projected by a Harvard study to exceed 10 million. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) just put out a request for tech ecosystem recommendations – clear understanding that the future for health tech for older adults will be required – and even (!) interoperable. The pace of making all of this happen clearly needs to accelerate.
What categories of tech will matter to the Boomer Age Wave? There are at least five or six that make sense right off and could be bundled by carriers. These could be bundled as insurer-provided tech that could reduce hospitalization costs. Bundle discounts could be set to match the income levels of recipients, or full price paid by family members.
The Boomer Safety Bundle should capitalize on the fact that 80-year-olds will own smartphones. Other features should include:
- High speed internet access
- Safety monitoring sensors
- Wearables for outside the home, walking the dog, etc.
- Digital health tech for monitoring chronic conditions like diabetes or heart issues
- Conversational AI – both as an information tool and to mitigate isolation
A Boomer Safety Bundle from the carriers? With this Boomer Wave, carriers like Verizon, AT&T and Comcast could offer at least a Safety Triple Play bundle – with tech that works together and could link in health tech as required. You may remember that when the boomers began turning 65, pharmacies quietly began widening aisles, improving lighting and providing chairs to sit in and wait for prescriptions. Today they are beginning to carry wearable tech that could enable additional services. The aging of baby boomers into their 80’s and beyond presents a new opportunity for service delivery, tech provider and insurer partnerships, in-store tech training services. If not led by the carriers who also cater to the aging Boomer population, then who?
A home delivery service that caters to the 80’s and beyond. Home care companies should form partnerships with home-related services. Why? When a care provider is in the home, they are able to see what’s needed – whether it is housecleaning, food delivery, laundry or other. These partnerships will be partly funded by families who engage the care, but also by other providers who focus on enabling an older adult to remain in their home.
Anything else?
