New Technologies Improve the Lives of Seniors and Elderly
The aim of developing new technologies is to improve people’s lives. In the years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this mission has become even more important. Since people are isolated, virtual interaction and entertainment have become widespread. More people, including the elderly, have the motivation to adopt technology, like Zoom, that allows them to connect. As the senior user base grows larger, technology companies are devoting efforts to solving their problems and including them as potential users.
Until a couple of years ago, trendy technology products focused entirely on the needs of a young demographic. Because younger generations are often considered the lion’s share of technology companies’ consumer base, products are most often designed with this user group in mind. For example, user interfaces are designed intuitively for millennials and Gen Z-ers but may be confusing or hard to use for older adults who may have hearing or vision imperfections. However, recently, there has been a change to this trend. Now, more and more new technology products are adding features that are relevant to the elderly or designed specifically for them.
Some conventional technology products have already achieved success in the elder population. A well-known example is Alexa. Initially launched by Amazon in 2014, Alexa is an artificial intelligent voice-activated assistant. Although not designed specifically for the elder population, Alexa attracted older customers. According to a survey done by Safe At Last in 2022, 41% of people aged over 65 use Alexa, which is the highest among all age groups. The voice controlling aspect makes seniors’ daily lives easier and also provides more fun interactive activities.
In response to this, in 2020, Amazon added features relevant to older adults. Alexa Care Hub allows people to link their loved one’s Alexa account with their own so that they can instantly view the activity log of their loved ones. Other helpful features include Find My Phone, TaskRabbit (helps to find handymen nearby), Alexa Ask My Buddy (alert emergency contacts), regular entertainment music/programs, etc.
Other conventional technology products are also finding their way to benefit seniors through adding features to their original products. The medical alerts feature of the Apple Watch increases the interest of older people. This is also causing smartwatches to become serious competitors to conventional medical alerts in many life situations. Since conventional medical alerts are bulky and stigmatizing, few users wear them regularly. Apple saw an opportunity here to add the medical alerts feature to their smartwatches to provide a better choice for seniors, which in turn increased sales.
Seeing the needs of seniors living alone, companies use virtual reality (VR) as another way to engage the elder population. VR is special in its ability to transfer the user to a totally different time and space to have experiences like in the real world. A major use of VR can be seen in therapeutic treatment. According to a study done by Kent University, VR experiences can help people with dementia to remember old memories, reduce aggression, and improve their interactions with caregivers. In 2019, in countries like Singapore, the Alzheimer’s Disease Association began to include the use of VR as part of therapy for those with Alzheimer’s disease. This treatment is considered a form of physiotherapy because it stimulates patients’ minds.
Aside from treatment uses, VR can also serve as entertainment for the elders. Wander, available for Oculus Go and Gear VR, transports elders nearly anywhere they want to go in the world. It helps elders with limited mobility to enjoy trips with their family or explore more about the world in their spare time. Alcove, available on Oculus Go, enables seniors to meet up with family members in a virtual space but interact as they would in real life. Zen Zone, available on Oculus Go and Gear VR, offers relaxation experiences to guide seniors through meditation in peaceful environments.
Here at the Lab, we always believe that technology should be used to improve the lives of people. Seniors, as a large part of our population who need to be cared for and respected, should not be ignored in the development of technology. With more attention paid to solving problems for our elders, I believe there will be more valuable innovations to help seniors live better lives.
