Five new technologies that can help older adults and their families

Some tech companies don’t see the senior market as an opportunity. They are the Peter Pan tech firms, the ones in which no one (including the customer) ever ages (you might know them as Facebook, Apple, Google, and Twitter). Meanwhile, from Nashville, France, and Germany, others see inclusion and extra services as good business, maybe because this market is pretty much ignored by the gang of four. Here are five companies that vary a platform or a product to make it more useful for an older adult market or service. – All material is derived from the vendor websites or press releases:

• ClarityLife. "ClarityLife, a unit of Plantronics, has long had a line of amplified phones for the hearing impaired. Now they have introduced "an innovative peace of mind platform delivered through Clarity’s Ensemble home phone. Designed primarily for older seniors living alone, ClarityLife keeps family members and caregivers up-to-date with their older loves one’s activities through a series of social and wellness features including check-ins, medication and appointment notifications, compliance monitoring, and the ability to share social messages, photos and videos that keep the senior engaged.”"  Learn more at Clarity.

• Claria Zoom. Android smartphone app for low vision available from GooglePlay, "the interface with very large characters and contrasted colors allows you to both adapt your phone to your sight and easily access all the functionalities available: You can then send text messages, read your emails and favorite newspapers, but also use dedicated tools such as the magnifier or the OCR (Optical character recognition). Claria Zoom is helping elderly and people with low vision to remain active and independent. Electronic Magnifier, talking book reader, pedestrian GPS are from now on accessible either enlarged or voice-enabled."  Learn more at ClariaZoom.

• Silver Mother. Sen.se, maker of the Mother Home sensor system, recently introduced Silver Mother. "Silver Mother^®'s sensors seamlessly blend into the everyday activities of seniors. They continuously monitor their safety and health. Family members and caregivers can remotely make sure that their loved ones are enjoying a secure and healthy life and receive immediate alerts when a cause for concern is detected. Including medication monitoring, activity sensing, sleep quality, hydration, dementia wandering." Learn more at Silver Mother.

• Splitsecnd. Similar to GM’s OnStar, but for use in any car, "Splitsecnd is a plug-in crash detection device that calls for help to protect family on the road. splitsecnd also allows you to monitor the location and safety of your family member from a smartphone, tablet, or computer. And even makes it easy to find your car. Unlike most car technology, splitsecnd doesn’t have to be installed, it just plug it into the cigarette lighter of any car and it works." Learn more at splitsecnd.

• SwiftAlarm! GOLD. A smartphone app (both iOS and Android). "To get the best out of SwiftAlarm! GOLD, set up your LifeCircles for the places you visit often, like your home, your office or your gym, and specify who you want to have contacted in case of an emergency. When you're at home, you might want to let your spouse or neighbour know, in the office, a trusted colleague could be your first responder. Once set up, SwiftAlarm! GOLD tracks your position and stores the last five locations in your phone. In case of an emergency, all you need to do is to press the big red alarm button, and SwiftAlarm! GOLD will notify the right people according to your position." Learn more at SwiftAlarm!