Investors and providers must transform AgeTech market from products into suites

Laurie,

You say “No other software categories in tech history remain a laundry list of point products when markets expect suites”. Technology cannot lead a fragmented industry and make it a streamlined one. Technology is following the service industry, not leading it.  Seniors Housing’s broader sectors encompass both Retirement Housing and Integrated Retirement Communities with customers/patients who are as diverse in needs and wants as the numbers of people residing there.

Just look at a mature hospitality industry, you can find suites for any category or class of hotel; this is because the industry created these categories and classes. The senior housing market is all over the map, most operators nor the clients can figure out who, what they offer or to what extent they can service their clients/customers.  The age spread from 55 to 100+ is so large, served by 50 to 75 different products/categories and programs, until this industry becomes segmented in class, style, and service/care provisions, it does not make sense for the tech world to create all-encompassing suites.

Every new generation of seniors will be aging differently and technology will always be following the trends created by each generation. Historically some tech companies have based technology on the over-65 population but the average age of move-ins into senior housing is the late 70s, chancing towards mid 80’s; the senior housing market is too young and full of jargon busters, and no suit can keep up with this cultural evolution yet.

I concur with the idea that suites of technologies – hardware devices and software that are deliberately designed to work with each other – will be a boon to the agetech space in terms of functionality and value to their users, and perhaps even more so in simplifying implementation and expansion. In the meantime, we can look to ecosystems of tech. They afford compatibility and commonality that has been achieved through adherence to strict standards like operating systems and somewhat looser standards like user interfaces.

For example, consider the Apple ecosystem. Below I’ve listed how I’ve personally arrived at solutions to many components in the matrix presented in the original post. Note that my solution set was not created all at once, nor was it built as a holistic set; it evolved piecemeal.

It is likely that analogous solution sets exist in the Android/Windows ecosystem. I suspect, however, that Apple’s long-term strategy of hardware/software integration and tight control of its App Stores are certainly factors that have made its ecosystem work better. (To be completely transparent, I am biased to Apple having been a Mac user since it was introduced.)

Health

Symptom verification

Apple Watch - automatic detection of:

· sleep apnea

· breathing disturbances

Apple Watch - on demand measurement of:

· heart rate

· EKG

Apple Watch & iPhone - prompted questionnaire at user-set times for

· Mental/emotional well-being

Remote Monitoring

Apple Watch – automatic/background measurement of:

· sleep patterns

· respiration rate

· pulse oximetry

· heart rate & variability

· blood pressure (high indicators coming soon)

Withings smart scale - feeds data to Apple Health app for logging:

· body weight

· BMI

· body fat %

· muscle mass %

· body water %

· visceral fat amount

Withings blood pressure cuff -feeds data to Apple Health app for logging:

· systolic & diastolic blood pressure

· heart rate

Note: I set my Apple Health app feed data to Epic’s MyChart, thus making it available to my healthcare team. They actually look at my BP readings.

Medication Management

Apple Health app – automatic reporting of:

· drug interactions (after user enters medication list)

Apple Watch & iPhone provide:

· dose reminders (prompted at user-set times)

· medication log

Hearing Loss

Apple Airpod

· is FDA-approved as a hearing aid

· can be connected to Apple TV for personal amplification independent of sound system volume

Apple Homepod & Homepod mini

· can be used as an intercom

Other

“Waterminder” app

· manually logs fluid intake

· autogenerates caffeine and alcohol intakes based on fluid entries

· can be set to prompt fluid consumption at specified times

· can present intake summary at specified times

“Lose It!” app

· manually logs food intake

· autogenerates nutritional intakes based on food entries

Mobility

Exercise tools

Apple Watch - automatically logs:

· steps; also allows setting of daily goal

· caloric expenditure from general activity; also allows setting of daily goal

· caloric expenditure from exercise; also allows setting of daily goal

· flights of stairs climbed

· double support time

· stride length

· walking speed

· gait asymmetry

Apple Watch - on demand:

· tracks salient parameters of several pre-installed workouts, e.g., indoor walking, weight training, swimming, cycling, hiking, tennis, pickleball, etc.

· displays elapsed time

· displays current heart rate & heart rate zone

Apple Fitness (paid subscription) runs on iPhone, iPad, & Apple TV) and provides:

· on-demand participatory exercise sessions led by professional trainers

transportation tools

ride sharing (paid)

· Uber & lyft (each has an app)

Home & home safety

Security systems

Abode (has app for iPad, iPhone, & Apple Watch; integrates to Apple Homekit) includes:

· door/window closure

· glass breakage

· indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras

· smart doorlock

· keypad

· keyfob

· panic button

· smoke alarm listener

· professional monitoring service available

Smart doorbells

numerous available; Apple Homekit-compatible manufacturers include:

· Aqara (I have one)

· Arlo

· Ecobee

Smart door locks

numerous available; Apple Homekit-compatible manufacturers include:

· Abode

· Aqara

· Kwikset

· Level

· Schlage (I have one)

Temperature sensors

numerous available; Apple Homekit-compatible manufacturers include:

· Abode

· Apple (built into Homepods)

· Aqara

· Eve

· Honeywell (I have a smart thermostat with 3 satellite sensors)

Fall detection

Apple Watch (built in)

· If it thinks you’ve fallen, it displays a screen that includes an SOS button that will call 911.

Other smart home components

devices include

· wall switches & dimmers

· plug-in switches & dimmers

· blinds & shades

· motion detectors

· room occupancy sensors

· garage door controllers

Apple Homekit-compatible manufacturers include

· Aqara

· Eve

· Leviton

· Lutron

· many others

capabilities include

· remote control

· creating and activating “scenes” such as groups of lights being on/off and blinds being open/closed

· creating automations such as

- activating scenes at certain times of the day (fixed or based on the sun)

- locking doors and turning on the security system

- turning on lights if a motion is detected in the middle of the night

Things I’m aware of but don’t use

Exercise

There are many free scheduled group exercise classes, including offerings from

· GetSetUp

· AARP

There are many paid subscription interactive/on-demand exercise programs.

There are many free on-demand Youtube videos

A challenge is navigating the vast number of offerings. There is no definitive curation, though lots of reviews and opinions on the Internet

transportation tools

ride sharing (free)

· ITNAmerica (Independent Transportation Network) is a national non-profit organization that provides transportation services for older adults and people with visual impairments. They offer door-to-door and arm-through-arm rides, often using a combination of volunteer and paid drivers. Regional affiliate organizations coordinate the program.

public transportation (real time bus schedule & tracking app)

· momego works in 83 US metropolitan areas

Wearables

There are many medical alert systems with paid monitoring services.