What begins with C? Caregiver, chronic disease, channel,
consumer. Traveling in March around the conference circuit of
the HR-oriented Care Summit, the age-related specialists at the ASA Aging in America conference, walking
among entrepreneurs at What's Next, and the
electronics dealers at the Electronic House Expo -- it an interesting sequence. It
pushed me to wonder: when does the market interest of a boomer overlap with
that of a senior? When does an electronic house become a health-monitoring
zone? When do health-related issues fully synch up with issues of aging? Is
the caregiving task list different for someone with chronic disease, for an
ill child, or for an elderly parent? And overall, who is the consumer/buyer?
Together, we can all help answer these questions.
C's for chronic disease and patient care. With the Continua endorsement of e-Care,
the concept of communicating health status information through broadband
connections still seems to be confined to thinking about the recipient as
patient. This (otherwise known as a person) has vital signs and conditions to
be monitored: if e-Care is enabled by greater broadband reach, maybe we
won't have to drive or be driven to the doctor's office or hospital. But
clearly, in the world of tech-enabled health, care means
health-care, provided and delivered by the health-care industry.
C is also for context. As with 'e-Care', caregiving is
word viewed through the lens of the view. Topics and ideas originate from
context -- and then shape frameworks, products, advice, and best
practices. At one event, context shocked: The speaker began describing
a story with: "My husband and child were killed last year" and then paused
and choked up. Sitting on the panel for the next session, I could see the
audience collectively stop breathing. Eventually she would say how she has
moved on with her life and appreciated that she had access to online
resources to help her through the crisis. The overall topic? This context was
about caregiving as an employer issue that requires flexibility and rich
information support.
But C is also for consumer, channel, caregiving family members.
Often just as crisis-driven, the search for information about elder
care issues and solutions can be a consumer-oriented topic, shaping
communities of interest into media businesses that attract advertisers
seeking their consumer audiences -- evident at ASA and the Boomer Business What's Next symposium -- like Caring.com (elder care issues) VibrantNation.com (boomer women), Grandparents.com (exactly what it sounds like)
and many others. But does that mean that firms that address
health-related issues like managing fall risk, monitoring chronic disease, or
mitigating issues associated with dementia should target their offerings
direct to consumer? Or should they cultivate dealers, installers,
service providers (like those at EHX) who go into the home and look
around?
Please provide answers! And for more thoughts on these and other
imponderable topics, here are three March blog posts:
Why do the same telehealth
studies again to repeatedly prove the same benefits? One press release
too many -- and I thought I was seeing things. YATS -- Yet Another Telehealth
Study -- kicked off prove the effectiveness and savings home use of
telehealth monitoring of seniors with chronic disease. Have we seen this
movie before? And the comments about the readiness of the healthcare industry
to change were better than the blog post -- especially "Don't expect turkeys
to vote for Christmas!". See what I mean.
Senior housing trends for
the next ten years -- has year one already happened? Ecumen's Eric
Schubert offered predictions about trends in senior housing that indicate use
of technology as standard practice. One wonders when an industry that slowed
to a near-crawl during the housing and economic bust will see the use of
technologies as standard practice, delivering competitive amenities -- not
just in their own units, but broadening their reach into their surrounding
communities.
Startups, new starts,
new AgeTek association -- it's been a busy month. This month saw
the emergence of a brand new trade association for small tech vendors who see
that a whole lot of energy is more than the sum of the parts. AgeTek launched at ASA -- with a variety
of membership options and ideas for how to accelerate growth of an emerging
industry. Meanwhile Philips launched Lifeline with
AutoAlert. Also launched, BeClose Networks and Early Bird Alert.
***
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Hope to see you at future conferences -- listed on the home page!
All the best!
Laurie Orlov
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