Rounding up from a series of press releases over the past two months, here are some new technologies and/or services that may be new to you, for use by or in support of older adults. All material is from the vendor published information:
Securus, Inc. offers the eCare+Voice Mobile Medical Alert System. "eCare+Voice was designed to enable active seniors to live confidently and independently. It is a one-‐of-‐a-‐kind, compact emergency phone that connects users with the Securus Emergency Care Center via two-‐way voice communication, just by pressing the alert button. Unlike other medical alert devices, eCare+Voice is fully self-‐contained and works indoors and outdoors, anywhere in the US, with a powerful microphone and speaker built directly into the unit. The eCare+Voice unit has a long-‐lasting battery and can be recharged using a cord-‐free, inductive charging pad." Learn more at SecurusGPS.com.
SAN DIEGO – July 18, 2012 – Telehealth innovator Independa™ announced today that it will integrate GreatCall’s 5Star Urgent Response™ system into its Artemis™ wireless monitoring platform, enhancing ability to remotely track the well-being of elderly people who live independently.
5Star, GreatCall’s mobile personal emergency response system (mPERS), is the first safety monitoring feature planned for Artemis, set to become generally available this fall. Independa previously announced health and activity-related sensors.
Waterford, MI – June 29, 2012 - Silent Call Communications, a company that provides visual and tactile alerting devices to organizations, companies and individuals alike, has introduced the Signature Series Receiver Watch, alerting the wearer quickly to visitors, calls, and emergencies.
SEATTLE, Apr 19, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Numera announced today the acquisition of BlueLibris, LLC, a leader in personal health monitoring and safety technologies. The acquisition adds a novel, mobile telecare platform to Numera's existing telehealth products, social engagement solutions, and professional services portfolio. The combined telehealth + telecare offering enhances Numera's business partners' offerings with the goal of improving outcomes in Transitions in Care, Independent Aging, and Chronic Condition Management programs.
Presently there are over 65,000,000 volunteer family member caregivers or friend caregivers looking after a loved one in the United States. It is, by far, one of the hardest jobs around and many times it is a thankless job. None the less, many feel guilty when they can’t be there. Many families would prefer to get professional services to take over, but in today’s economic environment, a lot of families don’t have that option. What can be done?
This post first appeared in late 2010 prior to CES -- with CES coming up next week, given the last year of launches, again let's remind new product and service vendors of what they need to do to launch properly.
So you want to launch a boomer/senior, home health tech, etc product or service. It's getting to be that time of year for launches and the press that accompanies them. This year, as always there are many vendors that have or will have new products and services or enhanced capabilities -- and want to get attention, prowling the vast aisles of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in search of possible channel partners, media attention and a list of who is in their space. In conjunction with that event, perhaps they will 'officially' launch. Or perhaps an existing company will officially launch a new product or service. Here is a checklist as derived from recent encounters and discussions:
The basic technologies that have changed the user experience for everyone are well-known in the consumer electronics world. They are GPS/cellular tracking, touch screens, voice activation, battery technology, cameras, accelerometers, and sensors. But these are migrating slowly if at all into the market of offerings to enable older adults to live well for longer, aging at home if they wish. This could be because of a soft economy, a risk-averse senior housing community, a tech-averse home care industry, or other factors. But it is a truism of vendor-hood that switching to new technologies involves a cannibalization of existing markets – one must pick the right time. Looking through the aging-in-place technology lens into 2012, there many points of light that will shape the year:
