Safety matters -- both to older adults and their loved ones. For those who worry about the elderly, home safety monitoring technology and personal emergency response offerings provide a degree of reassurance -- following the entry of MobileHelp as one of the first, most of the viable Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) vendors in the market today have a mobile device, enabling the older adult to leave the home, walk the dog, and wear a device while on trips. In addition, automatically-generated check-in technology can provide another degree of comfort for caregiving families and professional providers. During 2016, a number of new variants of safety-related introductions were made, including, but not limited to the following launches:
Tunstall Americas, a leader in independent living technologies and 24/7 call center service, announced today the addition of belle™ to their line of communication technologies. belle™ features two-way voice communication, location technology, and a rechargeable battery that can last up to 30 days on a single charge. These features, combined with Tunstall’s state-of-the-art response center, make it very attractive to active seniors who may need assistance should an emergency arise, or simply to give them a sense of security while venturing outside of their homes.
Innovation from companies that have been there, done that. It's intriguing to observe companies that have been in business for a while. Sometimes there is a redirect into a new space or channel (see Philips and its direct-to-consumer approach) and sometimes innovation arrives that may augment an existing portfolio. The market of technology and services for older adults continues to expand (see a near-hysterical Huffington Post article.) So flipping around the cliché that 90% of all startup companies fail, wonder if there is another one -- 90% of all existing tech-related companies launch a tech or a service targeting seniors and caregivers within the next 5 years? Here are five offerings - all text is from the company sites or press releases.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "How do I choose the best medical alert system for myself or an older adult I care about?" is a question that Tech-enhanced Life has conclusively – and objectively – answered with its personal emergency response system selection guide. Sifting through the marketing clutter, the selection guide is designed for two groups of people: older adults who want to live independently, and friends and family who want to help select an appropriate product.
With the Baby Boomer generation moving into their golden years, the need for medical alert systems is on the rise. But the designs of these systems haven't changed in years, creating a stigma for those who may need one, but don’t necessarily want to admit it.
This year, MobileHelp is hoping to change that by introducing a set of stylish medical alert systems designed to look like common jewelry, as well as a base system that looks less like a medical alert box and more like a tablet.
Staying up-to-date by rounding up recent announcements. As the recently published 2016 Technology Market Overview noted, most older adults will remain in their own homes, served by home/companion and home healthcare providers and assisted by a variety of tech-enabled products and services. Over the past month, new offering announcements have that can help seniors, care providers (family and professional) meet the objective of remaining at home. Here are five, noting as always, that all material is provided from the websites/announcements from the companies themselves.
OGDEN, UT - Freeus, LLC, one of the fastest growing mobile personal emergency response system (mPERS) businesses in the United States, announced the launch of their newest generation of mobile PERS, BelleTM.
Consider this a heads up about new technology-enabled options for older adults. Sometimes it is helpful to know about offerings before or just as they are being released, if only to look for their availability in the future. The five interesting offerings that are noted below are all going to be available within the next six months, possibly sooner. Each in its own way strives to solve a problem experienced by older adults or those who serve them:
