Among the many changes and disruptions the past few years have brought us, the new normal in senior living care has taken a turn to focus on technology. What started as a necessity to adapt to health concerns, has slowly shown that seniors and their families are in the market for technology if it makes their lives easier, comfortable, and safe.
The past two years have shown an uptick in general technology investment in the senior living industry. According to a survey by Senior Housing News, nearly 80% of senior living providers reported an increase in technology investment to address the pandemic, and 87% expected to increase their technology spending. The industry is now stepping up to join others in the connected world – from high speed internet to smart home technology.
To show a visual representation, see the virtual tour Green Grass Studios created for Revel Creek. The new Revel Creek residences being developed will be integrated with Smart Home technology, which will enable residents to enjoy state-of-the-art climate control, lighting and security systems. The idea of a “Smart Home” can be daunting, so the tour we created shows how it is a value-add.
See the list for the amenities they added to enhance and simplify everyday life:
- Keyless Door Entry
- Under Bed Lighting and Bathroom lowlights for Navigating at Night
- Alexa Echo Show for Video Calls, Kitchen Recipe Assistance, and Media/Music
- Integrated 4K Picture Frame TV
- Automated Window Shades to Regulate Temperature
As people seek to stay active, healthy and independent as they age, this presents unique opportunities for app developers, tech companies, and retailers. Smart technology is the key to finding and maintaining quality of life for many seniors at a larger scale and will take investment. According to a report by the Consumer Technology Association, the active aging industry, or senior focused technologies, is expected to reach about $30 billion this year in the U.S. The report also states that health and remote care are going to lead the initiative while wellness and fitness technologies for seniors are expected to reach some $900 million by 2022.
Wellness and fitness upgrades focus on using technology to help seniors maintain their health in new ways and hopefully preventing accidents as well. Seniors can track their fitness and health biometrics, such as blood sugar level, blood pressure, and dietary needs. Pill dispensers now have an automated version which makes them 10x more efficient and convenient. It can dispense up to 10 different senior medications, customize its schedule, share with caregivers, track when your supply is low, and offer refills from an app. Additionally, telehealth allows easier access to medical professionals unlike before.
According to the 2020 Census, all boomers will be at least age 65 by 2030. Ten-thousand baby boomers cross that age threshold per day. As this generation grows, we expect to continue to see innovation in the senior living market to adapt to one of the largest population demographics in our country. Green Grass Studios will continue to adapt to allow seniors to visualize new technology as it becomes available.
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html