The SilversSummit at CES in January, 2009 was the first-ever track in this giant consumer product show that focused on technology for boomers and seniors. To one observer, there were as many vendors at the event wondering about market entry as active. Based on my surfing of boatloads of websites lately, to those in and considering entry – here are 10 steps to take:
I have been struck lately by disconnects between desire and reality -- what boomers and seniors want to happen and what may actually happen. In each one of these, planning is skipped in favor of dealing later with misery.
This news item makes me very angry and should enrage you as well -- but you don't have to be a futurist to see how it could and should be prevented -- in assisted living facilities as well as nursing homes. So two teenage aides who were 'working' at a Minnesota nursing home -- ironically run by the 'Good Samaritans' -- have been charged this week with extreme abuse of multiple Alzheimer's residents over many months.
Today, most ALFs and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) have not invested broadly in home monitoring technology. But some new CCRCs are designed from the ground up. Some, like Lutheran Home Association of Minnesota, have invested in wireless broadband, providing an opportunity for Minnesota-based Healthsense™ to implement its eNeighbor™ product line throughout as a means to facilitate aging in place.
Demos dazzle when done right. And a CES/Silvers Summit demo of HP's TouchSmart 'all-in-one' computer (available for the past year) demo'd as an appealing product for boomers and seniors -- starting at $1299.99 on HP's store. Although, the experience of owning one may still benefit from a Geek Squad-like visit for setting it up -- for those who get dizzy when faced with a box full of components.
It's been a long couple of days. So many vendors, so little brain capacity left. But let's get right down to the point. Silvers Summit is the first time CES has ever had a day-long track allocated to discussions and presentations about technology and aging.
For anyone who is still wondering whether there is a business out there in aging-related products and services, forward this item from today's NY Times to them. Royal Philips, the Dutch industrial giant (approximately $37.5 billion in revenue per year), is convinced that the 'world is getting older.' A company shrinking by shedding businesses and 30% revenue, Philips is instead buying and building up other growth business areas, including energy-saving lightbulbs, but also its Lifeline PERS business for home and healthcare monitoring.
This is a quick thought and I know that it is obvious I've been hanging around IT too long. Even so, I'd love feedback on it -- please! It's about the parallel between a hassle-freeing Citrix technology called GoToMyPC and what seniors in the future will need in their homes.
It's both a given and a strong conviction: Caregivers worry about the cost of technology to help seniors age in their own homes. And in fact, so does everyone else. Vendors and experts think or talk about the potential for all technology (or a vendor-specific technology) to be more affordable if it is to be adopted. Again and again, I hear the issue of 'who will pay' for technology to help seniors remain in their own home. And I detect a hope (and a bias) towards insurance reimbursment that will be government-directed and will lower the cost of care. I don't believe it -- and even more emphatically, I know that caregivers (aka the baby boomer children of those who are aging) can afford to pay.
