caregivers

This report is published every five years – and it is (still) dismaying.  The new report, Caregiving in the US 2025, was published this week. The previous report was surveyed in 2020. The bottom line of it is the sheer number of adults (63 million) who provide care to an adult family member or child with a medical condition or disability in the past 12 months. Most of this care is unpaid.  Some are leveraging state or national programs to pay family caregivers, and one-third, likely higher income, hire outside help. The report’s focus is on the 59 million who provide care for an adult. So what has changed in terms of tech use? If usage penetration is a metric, there is some progress. For example:

What caught our attention in 2024 in the older adult aging and health tech market?  By the end of the year of 2024, heading into CES 2025, AI, or at least the term ‘AI’ has caught the eye of all, from scammers to overpriced startups to overspending investors.   It all is reminiscent of previous years of hysteria over the web, the cloud, voice, and so on.  As we head towards CES 2025, where an enter new class graduates into the booths and brouhaha, here is a look back at 2024’s most notable blog posts:

The 2024 Market Overview of Technology for Aging will be published during CES 2024.  As part of that update, it is worth considering changes that occurred in the past year that matter to older adults and families. Caregiving and other demands of an aging population gained significant government attention and new initiatives during 2023. While some of the actions below will require further funding action from Congress, all of these represent forward momentum for long-needed changes. It is likely that technology enablement and access will be components of each of the initiatives as they evolve.  Categories include:

The pace of innovation in tech for older adults accelerated in 2023.  New product announcements, incubators/accelerators, government grants (see NIA) seem to be multiplying. Companies emerged or announced updates addressing dementia care. The concept of an AI Caregiver to augment limited staffing took on new significance as the crisis in care work worsened throughout the year. Senior living organizations showed signs of accelerating tech adoption, particularly in areas of AI for remote monitoring and safety. The time is right for engaging with an AI-powered avatar for health advice, including assisting with fall prevention. Here are five more from 2023, all text from the company websites. More to come after CES 2024 begins:

AgeTech is a niche market no more.  As we approach 2024 and the plethora of tech introductions from CES 2024, let's reflect. This past year underscored the demographic changes that have brought an aging population -- turning 65 at a rate of 10,000 per day -- into the sight lines of investors, startups and health providers. The very recent monumental investment that swept AI and media visibility underscored how AI could help older adults. And the shortage of labor in the care industries put a spotlight on the gaps in care that AI tech can help close.  No doubt 2024 will reveal more investment and innovation in tech for older adults.  All material is drawn from the websites of the companies.