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The lens used to view age sees a different picture. Population segments can be broad. Baby boomers, for example, now span aged 51 to 70, and people in the youngest segment may not feel they have anything in common with the oldest. On the one hand, a 70 year old with a disability may fit directly into the awkward dual goals of the CTA Foundation: "It was established with the mission to link seniors and people with disabilities with technologies to enhance their lives." In that case, an Age Suit may help (young) marketers better understand physical limitations. On the other hand, the mission of AARP is broad, "which enhances the quality of life for all as we age. We champion positive social change and deliver value through advocacy, information, and service." Grantmakers in Aging has an audacious goal: "by 2019 – for 20% of all philanthropy to go to aging."

More CES innovations, announcements -- and vice versa.  It's another day (and the last day) of 2016 CES, including more from Eureka Park and Digital Health exhibitors -- please note yesterday's set of six.  Were these the best ideas or the best of CES? Not necessarily -- but they could be useful to older adults -- the reason for inclusion here.  It may seem strange to see long-established companies and literally website-free startups in the same list below. But that is the wonderful thing about CES -- all are walking around breathing the same air and like last year, overwhelming the similarly enormous crowds. Here are five that caught my eye:

Find the needle in the CES haystack.  That’s not easy, since there were 3200 exhibits last year and 170,000 attendees, with this year’s totals for the show not out just yet.   The Consumer Technology Association -- renamed from Consumer Electronics Association -- wants to be new, as the 500 startups in the Eureka Park exhibit area must have figured out by now. And the plethora of health exhibitors and speakers at the Digital Health Summit act as testimony to the importance of health and then there are the CES essentials: stereo/headphones, smartphones, sensor/wearables, smarter cars, sensory experiences and sleep -- not necessarily together or in that order. And the mostly young attendees will be excited to find an age suit to add 40 years to their age. No kidding.

Information is online – people need to be there too.  News, bank branches, health advice, streaming radio, borrowing books from libraries– it’s all making inroads in our connected lives.  Consider: Netflix has 42 million US subscribers, half of Americans have listened to Internet radio. But what is the significance of fewer people having broadband access in their homes? Broadband access has a correlation between well-being and wellness (hats off to that Health Populi post!).  Is it the link between being over 50 and finding a job? Perhaps you are checking online to protect from Internet fraud; verifying that an identity hasn’t been stolen; checking out an eBook or using another online service from a library; including training on how to use the Internet. Or perhaps you are buying from the dominant US retail growth engine – hint, it's not Walmart, but Amazon.

A look back to look forward.  Consider the context for 2016 innovation, despite (or as a result of) a still-erratic economy, and smaller-cheaper-better base technologies. At the same time, the assisted living industry watches residential age climbing – over half now are 85+. So the desire (or perhaps the only option) to age at home has further intensified. That has created opportunities like the AARP and Leading Age funds; research initiatives like Baycrest and Philips AgingWell; and startup pitch events like Louisville Innovation Summit, or Aging 2.0. Based on looking back at 2015, here then are five categories of trends for 2016:

2015 was an intriguing year for technology and aging. The market opportunity has become more apparent, as the oldest boomers reached aged 69.  Just for instance: there were multiple age-related fund launches; home care with tech underpinnings began to attract the lemming-like VCs; PERS offerings began to be integrated; speaking to devices (not typing) became increasingly possible; smartphones became tablet alternatives; senior housing organizations attempted re-branding of their offerings, likely to better match boomerdom. As we get closer to 2016 and summarizing key forward-looking trends, consider blog posts from 2015.

When firms collapse noisily, peers notice.  Last week several firms commented (anonymously and by name) on the failure of Lively, a sensor-based home monitoring hub that tried too late to pivot into the PERS industry. Why do startups fail, anyway?  In this industry, it appears more often than not that the founders believed they were different from the other players in the market (Lifecomm or AtGuardianAngel); that consumers would shop in BestBuy for an unfamiliar category (Wellcore); that a celebrity would make a big difference (Floh Club).

We (will) want to use apps and wearables to care for ourselves.  The tech industry sees the potential – even as it is unsure how to move the market along. In December, a non-profit startup spun out of MIT with plans to curate health apps for consumers -- versus used by health professionals.

Lively’s failure is making other market entrants nervous – so let’s consider.  This past week, the remaining assets (no people) of the Silicon Valley firm Lively (mylively.com) were acquired. So let’s take a few moments and reflect on what might have happened. What can startups and current players learn from this? Actually, not too much -- Lively was not typical of the industry it entered. It was founded in late 2012, launching in the spring of 2013 and sank quickly, going out of business just last week.

Remember the Cyberdine demo of HAL at ASA some years ago? The Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) was designed by a venture firm in Japan to help a wheelchair-bound individual stand and move. It was very cool. It was priced at that time (2009) at around $5000. By 2014, the device could be rented for the equivalent of $1400/month. And now it has again been modified. This time, according to the WSJ article about Japanese demographics, the country needs its older laborers to work substantially longer. So a 67-year-old worker in the construction industry can stack wood just like someone half his age. Yay. And then there is the charming Pepper robot, selling for an equivalent of $1600, leading recreational activities in senior housing, charming the residents. In Japan, 13% of the population is 75+, and in another statistic, 15% of the 'elderly' population has dementia.