Aging in Place or Home Alone?

While the aging space has been ignored by many businesses simply because it39s not glamorous or trendy tech companies have been all too eager to tap the aging trend and penetrate households in the process There39s no limit to the types of homemonitoring and assistedliving systems that are being installed in the homes of aging consumers amp8212 all with the admirable goal of helping these older consumers live comfortably and safely while reassuring their eavesdropping children that mom39s or dad39s choice to stay put was a good oneDespite all the lifechanging improvements that this technology offers it39s also helping to enable a choice that has some blind downsides You see technology has this habit of replacing people If you39re a younger consumer amp8212 say a millennial amp8212 this is almost always a good thing Millennials continually demonstrate a preference to interact with brands using technologydriven rather than human interfaces think ordering from a kiosk at McDonald39s or live messaging with a customer service agent instead of calling But if you39re an older person who39s aging in place and potentially doing it alone you39re also likely yearning for the social connectedness that requires human contactMaslow had this right all those years ago Right up there with our physiological needs eg food water and shelter is our need for love and belonging eg friendship intimacy family and a sense of connection If an aging person decides to live at an assistedcare facility it comes with human assistants who can help with health and safety but just as important provide love and belonging too Similarly retirement communities come with a builtin community If the baby boomers of the future are going to decide to age in their own homes amp8212 and why wouldn39t they amp8212 then we need to begin to prepare now to ensure that the technology they39ll be using is augmented with some touchHere are some things we can begin to think aboutGetting Out and About One of the risks of aging in place is being stuck in place Mobility will be critical as it enables freedom another of Maslow39s needs and helps bring people together We need to look to the growing rideshare industry to help solve this Two startups amp8212 SilverRide and GoGo Grandparents amp8212 are already providing doortodoor handson mobility services for elders but the challenge of costeffectiveness still looms Although most people prefer to age in their own homes the undeniable advantage of assistedcare facilities is that they operate at scale It39s going to be challenging to make personalized oneonone ride services viable We39re going to need to figure out how we39re going to move 77 million aging boomersCommunal Living AlternativesIf aging people want to age in the comfort of a home instead of a nursing home and they need to be around other people why don39t we help other people move in This could be other aging people who are also looking for companionship or it could be younger people who are in transition and need affordable housing The technology to match people exists but it hasn39t been applied to aging in place because we39ve yet to fully envision the needs that will emerge in this spaceAnother option is for boomers to plan ahead now Communal living is a viable and interesting option for empty nest boomers who might be reluctantly downsizing from the large home they love being in Perhaps it39s time for them to think creatively about their current real estate choices with the future in mind A large home with a pool shared by three couples who are a blast to be around now amp8212 and who can nurture and support each other in their later years amp8212 is sure worth thinking aboutVisiting ServicesMost of the visiting services available today address a specific medical need that requires intervention These services are usually extensions of local medical care networks and are paid for by Medicare But what about social needs like love and belonging that don39t come with a diagnosis and aren39t covered by insurance And where are all of the emotional caregivers going to come fromHere39s a thought Let39s focus on the baby boomers of today who anticipate aging in place and will eventually need emotional companionship What if they began to volunteer their time now to assist today39s older people in return for the same level of service in the future That future quid pro quo care would be provided by another aging person who39s also proactively anticipating their own future need amp8212 a virtuous cycle of careThink of this as a different kind of social security amp8212 an investment of time now in return for quotsocial securityquot and emotional wellness in the future No money changing hands people helping other people with everyone being better for the experienceDon39t Go It AloneI39ve often said that people react to aging in irrational ways and the decision to age in place is no exception Elders have always had a bias to stay in their own homes but they haven39t typically prevailed as adult children and caregivers have been wise to urge a safer retirementhome alternativeWith the advent of assistedliving technology there39s now a justification for letting mom have her way The technology is real and it does smart things so the decision feels rational amp8212 but it39s really not Seventyseven million baby boomers are approaching an age where this type of decision is going to play out somewhere every dayAlthough technology that supports aging in place will keep advancing as long as that technology is replacing humans in some way people of age will still need a lot of touch to go along with their tech In the end there really is no place like home Let39s plan now to make sure our aging boomers don39t end up home alonePhoto courtesy of BoomAgersClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Aging in Place or Home Alone?

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Peter Hubbell

Jon Miller | Cofounder Marketo, Engagio | The Gumball Machine is Broken - Rethinking B2B Marketing - By Mike Linton

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Peter Hubbell

Jon Miller | Cofounder Marketo, Engagio | The Gumball Machine is Broken - Rethinking B2B Marketing - By Mike Linton

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