Analysis and Explorations (All: p5)

Falls are a major problem for seniors who want to “Age in Place”. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for a senior to fall and be unable to get up afterwards due to a variety of underlying physical problems - even if no serious injury was sustained during the fall. While lots is written about calling emergency services, I thought it would be helpful to focus instead on simple techniques to help yourself. This article is about "how to get up".

At our last Meetup we spent a lot of time talking about how to articulate a "problem" in a useful way that can lead to solutions and effective brainstorming. We also tested out the process by having participants stand up and discuss the "problem" they care about with the circle. This article is a reference to remind everyone how to articulate a "problem".

On Wed March 19 we held the third meeting of the Aging in Place Technologies Meetup group. The goal of the group is to co-create the future of aging.

At our prior meeting the group identified 16 broad topic areas that sounded valuable and interesting to at least some of the members. Last week we agreed on the criteria for winnowing this down, and then voted to select a handful of topics to work on going forward. In addition, we did some rather thought provoking brainstroming about some specific "problems", and worked together on a common approach to articulating problems. A summary of the meeting follows.

Our mission is to find ways to improve the quality of life of people as they age, and help their families and loved ones worry about them less. We felt the right place to start was getting a better understanding of what bothers seniors about aging, and what they worry about. This article shares some of what we have learned thus far from our interviews.

Walkers are a life-saver for many people. They help older adults avoid falls and keep their independence. They also help patients in the hospitals who are recovering from surgeries or illnesses. They fill a need and many probably don’t think to examine the walker any further. However there hasn’t been much innovation in the walker arena in many years. The basic design has changed little and there is definitely room for improvement.

On Tuesday, November 19, 2013 Tech-enhanced Life held a Design-the-Future Session with 12 residents who live in a retirement community for active, independent seniors in downtown San Francisco. The group included artists, fashion designers, market researchers, a former judge and other highly engaged and active seniors. The topic we discussed was communication: How to stay in intimate contact with people you love who live far away.

One of the writers I featured in my new book, The Vintage years: Finding Your Inner Artist (Writer, Musician, Visual Artist) After Sixty, didn't begin to write her first book until she was in her eighties. And realizing at that time that her preferred method of pen and paper was no longer efficient, she embarked on learning how to use a computer. At ninety-two she's quite proficient at the keyboard and no stranger to email.

In Silicon Valley, as elsewhere, there is a general perception that there is a renewed interest in hardware.  Many of my colleagues believe this is happening because of the commoditization of sensor technologies.  Because of the cell phones and automobile industries, sensors cost pennies. You can use a LCD display, used in a Nokia 5110 cell phone, for under a dollar in your new product. Because of the automobile airbag industry, accelerometers cost just pennies.  Cameras, infrared, and touch sensors are all available at very low cost.  Because of the commoditization of these cell...

Going beyond money management, part of our daily work includes having conversations about the complexities of providing care for aging family members, the range of costs for providing this care and the difficulty families have in planning around these issues. Yet, most people don’t think about such things until there is a crisis.