The things that make life fun, and more than just getting by, relating to better quality life as grow older.
Staying “Independent” as long as possible is one of the most important priorities for many people as they age. But what do older adults really mean when they talk of being “independent”, and what are the obstacles to staying independent? At first blush thus seemed like a straightforward question. We set out to understand … Read more
The older adults in our explorer groups have recently become interested in a relatively new product: the Amazon Echo and its artificial intelligence Alexa. Here they explore Amazon Echo for the Elderly. Amazon Echo & Alexa: What Older Adults Think Our community of older adult Longevity Explorers has had a number of group discussions about the … Read more
In this webinar we will be introducing a way for innovators to get rapid, structured feedback about how close they are to having achieved problem-solution fit — in the eyes of an engaged, independent & objective group of older adults.
While much of the western world worries about the economic and human costs of an ageing population, in this talk Dr. Caro argues that there is room for optimism — and that by harnessing the power of technology and the untapped wisdom of the older adult population we can improve the quality of life as we age, expand the capabilities of caregivers, and perhaps even make the progress of ageing less costly.
Art: “Anyone for Tennis” by Caroline Mustard using iPad Pro, the Procreate App and the Apple Pencil. How to Transform your Mobile Device into a Digital Canvas or Sketchbook! I’ve been teaching people, especially those close to my own age, how to use their iPads, iPhones and Android devices creatively since I fell in … Read more
Avenidas is holding a Tech-Faire, entitled “Living Better with Technology: Explore, Engage, and Shape” on Sat. March 25th, 2017. Richard Caro is running a workshop on “Longevity Explorers: helping to shape the future”.
When the conversation turns to interacting with customers before a product is “finished”, most product developers I’ve talked to are enthusiastic. But they have very different opinions about when to interact with customers, how to interact with them, and for what purpose. I believe there is a way of thinking that helps resolve these questions, depending on the details of the company, and the stage of product development they are at. This article is to share it.
Dignity of the elder must not be disregarded in the name of protection: whether we are dealing with the difficult issues of how to convince dad to give up the car keys, mom’s need for placement in a facility, or fear of money being improperly acquired by a scammer. The question posed is how to maximize the preservation of dignity in the face of true need for protection of the elder? This article addresses the issue as it relates to financial abuse of elders, but the principles are equally applicable in other situations.
After several years of product evaluations and unmet need explorations with groups of older adults, this is my most striking take-away. “While there is no shortage of problems for which older adults would like solutions, the vast majority of products we have looked at are either hard for elderly people to use, or do poorly the “job” our older adult demographic wants to get done”. This article is about why (in my opinion) this is the case, and about errors to avoid.
In this week’s webinar (Dec 9th) we will be introducing a way for innovators to get rapid structured feedback about how close they are to having achieved problem-solution fit. Theis is part of our webinar series about how product developers can benefit from the insights of our Longevity Explorer community.