How tech savvy are old folks ?

Most of us have helped our parents use tech gadgets. Why is the shut down button inside the Start Menu ? Ah. I don’t know Mom. (Microsoft probably had an impressive design lead back then.) While helping our parents, some us might even have experienced that strong but fleeting empathy for the tech support folks at our offices. Hmm, may be not.

We as people influencing policies and innovation for elderly care, carry forward this stereotype — all old folks are tech averse … still into 2016.

The stereotype is so strong that the old folks think they have not yet mastered the tech around them. A mobile health expert Henrik Ahlen here in Stockholm described his experience interviewing a senior, showing seniors are more adept in tech than they credit themselves for.

Henrik : do you use apps on your phone ?

Senior : No. I don’t use any.

Henrik : (producing a bill) how do you pay this bill ?

Senior : I just scan the OCR code with my phone and pay it.

The data supports the fact that senior are getting cozy with tech and smart phones. Here is a study done by AC Nielsen in January 2012 on smart phone adoption among different age groups in the US.

22 % is a sizable portion of 65+ age group.

Policy makers think old folks are tech averse. Old folks think they are tech averse. But the fact is old folks are becoming tech savvy at a fast rate.

So how does it matter ?

Seniors are increasingly living alone. Which is good. Most of them cherish their independence. In developed countries this no news. But this trend is increasingly true in developing countries too. Here is some data from WHO to shed some light into the situation world wide.

This means that large segment of senior population is living alone and adopting technology at an impressive rate. This makes space for building a suite of mobile health applications.

And family members who are living elsewhere would love to know that their parents are doing well. They would love to have early red flags as things are about to go wrong. Many tech startups are realizing this and building impressive products.

At our startup Vellby here in Stockholm, we rely on a smartphone app to act as a companion for the elderly. (We have a hardware device in case the elderly does not use smartphone). It keeps track of seniors’ activities and habits. In case of surprises like — changes in a habit — not getting back home late at night — we send a notification to their family members and other caregivers that something is not right. We and other startups like ours are just at the start of exploration. The possibilities for putting tech to use for seniors’ well being is huge.

So all you tech savvy Seniors out there and their family members— sign up on our site http://www.vellby.com and be a part of our alpha release.