Nobi—an AI-powered smart lamp that focuses on fall detection and prevention for older adults. It is helping to protect against injury and death, while also reducing healthcare costs due to falls.
WHO estimates that medical costs associated with falls by people over 65 will reach $240 billion per year worldwide by 2040.
CES begins next week – but never mind – what mattered in 2022? The press releases for next week’s 2023 Consumer Electronics Show are stacking up. These will be featured in blogs over the next week or two. Weird and wacky, teeny-tiny, virtual, augmented, robotic, metaverse-y – remote this-and-that. Invented by young and old, the result of competitions and criteria -- for example, consider Eureka Park. They can be shepherded by organizations like AARP, appear in international exhibits like the Swiss pavilion, the Korean and beyond. For those attending, tennis shoes will be required. But before we dive into the startups next week, here is one more look at 2022 – what was notable during that could/might/will serve and help older adults?
GREENBELT, Md. and NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Origin™ and Aloe Care Health (Aloe Care) have forged a partnership that will result in a breakthrough in-home safety solution for older adults and caregivers. In the first half of 2023, Aloe Care will launch new in-home safety devices and a service offering that will automatically detect whole-home motion and falls. In addition to Aloe Care's advanced machine learning tools, the system will use Origin's patented WiFi Sensing technology, eliminating the need for wearable devices or cameras indoors.
San Francisco, CA (November 30, 2022)— Bone Health Technologies (BHT), a leading innovator of technologies for improving bone health, announces today topline results of its pivotal trial of the Osteoboost Vibration Belt. The results found that using Osteoboost more than three times per week in each of four quarters provided a statistically significant reduction in the loss of vertebral bone strength among participants— with no reported device-related serious adverse events.
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On the heels of its successful General Availability launch of KamiCare, an artificial intelligence (AI) fall management solution for senior living communities, Kami Vision has announced Fall Detect by KamiCare, the world’s first AI fall detection and assistance system available at home that does not require a wearable or pull alarm.
Taking stock of 2022 in AgeTech. We are approaching end of the year – it has been a good one for emerging technologies that can help older adults, today commonly known as AgeTech. The timing is right – as 56 million Americans are now aged 65+, looming older population growth has awakened the sleeping giant. The investor and technology market, historically known for tech ageism, is beginning to wake up to the AgeTech opportunity. Why? As an aging population grows, the supporting labor force for aging services, both in communities and for in-home care, simply isn’t there, lured away by better pay across multiple sectors. What technologies can help mitigate this growing labor crisis in the senior care (home care, home health care, senior living, long-term-care) services market?
What changes in care technology will be different later in this decade? Consider the implications of adoption of sensors to deliver and improve the care of older adults -- then look forward five years. What will be different in this second technology wave, both from today and from the market a decade ago? Is this optimism justified? Does the shortage of labor to serve the aging population make sensor technology essential in delivering care? Many of the interviewees for this new report, due out in November, 2022, think that innovation in offerings, caregiving labor shortages, and a swelling demographic aged 80+ all combine to boost both utility and adoption across all care sectors. What specifically might be different?
The biggest older adult tech news from August was audible. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter sale of hearing aids. Ironically that will not actually be official until October. The implications are staggering – hopefully the implementation will match. The big five hearing aid manufacturers will once again remake and remarket themselves, their brands and pricing to fit the new rule. Also in August, a new report on the status of US broadband access was released, highlighting major expansion underway. Here are the five blog posts from August 2022:
The stats on death from falls are startling – especially for the 65+. Death rates are rising, projected to be 7 up to deaths per hour for the 65+ by 2030. And that falls are the leading cause of injury death among the 65+. Did you know that the majority of hip fractures are from falling, usually sideways? Did you know that medical costs from falls was $50 billion in were projected to be $52 billion in 2020? And that the costs (estimated at $754 million in 2015) were mostly paid by Medicare and Medicaid (the latter likely in nursing homes.) So many factors contribute to the risk of falling, including lower body weakness, balance issues, medications, and home hazards.