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Keren Etkin, writer of The AgeTech Revolution, talks growing older in place and the way it can profit society at massive.
Because the world seeks to seek out solutions to dealing with our growing older society, the marketplace for revolutionary options to this problem is rising quickly – AgeTech is booming. However what are the boundaries to AgeTech adoption and what advantages can it actually ship? Keren Etkin’s new e-book The AgeTech Revolution explores the altering face of growing older within the twenty first century, and the way know-how will help create a society that’s extra inclusive and supportive of older adults.
Longevity.Know-how: As a public speaker and advisor for AgeTech start-ups, buyers, and care suppliers, Etkin is well-qualified to touch upon innovation round growing older. She is the brains behind TheGerontechnologist.com, an internet undertaking that maps the worldwide AgeTech ecosystem, and likewise based AgeLabIL, an interdisciplinary R&D centre at Shenkar School in Tel Aviv. We caught up with Etkin to be taught extra in regards to the e-book and what drove her to jot down it.
A gerontologist by coaching, Etkin began out in her profession working in group providers for older adults. The precious expertise additionally highlighted among the limitations dealing with the care sector.
“We have been doing a little very impactful work, however it wasn’t scalable, so I grew to become very considering applied sciences that would doubtlessly deal with among the challenges that we have been coping with within the non-profit world in a scalable manner,” she says. “I quickly realised that we have been really surrounded by many great start-ups growing superb options for the completely different challenges of growing older, which have been a part of this world ecosystem we now name AgeTech.”
The AgeTech Revolution
This preliminary curiosity compelled Etkin to convey some readability to the AgeTech ecosystem and the big selection of approaches that comprise it. She started by creating TheGerontechnologist.com, and this work has now advanced into The AgeTech Revolution, a e-book that Etkin says was pushed by two main developments.
“On one hand, we’ve the growing older of the inhabitants – this unprecedented demographic shift that our world goes via, which has a number of implications on society and financial system. And, alternatively, there’s the digital transformation that our society goes via – we now reside in a world that could be very completely different from the world our grandparents lived in.”
Sadly, says Etkin, lots of right this moment’s shopper know-how merchandise aren’t designed to accommodate the wants and needs of older adults.
“It’s a disgrace we don’t see extra founders and buyers taking a look at this house, as a result of older adults characterize not solely an enormous share of the inhabitants, however in addition they maintain vital spending energy,” she provides. “The longevity financial system is estimated to be value round $15 trillion, and tech spending amongst older adults is tons of of billions of {dollars} yearly. So, my major agenda in penning this e-book is to try to attain a wider viewers with my message about how superb this ecosystem is, and that I consider that any founder or investor who desires to get forward of issues and in search of a blue ocean alternative ought to get into AgeTech.”
Etkin has deliberately written The AgeTech Revolution for a broad readership, making no assumptions on any prior information of the sector that readers might need.
“Sure, this e-book is for founders and buyers, however it’s additionally for older adults, household caregivers, and elder care professionals who don’t converse the tech jargon,” she says. “I hope they’ll discover it insightful and academic and actually acquire a deeper understanding of what AgeTech is and the way they’ll take part.”
What’s AgeTech?
Basically, says Etkin, the easy manner of defining AgeTech is “digital know-how that’s designed with and for older adults with the aim of tackling the challenges of growing older.” And the “with and for” factor of this definition is essential.
“Should you’re growing a software program or {hardware} resolution for a problem of growing older, and also you’re not together with older adults, or household caregivers, or elder care professionals, or whoever this resolution is meant to serve in your growth course of, then you definately’re going about it the unsuitable manner,” says Etkin. “There’s a misperception, a few of it’s rooted in ageism, that older adults must be handled as sufferers.
She explains that, whereas AgeTech has “some overlap” with sectors like digital well being and accessibility know-how, it additionally serves a special set of wants.
“There’s extra to growing older than in search of healthcare and accessibility options – and AgeTech additionally serves the social wants of older adults. For instance, it serves the necessity to depart behind a legacy, the necessity to handle your monetary wellness all through retirement, the necessity to ‘unretire’ and to proceed both being employed or begin a enterprise or return to training for lifelong studying.”
Growing older in place: the holy grail
The idea of “growing older in place” refers to older adults remaining impartial longer, in order that they’ll stay of their house setting as they age. And it’s honest to say that Etkin is a robust believer in its potential.
“I believe the one factor that we may change that would have a major impact on society is to democratise growing older in place, which I consider is the holy grail that we must always aspire to,” she says. “In some ways, I believe AgeTech is admittedly an umbrella time period for any know-how that permits growing older in place. We have to abolish this notion that an age-segregated society is nice for anybody, as a result of it’s not. I believe we’re seeing some progress in the appropriate path, however we have to see extra.”
Whereas know-how is already serving to on this space, Etkin believes that there’s nonetheless a protracted option to go.
“I’m an amazing believer in robotics and automation as enablers for growing older in place,” she says. “And I don’t imply to switch people, however quite to increase human capabilities. Sadly, caregivers right this moment do plenty of handbook duties that they don’t essentially should do. If we create extra automation options for the house, we give extra older adults the power to age in place, however we additionally permit human caregivers to do what people do finest, which is to offer companionship and social help.”
Lifelong studying is vital
With the age of retirement creeping ever upwards, Etkin can be an enormous advocate of know-how that permits lifelong studying.
“The idea of retirement is nearly out of date,” she says. “There are lots of individuals who can’t afford to retire, as a result of they merely don’t have sufficient saved to be retired for 20 or 30 years. However even individuals who can afford to retire don’t essentially wish to. Okay, you may not wish to proceed working full time and spending 14 hours a day in an workplace beneath neon lights, however, should you take pleasure in what you do, then you should still wish to proceed working in a manner that works for you.”
Etkin believes that trendy society must adapt to the thought of individuals persevering with to work ultimately, or to persevering with to teach themselves for the remainder of their lives.
“I don’t suppose we essentially have a great way of doing it but,” she says. “Sure, there are tonnes of on-line training platforms, and you’ll be taught something on-line nowadays, however there’s a problem of curation, and discovering the appropriate type of the appropriate training that you just want at a selected second, both in your life or in your profession. And we should keep in mind most older adults will not be digital natives, so it is likely to be tougher for them to curate their very own path to continued training.”
Design for older customers
This final level can be why Etkin believes that one of many vital components in AgeTech is to contain older adults within the growth of recent services.
“Earlier than you write a single line of code you need to do interviews with folks – ask them about what they want, the issue they’re having, and the way they’re attempting to resolve it. And it’s essential to think about the truth that your older customers might need issue seeing, listening to, and memorising issues, so you need to construct your merchandise with the most effective practices of usability and designing digital consumer interfaces for older adults.”
If society does AgeTech proper, Etkin is hopeful of nice issues sooner or later.
“Our North Star must be you can develop outdated in society, and nonetheless reside your life to the fullest,” she says. “As a result of the place we’re at proper now, as we get older, our bodily situation deteriorates and our potential to operate independently in society is compromised.
“I consider know-how can allow folks to be extra impartial and reside life extra absolutely as they get older, to some extent no matter their bodily or cognitive skills. If we make a acutely aware effort as a society, as founders and as buyers, to incorporate older adults, then I believe the world that we’ll get to develop outdated in could possibly be a lot better than what the one we expertise right this moment.”