AI-powered Software. AI may grow to become the most versatile senior support of them all. Artificial intelligence is being used everywhere from smart phones to hospital systems. It can take over many functions currently handled by human caregivers, such as daily conversations, monitoring medication compliance, screening for cognition changes and ordering services like meal delivery.
Meeting Seniors Halfway
Seniors aren’t a monolith when it comes to technology. Some are very tech-savvy and adapt easily to new options on the market. Many more show varying degrees of hesitancy – but this is true for all generations with new tech, unless it’s user friendly. The key for seniors is to create useful tech that fits seamlessly into the lives they’ve already built.
While the young are usually willing to add more complexity to their day, seniors hoping to relax a little after a lifetime of work are more reluctant. They may already struggle to keep up the tasks of daily living. Why add “wrestle with a complicated gadget” to the list? It’s on the tech companies to answer that question – and market share will tell them how well they succeed.
Innovators have to develop software and devices that keep older adults in their homes and not in the hospital, as well as being user-friendly and tightly focused on the customer’s individual needs. Fitting technology into the senior’s existing world is a challenge that seems to be succeeding. As with all of us, seniors have an easier time adopting devices that resemble already familiar tech, adopting a long-familiar smart wristwatch rather than the unfamiliar pendant, for example, in their choice of wearables.
Silver Tech may be the best solution to major demographic changes in our near future. It can help older adults live healthier and more self-actualized lives. These live are less dependent on scarce caregivers and overburdened hospital systems.
