With a declining birth rate and an increase in the population of people over the age of 65, it is safe to say that one of the biggest challenges in North America, Europe, and Asia is the aging population trends. A couple of years back, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his concerns on the issue and called for a national movement to address the demographic challenges in his country.
The idea, back then, was to keep the older employees in their jobs longer, away from assisted living homes, while also encouraging these firms to invest in automation. For him, it is all about improving productivity and efficiency in the workforce, at home, and just about everywhere.
This same concept is applicable to the many aging in place.
Can Artificial Intelligence Provide a Solution?
Artificial intelligence (AI), while often polarizing, opens up plenty of benefits that ease the lives of those involved. Special Counsel details the modern day advancements through AI and similar innovative tech including pinpointing, finding, and reviewing the most relevant captured data to make a particular task much easier. Considering these rather new characteristics in the field, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that AI has the potential to aid people over the age of 65.
AI as Simple Companions
A while back, Barry Sardis published a feature on temi, the first personal robot companion. The AI-powered software specifically helps the elderly aging in place by attending to isolation with its conversational interface and by having a custom voice assistant just to name a few. This, in many ways, is a simple reminder of how implementing AI into their daily lives addresses the challenge of the aging population.
AI as Medical Monitoring Devices
Biotricity is a personal remote medical monitoring device that uses AI to improve its patient platform. This type of technology measures an elder’s activity and behavior to anticipate health issues and communicate them accordingly. Similar to temi, Biotricity also has voice-based virtual assistants like Orbita Health and Amazon Echo to enable medication adherence and care coordination.
AI as Emergency Fall Detectors
Another notable AI-powered device is Xandar Kardian. Tech writer Aliza Vigderman of Security Baron’s post (of February 4, 2019) on Xandar Kardian describes it as “a new smart home monitoring device intended for seniors” that has an easy-to-use personal emergency response system.
In the event of a fall or any type of accident, seniors can get help with either a push of a button, an Amazon Alexa voice command, or a gesture. From there, the system will notify one of the maximum nine registered caretakers through a voice or a push notification, with an optional 911 emergency call if no one responds.
Conclusion
It all comes full circle really, as an efficient aging in place system may solve the ill effects of a human phenomenon, in which the number of rooms in an assisted living facility cannot keep up with the constant increase in the senior population.
Having and implementing, while still putting a premium on AI technologies can turn senior homes into smart living residences that won’t just provide companionship, they will also collect valuable data to safeguard the residents.
Theodore Reece
Teddy is a freelance tech and lifestyle writer for various websites. He was raised by his two loving grandparents, Betsy and Merl, which is why he has a soft-spot for the elderly. In his spare time, he likes reading sci-fi novels — with Frank Herbert and Orson Scott Card as his top choices — and playing role-playing games in his console.
A Senior’s Experiences of Smart Home Technology
I’ve never considered AI for personal emergency systems and fall detections, but the application seems so obvious. While I love the system my dad uses, it would be nice to see some innovation in the industry. Thanks for the post.