games, fun and fitness

Older women (and men) are at risk of falling down. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among older adults. Death rates from falls are increasing, particularly among those aged 75+. Lots of reasons are cited, including medications, snow and ice, or poor vision, among other causes. At the end of one such article, experts noted that ‘staying active’ would help protect against fall risk. Whatever that meant.

Surveys were released recently that trigger some debate.  Consider whether the low adoption of health-related tech is due to flaws with the tech or with the survey questions?  AARP’s responders only had notable interest in fitness apps, though 63% of responders had chronic conditions that could usefully be monitored or mitigated by apps if the survey took a deeper dive. Do we really know from this non-specific survey whether older adults are trying them out? Up next was the Best Buy survey of consumer health tech – and again some irony in the responses.  Sixty-seven percent of the 65+ responders said that staying in their homes is a top priority. Yet when asked about the utility of monitoring technology for use in later life, the 65+ segment was the least interested among age cohorts, a clear “What me, worry?”  Here are the blog posts from August 2024: