Tech Trends - How seniors view things...

AARP: “Three in four older Americans want to stay in their homes and age in place, and technology that allows them to get help in an emergency or track their health virtually can be critical to helping them achieve that goal.”

An AARP survey “2020 TECH AND THE 50+” which came out in December 2019 offers some interesting insights into older adults’ increased usage and acceptance of technology and confirms a growing trend.

Adults aged 50 and older adopt and use smart technology on a daily basis at the same rate as consumers aged 18-49. (p.5). They are increasingly interested in Smart Home Safety Technology which provides convenience, safety and peace of mind. Consequently, in the last 2 years, the adoption of Smart Home Technology by older adults has more than doubled from 7% to 19%. (p.32)

Of particular interest for StackCare @home is the older adults’ high level of interest in purchasing systems that will monitor their wellbeing. 42% are interested in purchasing “A system that lets a family member know if you are okay, or if your daily routine changes suggesting you might need help”. In addition, 39% of older adults are interested in purchasing “Sensors placed throughout your home to detect if someone falls and if so, calls for emergency help”. (p.35)

StackCare @home fulfills these requirements: motion sensor technology and data science algorithms constantly search for anomalies and occurrences or events and when something is spotted (this is where Artificial Intelligence “understands” that there may be a problem) the notification platform issues a notification back to the family or the caregiver.

The current pandemic is likely to lead to a further increase in these percentages as more and more people will want to continue living in their own home as they get older. Seniors themselves (not just their families and caregivers) want the reassurance to know that someone will be notified and come to help them if they have a problem without them having to actively make a call or push a button.

In conclusion, we can see a growing interest in home monitoring systems which facilitate aging in place safely. A discrete motion sensor system is a great solution to maintain the seniors’ independence and give peace of mind to their families.

Nathalie de Vazeille
Sales & Marketing Manager - StackCare

Citations from: Nelson Kakulla. Brittne. 2020 Tech Trends of the 50+. Washington, DC: AARP Research, January 2020. https://www.aarp.org/research/topics/technology/info-2019/2020-technology-trends-older-americans.html

https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/technology/2019/2020-tech-trends-survey.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00329.001.pdf

Smart Technology Helps Older Adults Continue Living Independently

Reproduced with kind permission from Integrative Care Management LLC @www.CareManager4U.com

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Three out of every four seniors today live in their own homes and, not surprisingly, the great majority (76%) would like to stay there; although some may be forced by finances to do so. The current COVID-19 pandemic and its dramatic effects on retirement communities is only reinforcing older adults’ reluctance to give up aging in their own homes.

Understandably, there is always the worry for the families of older adults and particularly worry for those seniors living alone. The advancement in artificial intelligence or “AI” as a tool to assist caregivers monitor aging loved ones is something that I have been interested in and using with clients off and on for the last 8 years. I hope that you will find this information to be a useful introduction to some benefits of implementing an AI system.

There are many reasons why it may be difficult to check in personally on mom or dad (geographical reasons, time constraints, enforced social distancing) so an AI system which notifies you if there is an issue with your older parent is of great value. An AI system can give caregivers peace of mind as well as provide the senior a sense of security knowing that someone will come to their help should they need it.

Companies such as Stack Care, Billy, SensorsCall and CarePredict are producing the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) and motion sensor technology devices for seniors. Using sophisticated data science, AI is able to monitor and interpret activity patterns, then simply and easily show if a loved one is sleeping well, is visiting the bathroom too often, whether his/her typical patterns have changed, or even seeing the room temperatures to make sure everything is set for the ideal climate.

It is advances in complex AI that allow monitoring systems to do this with motion sensors - like the ones that open the supermarket doors - placed in the bedroom, bathroom and favorite room (where Mom or Dad hangs out most during the day). Algorithms constantly search for anomalies and occurrences or events and when something is spotted (this is where the Artificial Intelligence “understands” that there may be a problem) the notification platform issues an alert back to the family or the caregiver via their phone.

Advanced systems, such as Stack Care, can continuously learn and adjust over time, helping to maintain accuracy as people age and routines change. The best also help maintain privacy and dignity by avoiding any use of cameras or microphones, so your senior loved one can go ahead and hang out in their favorite lime green pajama all day long!

Benefits to using AI:

  • It preserves the older adult’s independence and dignity, while discretely monitoring his/her wellbeing.
  • Offers peace of mind to family members.
  • AI can detect small changes in pattern that caregivers may not catch.
  • Early intervention often helps avoid an emergency.
  • Advanced systems, like Stack Care, are unobtrusive with small and silent sensors.
  • Privacy and freedom since the system should just work in the background with no cameras.
  • Automatic daily updates which monitors any changes in patterns.
  • Several family members/caregivers can have access to the app and are able to communicate with each other via the app.

A product that continues to get better after you buy it...

Here at StackCare we're committed to enabling privacy and dignity for seniors living alone while providing peace of mind for their families. Part of that commitment is always looking for new features that we can add to StackCare and we'll continue to roll out software upgrades free of charge as we turn new ideas into a reality.

One of our customers asked us why all notifications and alerts had to be negative, couldn't StackCare just provide a regular message that everything was ok? Stack's engineers and marketing team got to work and the Daily Update was created.

Mid-morning every day a notification will pop-up on your phone just letting you know how things look. As with all our notifications you can also decide to turn it off if you don’t need/want it and you can also add additional family members at no charge so that they can also know Mom/Dad/Grandma is ok.

At the best of times we all live busy, hectic lives and seniors don't always want to be bothered by phone calls asking about health and wellness. StackCare @home lets family members and/or caregivers see at a glance that activity patterns are typical, bathroom visits haven’t changed and that Mom/Dad is sleeping well; you’ll see whether you need to follow up and you’ll know what questions to ask.

With peace of mind that all is OK, you can go ahead and call your senior loved one(s) and chat about the movie they watched, or the grandkids, or a new recipe…

Here at StackCare, we’ll keep working to make sure you have a product that continues to get better after you buy it!

Nigel Mould, CEO - StackCare