What does it mean when offerings and consumers aren’t aligned? For older consumers and their families, the technology market and senior housing industry are two cases in point. Consider the slower-growing 8(8% occupied) senior housing industry – where in ten years, 81% of couples will not be able to afford the $60,000 average cost of assisted living (a number that does not reflect higher cost memory care). Or mull over the technology industry, which is releasing new versions of every category faster than you can Google them, filling voids like adding mouse for the iPad. Why did it not have a mouse in the first place? Oh, yes, and it is an accessibility feature. Still no headphone jack on the phone. Or creating a folding phone (without much testing) with a screen that breaks within days of announcement. Did anyone ask for a phone that folds? So in that vein, here are five blog posts, mostly rants, from May, 2019:
In 2017, it was clear that virtual reality technology had evolved beyond the point of experiments and was having a number of limited introductions into the world of older adults, including senior living environments (Rendever) as well as pain mitigation (FirstHand). Virtual reality has made its way into the 'future of healthcare delivery' consulting, as firms like Care Innovations and Deloitte publish their how-to white papers. For 2019, here are five VR offerings that specifically note benefits for older adults. The content is drawn from the firms’ websites and/or articles about them:
Once upon a time, in a language far, far away…We used terms like long distance, remote, and telepresence to describe services and experiences that were taking place somewhere else. We were guided on how to cope with these remote processes where we were not present to manage or experience. And for the care recipients being managed, they were unable to communicate problems in their on-site, 'real' experience. Consider dementia care and the still-startling lack of cameras in these settings – despite family willingness to pay. These limitations seem so yesterday. Even a telepresence player like Beam threw in the towel and refers to the world it now navigates as ‘virtual.’ Let's take a longer look into this virtual world as it relates to care of older adults and consider such offerings as:
Las Vegas, NV – January 7, 2019) VRHealth, the healthcare technology company providing specialized virtual reality (VR) technology solutions and data analysis, today announced the launch of the first telehealth-VR medical platform that includes apps specifically designed for consumers to use at home. VRHealth is participating in AARP Innovation Labs. As part of the company’s collaboration with AARP,
Who can resist reflection when a year ends and 2019 begins? So much racket, so much of it driven by writers desperate for something to write about – and we’re not talking about the news. Lots of negative tech energy in 2018, including healthcare data breaches, Facebook’s loss of trust, ditto with Google and its much discussed anti-competitive positioning in search. The visibility of Facebook management issues and Google competitive quagmire may actually be good for consumers. So what was interesting in 2018 that was great news, possibly intriguing or just plain worth noting prior to CES 2019, which will present a cornucopia (or maybe just a plethora) of new tech and tech news? [Warning, more blog posts about CES next week while there]. A few topics that stood out:
WASHINGTON, DC—AARP Innovation Labs has announced the winners of its 2018 Grand Pitch Competition finale held on October 25. Eight winners of regional competitions converged in DC for the concluding pitch event where they shared their intergenerational solutions focused on health, wealth and self.
Two sets of pitches, ten finalists across the competitions. The first five are finalists in the 2018 Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit Business Plan competition. The Business Plan Competition features companies pitching their ideas to a diverse panel of judges for feedback, funding and a $10,000 prize. The second five are finalists in the AARP Innovation Labs Pitch Competition for companies focused on providing peace of mind to family caregivers through the use of VR, AI and other disruptive technologies. The winning team will go on to the AARP Innovation Pitch Event in Washington, DC, in October of 2018.
What does it mean when offerings and consumers aren’t aligned? For older consumers and their families, the technology market and senior housing industry are two cases in point. Consider 
Once upon a time, in a language far, far away…We used terms like 
Two sets of pitches, ten finalists across the competitions. The first five are finalists in the 2018 Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit Business Plan competition. The Business Plan Competition features companies pitching their ideas to a diverse panel of judges for feedback, funding and a $10,000 prize. The second five are finalists in the AARP Innovation Labs Pitch Competition for companies focused on providing peace of mind to family caregivers through the use of VR, AI and other disruptive technologies. The winning team will go on to the AARP Innovation Pitch Event in Washington, DC, in October of 2018.