Saving Our Elders!
Aging has become a social issue across the globe. By 2050, one in six people in the world will be over age 65 (16%), up from one in 11 in 2019 (9%). About half of all deaths in the United States in 2010 were due to preventable behaviours. The elderly group is growing much faster than all younger groups, which means that younger generations are short of hands to look after their senior relatives. Sending elders to assisted living facilities will be a huge financial burden.
Tech companies and startups like Health Invest Finland Oy have launched healthcare wristband, the smart wearable device with sensors to monitor elders’ vital signs. The wristband includes automatic fall detection, real-time positioning, microphone with speaker, etc. In addition, ecosystems, like My+Care®, are established to provide cloud-based analytics and monitoring system between elderly and caregivers. The health of our elders can be monitored at home independently meaning a relatively low cost. With smart data, chronic diseases can be prevented, and healthy lifestyles can be suggested.
To scale up its impact, authorities need to make rules, and data scientists need to ensure that personal data collected from our elders are secured only within the ecosystems. Any data leakages for outside business purposes will lead to failure of the projects and pose dangers to our elders.
