Chia-Lin Simmons is CEO of LogicMark, a company innovating devices for the care economy.
It is obvious that the senior generation in the U.S. is undergoing what’s referred to as a “Silver Tsunami.” Consider the stats:
- Every day 10,000 people turn 65
- The number of older adults over 65 is projected to nearly double in the next few decades – from 52 million in 2018 to 95 million in 2060, growing from 16% of the population to 23%
- Surveys show that nearly 90% of people over 50 want to live at home as they age, making tech advancements in this space critical
In stride with the IoT-connected world that we live in, technology holds the key. Technology can allow someone to know how well their mother’s heart is beating from miles away. They can be notified immediately if she falls.
As the aging population grows, more and more people are required to step into the role of caregiver. The AARP’s National Alliance for Caregiving 2020 Report says that 53 million adults in the U.S. today are caregivers. I myself am a member of the “sandwich generation,” caring for both my child and my mother-in-law.
Our older population is much more vulnerable physically–it’s estimated that every year one in four adults over age 65 suffer a fall, which can be devastating.
The potential in technology is a long way from reality: in 2020 an AARP Research Report on Caregiving in the U.S. states that only 53% of caregivers are using “software or technological tools” to help them. This could also be linked to poverty; according to the 2020 Justice in Aging Report 15 million Americans over 65 live on incomes below the poverty line. Assistive technology may feel like a luxury they can’t afford.
It’s become ever more obvious that the technology available for managing and helping seniors is deficient and can be much improved. Unfortunately, technology for caregivers and seniors has not kept pace with what we have developed for youth and leisure. I’ve worked with companies like Aha (now Samsung) for connected cars, Audible (an Amazon company) for entertainment, as well as the Google Play platform. I’ve seen how we can connect our cars, our entertainment, and even our fitness to community platforms for customized, maximum enjoyment.
I believe that it’s time for tech leaders to design better IoT technology that keeps our loved ones safe and helps our seniors maintain their independence and quality of life. It is critical to provide tech that is accurate while being easy to operate, empowering, accessible, as well as attractive to wear.
Available PERS Solutions (Personal Emergency Response Systems, until now, have been large, clunky, and stuck in single functionality. Mechanisms to trigger fall alerts are set off when jolted or if a specific motion is detected. A loud alarm may sound or a call to an emergency operator can be initiated at inappropriate times, such as when a user just sits down too hard.
Having paramedics alerted when nothing has happened can be a big deterrent for seniors from using any PERS device.
Knowing what’s out there in connected tech–and knowing from firsthand experience the limited resources at my disposal as a caregiver–I feel we can do better. The role of artificial intelligence, machine learning plus connected devices is not just a matter of triggering alarms; it is also collecting data on how well someone is doing, accurately interpreting the data, and sending it to the right person at the right time to help them make better decisions.
I grew up in a close-knit immigrant family where caregiving was the work of ‘a village.’ I believe that aging is a time to be enjoyed and relished, allowing both community and independence. Technology can facilitate that, by helping to remove worry and unnecessary complications.
When it comes to building innovative, connected tech for caregiving, here is what we need to keep in mind:
- IoT is ideal for caring technologies because it facilitates collaboration. Monitoring and wellness technologies need to integrate so that whether someone is worried about falling in their home or taking their medicine on time, all of the applications should be organized in one place, as well as within a community of caregivers who can support each other. We need to connect people to people (loved ones to family, professional caretakers, and first responders), people to devices, and devices to devices. These connections can enable partnerships with healthcare devices and organizations, in addition to partners in other sectors.
- Care tech must work for people from all income levels. It’s not reasonable that individuals with lower incomes should be shut out from care tech. In addition to designing less expensive products, companies can also enlist government and civic assistance to help people afford what they need.
- Remember the demographic and design for simplicity. When designing for seniors, we should avoid over-complicated interfaces and tiny buttons, and strive for voice activation to make devices as easy as possible to operate. At the same time, simplicity should not preclude functionality. For example, an incident may only require a check-in with a family member, not the 911 operator. It’s important to think of the user and design for their needs.
- Take advantage of artificial intelligence and machine learning. AI and ML have grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade. When it comes to caring, accuracy is key, and AI and ML can help. We don’t want false alarms that discourage people from using devices that can keep them safe and secure. AI and ML can help caregivers understand what the patterns are and when a senior may need additional help.
I call this technology compassionate technology. It is the right moment to build out the solutions that enable people to live more confidently and freely.
As tech companies turn their attention to this important and expanding senior demographic, engineers must reinvent care tech and use data and connectivity to maximize effectiveness.
It takes a village to support our growing senior community. And it’s not only our loved ones who need help and support–we do as well.
