Most of our research is designed to help older adults and their families make decisions and choices about topics that impact quality of life as we grow older — choices like which products and services can help older adults live independently for longer, and delay the time at which growing older gets in the way of living life to the full.
In addition, some of our work is designed to help innovators develop products and services that older adults like us will actually want and find useful.
Recent Analysis and Exploration
Hero Medication Dispenser
The Hero Pill Dispenser is designed to help you improve your adherence to the medication regimen prescribed by your healthcare providers. It does that by helping to organize your medication; remind you which pills to take and when to take them; and helping you to refill your prescriptions when you need to.
MedaCube Medication Dispenser
The MedaCube is designed to help you improve your adherence to the medication regimen prescribed by your healthcare providers. It does that by helping to organize your medication; remind you which pills to take and when to take them; and helping you to refill your prescriptions when you need to.
MedMinder, Maya
The MedMinder is designed to help you improve your adherence to the medication regimen prescribed by your healthcare providers. It does that by helping to organize your medication; remind you which pills to take and when to take them; and helping you to refill your prescriptions when you need to.
Best Pill Organizer: Older Adults Recommend
There are many, many pill boxes and pill organizer solutions to choose from in your local drugstore or on Amazon. Unsurprisingly, not all of them are equally good. The Longevity Explorers have strong views about what to look for in a pill box. Here are their recommendations, and a list of the “things to watch for”.
Advance Directive Forms, Apps, & Online Guides
Advance Healthcare Directives are a critical part of planning for end of life. In this article we dig into exactly what they are, how you use them, how you get help understanding them, and what we have learned about online resources and Apps for completing an Advance Directive Form.
POLST & MOLST: Physician Orders
POLST forms (also called MOLST) are a critical part of planning for end of life. In this article we dig into exactly what they are, how you use them, and how you get help understanding them.
End of Life Planning
End of Life Planning was the exploration of the month at several Longevity Explorer circles. Here is what we learned about end of life planning, including things like advance directives, healthcare powers of attorney, POLST forms, MOLST forms, and living wills. If you are thinking some end of life planning might be timely, either for you or for a family member, read this.
A Professional Fiduciary: What is it? Do you need one?
Wondering what a Professional Fiduciary is, when you might need one, and how you would find a good one? We asked professional fiduciary Kim Schwarcz to explain.
Designing for Older Adults: Jeff Johnson Interview
In this interview with Dr. Jeff Johnson — who with Dr. Kate Finn literally “wrote the book” on designing for older adults — Jeff discusses with Richard Caro a variety of topics relating to designing better products for older adults.
From MD to Alexa Skills Developer: My Journey
Retired physician, Dr Bob Kolock, shares his new “hobby”: Alexa Skills Developer. He describes how he came to be interested in Alexa, and describes some of the 13 skills he has developed. Many of these skills are useful for older adults, and Dr. Kolock’s perspective from “both sides of the stethoscope” makes them especially intriguing.
Philips Lifeline, GoSafe 2
Older Adults Online: Behavior, Trust, & Design
Our Longevity Explorers frequently comment on just how poorly they think most Apps and websites are designed — when viewed from the perspective of an older adult. So we were excited when a Silicon Valley startup enlisted our help to answer a variety of questions about how older adults really do interact online.
GreatCall, Lively Mobile Plus
Can Alexa Help Fight Loneliness and Isolation?
Perhaps it seems counterintuitive that an artificial intelligence(AI) might help combat loneliness and isolation. But as our Longevity Explorers evaluate the latest version of Alexa, paired with the Amazon Echo Show, which has an excellent video call capability, we are starting to see great potential for these products to do just that.
And while there are a variety of initiatives evaluating the potential of interactions between older adults and Alexa (Amazon’s artificial intelligence) as a way to reduce loneliness, we think the communication capabilities of the Echo Show may make possible deeper human to human interactions (with friends and family for example) as well.
Amazon Echo Show: Older Adults Explore
Our Longevity Explorers have been testing the Amazon Echo Show and exploring its capabilities. With the ability to make phone calls and video calls on request, Alexa and the Amazon Echo Show have added important capabilities since our community of older adults first explored Alexa back in 2017. Learn what these “seniors” think is (or is not) useful about it; what questions they have; and what they think needs improvement.
Medical Alerts: Just Tell Me What To Buy!
“I don’t want to become an expert on medical alerts. Just tell me what to buy.” is something we often hear. We’ve found the answer depends enormously on the specific lifestyle of the person enquiring.
Most people fit within one of a handful of broad “personas”. Choose which persona best matches your lifestyle, then see which medical alert devices we recommend for that persona.
Medical Alert Recommendations: “Go, Go” Persona
This page contains specific medical alert recommendations for a specific type of person: one that fits a “persona” we call the “Go, Go” persona.
Medical Alert Recommendations: “Slow Go” Persona
This page contains specific medical alert recommendations for a specific type of person: one that fits a “persona” we call the “Slow Go” persona.
Medical Alert Recommendations: “No Go” Persona
This page contains specific medical alert recommendations for a specific type of person: one that fits a “persona” we call the “No Go” persona.
Medical Alert Recommendations: “Needs Some Care” Persona
This page contains specific medical alert recommendations for a specific type of person: one that fits a “persona” we call the “Needs Some Care” persona.