GeriTech

In Search of Technology that Improves Geriatric Care

family caregivers

Interview: Upcoming Aging 2.0 Optimize Conference & Important Problems in Need of Solutions

Aging 2.0 OptimizeTime for me to take another look at what’s most interesting and promising, when it comes to innovations to help older adults and their families.

One of my favorite ways to do this is to attend an Aging 2.0 conference. So next week, I’ll be going to Optimize, their flagship conference which will be taking place in San Francisco.

Recently, I had an opportunity to interview Anne Tumlinson, of Daughterhood.org, for the Better Health While Aging podcast.

Like me, Anne has a particular interest providing practical help to those helping aging parents. She’s also an experienced health policy analyst, with a special focus on long-term care, and a nationally known speaker on aging and caregiving issues.

In this conversation, we talk about some of the problems that are most pressing for older adults and families. We also talk about some particular innovations and ideas that will be presented at Aging 2.0.

To listen to this conversation, visit the episode page:

Interview: Innovations to Help Older Adults & Family Caregivers

Or read the transcript below.

Then let me know in the comments: Will you be Optimize 2017 next week? What kinds of innovations and solutions are you hoping to hear about?

Transcript: GeriTech & Daughterhood talk about needed innovations & Aging 2.0 Optimize

[Read more…] about Interview: Upcoming Aging 2.0 Optimize Conference & Important Problems in Need of Solutions

AARP’s 6th Innovation@50+: GeriTech’s Take on the Caregiving Health Technology Finalists

On April 12 & 13, 2017, AARP hosted its sixth Innovation@50+ LivePitch event, an event that allows a group of chosen start-ups to pitch to a consumer audience and a panel of venture capitalists.

This year, the event had a “dual focus on Caregiving Health Technology and Financial Technology.”  AARP presented two slates of 10 start-ups,  one for each focus area, each with its own panel of judges.

In this post, I’ll list brief descriptions of the finalists for the Caregiving Health Technology group. I’ll comment on how promising they seem to me — in terms of improving the healthcare of older adults and the lives of family caregivers— and tell you which products I’m most interested in. [Read more…] about AARP’s 6th Innovation@50+: GeriTech’s Take on the Caregiving Health Technology Finalists

Families Caring for an Aging America: a key report just released by the National Academies

caregivingcover_rgbAt last. Last week the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM, formerly known as the Institute of Medicine) released a report on my very favorite topic: family caregivers of older adults.

The official title is “Families Caring for an Aging America.” Hence this report is indeed specific to caregiving for older adults, defined in this report as aged 65 or older. (In comparison, last year’s Caregiving in the US 2015 report considered a broader range of caregiving recipients.)

So if you have any interest — personal or professional — in the families and friends who are helping older adults, this report is a must read. The full report also addresses the role and potential of newer technologies, especially in Chapter 4.

As with many NASEM reports, the main report page provides the following:

Some data highlights

I haven’t read the full report yet, but here are some interesting data highlights I’ve come across so far:

 

Statistics on how many older adults are getting help. These seem to be mainly drawn from 2011 data. fig-2-1-older-adults-getting-assistance

  • 6.3 million older adults (17% of those age 65+) received help with household tasks and/or “self-care” (meaning ADLs such as bathing, toileting, dressing, eating, or mobility).
  • An additional 3.5 million older adults received help due to having dementia.

[Read more…] about Families Caring for an Aging America: a key report just released by the National Academies

GeriTech’s Take on AARP’s 5th Health Innovation @50+ LivePitch

On Wednesday April 27, 2016, AARP hosted its fifth Health Innovation@50+ LivePitch event, an event that allows 10 chosen start-ups to pitch to a consumer audience and a panel of venture capitalists.

This year the event’s description seemed a bit different than in prior years, with a new emphasis on caregiving: “Innovation@50+ is a one day pitch competition for emerging startups in the healthy living space with a focus on caregiving.”

As in prior years, there did not seem to be much judging or input from anyone whose primary work and expertise is to improve the health of people aged 50+, or to improve the lives of family caregivers for that matter.

In this post, I’ll list brief descriptions of the finalists, comment on how promising they seem to me — in terms of improving the healthcare of older adults and the lives of family caregivers— and tell you which products I’m most interested in. To see what I’ve thought of past LivePitch finalists, here’s my coverage of the first, second, third, and fourth cohorts.

GeriTech’s quick take on the AARP LivePitch finalists

Here are the AARP descriptions of the companies/products presented at the LivePitch event, along with my initial reactions. I took a quick look at everyone’s websites, and for certain web-based products tried them out for a little bit, but have not tried any of these products in depth.

Cake: “Cake is the easiest way to do end-of-life planning. We break down a daunting and difficult task into simple, bite-size chunks, and provide experts who can answer your questions. Your online CAKE profile is a living document of your end-of-life preferences that is easy to access, update, and share.”

GeriTech’s comments: [Read more…] about GeriTech’s Take on AARP’s 5th Health Innovation @50+ LivePitch

Case Study Part II: Joan’s Daughter’s View on Joan’s Health

In my upcoming ebook about better digital health tools for aging adults, I share a case study — an older woman named Joan — and I write about her struggle to manage her health from three perspectives: Joan herself, her concerned daughter, and her busy primary care provider.

Joan has more chronic conditions than most seniors — eight diagnoses, plus she’s had falls recently — but they are a fairly common combination in people who smoked and were overweight in middle age.

In this post, I share part II of the case study: the perspective of Joan’s daughter Susie, who is understandably worried about her mother’s health and wellbeing. (See Part I of the case study for Joan’s perspective, plus a list of her conditions and medications.)

As you read this, consider the following:

  • Do you know many people worried about the health of their older parents?
  • What kinds of technologies, tools, and services have you come across that might help Susie and Joan?

Joan’s Health Story (According to Her Family Caregiver)

Worried family caregiverSusie is worried about her mother almost all the time. [Read more…] about Case Study Part II: Joan’s Daughter’s View on Joan’s Health