BASKING RIDGE, N.J., April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Silver Tsunami has arrived. Today there are 46 million older adults in the United States. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to 90 million. Those adults aged 85 and older, who often need assistance with personal care, will nearly quadruple by the year 2040. According to AARP, 77% of them want to age in place, in their own home. Our nation is aging; how will they get help?
Voice technology in 2022 – living up to hope and hype? By 2018, it seemed possible that Voice First technology (and its associated AI software) could transform the technology user experience for older adults (see report: The Future of Voice First Technology and Older Adults 2018). Fairly new at the time, a few senior living organizations embraced it for its home automation potential, possibility of concierge services -- turn on the lights! Raise the blinds! Book me on the afternoon trip!. The generally accepted view was that this technology was going to be “Easy, Cheap, Useful, Smart, and Connected (home automation that just works).” Amazon’s Alexa service ran on multiple variants of cheap hardware. Like Apple’s Siri, the software’s understanding of requests was relatively weak (compared to Google Assistant, which emerged in 2018 on Android and iOS).
As 2022 begins, the oldest baby boomer turns 76. As the population aged 65+ exceed 54 million, trends emerge. Because of the sheer size of the older adult market, and the wealth of baby boomers, vendors increasingly see them as constituents for new offerings. The pace of innovation is accelerating, driven by older adult changing needs, shortage of care workers, investor interest and of course. Considering the recent CES 2022 product introductions, we are entering a world of 'touchless' interactions, ubiquitous sensors and hearables, as well as AI and machine learning, now about to reach its promise and contribute to serving older adults. Here are just four of the trends identified in the 2022 Market Overview, Technology for Aging.
So much happened in 2021 that should benefit older adults. It should be more feasible topurchase hearing aids ‘over the counter’ without an exam (offered for many years in Japan, but whatever...) and at a price point that is more reasonable for largely uninsured devices. Honor bought Home Instead – which should result in more technology used in the home care industry -- and soon, hopefully, for an industry suffering from a severe labor shortage. LifeStation (never a first mover) became the latest to introduce a PERS watch, which should be the non-stigmatizing form factor for Personal Emergency Response devices. Big tech revealed growing interest in older adults and investors saw the potential in firms like Papa, which provides (reimbursed) varied assistance to older adults. Lowe’s prioritized helping older adults and partnered with AARP, which should help older adults benefit from smart homes. And maybe the big deal starts now -- the oldest baby boomers turn 76, which should trigger even more investment in 2022 and beyond. Here are the four December posts:
Voice technology in 2022 – living up to hope and hype? By 2018, it seemed possible that Voice First technology (and its associated AI software) could transform the technology user experience for older adults (see report: 
As 2022 begins, the oldest baby boomer turns 76. As the population aged 65+ exceed 54 million, trends emerge. Because of the sheer size of the older adult market, and the wealth of baby boomers, vendors increasingly see them as constituents for new offerings. The pace of innovation is accelerating, driven by older adult changing needs, shortage of care workers, investor interest and of course. Considering the recent 
So much happened in 2021 that should benefit older adults. 