TODAY IN HISTORY: On February 17, 1996, in the final game of a clash of the chess titans, human being Garry Kasparaov defeated IBM’s Deep Blue computer, winning four games to two. In a rematch just one year later, technology triumphed when Kasparov was vanquished by Deep Blue. Once the AI robots rise up and enslave humanity, we’ll look back on this man-vs-machine moment in history and laugh through our tears.
Founder Of Company That Provided Apple Its Touch ID Tech Develops Connected-Life App For Seniors
K4Connect is named for Moody’s four daughters, Katherine, Kelsey, Kristin and Kourtney. It’s a mission-centered technology company that helps older adults and individuals with disabilities via a connected-life software suite that brings together the best in home automation products, health and wellness technologies and communication and social functionality.
via FORBES.
Old folks just don’t like technology.
That’s been the conventional wisdom for years, particularly as smartphones became a hub of daily life. Slick handheld devices were seen as too expensive and complicated for them.
But Davis Park is a big believer that innovations in what’s known as voice-first technology — best exemplified by smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and its voice, Alexa — could make a big difference in letting older adults age in place and avoid social isolation.
via Next Avenue.
A great article about technology and the future for older Americans.
For years, Google Inc’s commerce chief, Stephanie Tilenius, held a demanding job and helped oversee the medical care of her parents, an experience that led her to leave the Internet search giant in 2012 and start a company to help patients combat chronic disease.
Earlier this year, Tilenius’ company launched Vida, a mobile app that lets patients consult with a team of professionals, including doctors, nurses and nutritionists, from their smartphone. The program costs $15 a week and includes reminders to take medication. Caregivers and family members can request access to the app to keep up to date with a patient’s progress.
Grissam certainly isn’t alone. More than 360 million people, or about 5 percent of the world’s population, have disabling hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization. In the US alone, one in six Americans experience hearing issues, but about 80 percent do nothing about it, according to hearing aid maker Starkey. As the US baby boomer population ages, hearing loss will become an even bigger issue in the country.
via CNET.
Yes, hearing loss will become an even bigger issue in this country.
Like a lot of grandmothers, Sheri Williams doesn’t get to visit her grandchildren as often as she’d like. In part, that’s because she has a full-time job and nine grandchildren spread across several time zones. The youngest one lives in Arlington, Va.; the oldest lives in Hawaii. “I can’t just drive down the street,” she says.
Nancy Delano, 80, of Denver has no plans to slow down anytime soon. She still drives to movies, plays and dinners out with friends. A retired elder care nurse who lives alone, she also knows that “when you reach a certain age, emergencies can happen fast.” So, when her son, Tom Rogers, talked to her about installing a remote monitoring system, she didn’t hesitate.
With motion sensors placed throughout the house, Rogers can see if his mom is moving around, if she’s sleeping (or not), if she forgot to lock the door and, based on a sophisticated algorithm that detects behavioral patterns, whether her activity level or eating habits have changed significantly, for instance.
“It gives both of us peace of mind, particularly as she ages and wants to live at home,” said Rogers, who lives near Washington, D.C., hundreds of miles away from her.
At $45-$60 a month (plus an upfront fee of $100 to $200), Alarm.com’s Wellness system is markedly less expensive than options such as hiring a home health aide to check on her or moving her into a retirement community. The average cost of nursing home care exceeds $95,000 a year, while assisted living and in-home care tops $45,000 annually, according to a 2017 Genworth Financial report.
The exorbitant costs of nursing home and assisted living care are driving sales — and innovation — in the technology market, said Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and author of “The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care.”
via Kaiser Health News.
Did you know?
More Social Security history here.
Congresswoman Marion Martin was the first woman to head the Department of Labor & Industry. She was elected to the House of Representatives (ME) in 1930 and went on to the Senate in 1934. Martin worked towards improving minimum wage, industrial safety, and child labor laws. She was born on this day in 1900. #HappyBirthday
Today is the first day of African American History Month. We wanted to share these three facts on why Social Security is vital to African Americans.
Investment in home and community-based care is popular and must be included in #infrastructure. Now it’s up to Congress to get it done. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/opinion/elder-care-congress.html #HCBS @nytimes
