Vertical Market: Assisted Living & Health Monitoring--Technology Extends a Helping Hand
Baby Boomers are a self-sufficient lot. They don’t want to be a burden and they’ve become accustomed to an independent lifestyle—and that mindset will continue as millions of this age group reach their 70s and beyond in the coming years.
As a whole, we are a country that continues to grey, largely due to the high population of baby boomers, those born between 1945 and 1965 after World War II. Many are moving into communities that start as retirement campuses but also offer assisted living and even nursing and acute care to support life’s aging challenges. And while for the most part we’re living longer and healthier lives—a little technology goes a long way in ensuring safety for aging partners and parents.
In addition to the routine challenges of slip and falls and safe containment, there are more issues that face the aging population. According to a July 2012 report in HealthDay News, the U.S. faces an unprecedented number of aging baby boomers with mental health or substance use issues, so patient wandering protection and even medicine dispenser controls are critical. And while health monitoring outside the security industry has different implications—telehealth, etc.—for the purposes of this article it’s about emergency response, video surveillance, smartphone connectivity and all the different ways caregivers can monitor and keep apprised of the status of their elderly parent or aging loved one.
Opportunities for systems integrators include personal emergency response systems, video monitoring and mobile video, duress or emergency buttons, and simple things, like chimes and sounders that notify when an elderly parent not in total control of their faculties might decide to leave the premises or wander to an outside area that is unprotected or unfenced.
Wireless and cellular have also emerged as solid players in this vertical market. Occupancy sensors that turn on or off lights when elderly have entered or left an area are one simple control to think about, as are of course PERs when a parent or elderly has fallen or perhaps has failed to enter an area on an appointed time schedule. And of course, video with remote verification capabilities so caregivers can look in while away will continue to play a strong role in the market.
The reality is that elderly parents want to stay in their homes as long as possible, so all kinds of controls are possible to help them achieve those goals. Some 73 percent of respondents in an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) survey, Home and Community Preferences of the 45+ Population, November 2012, strongly agreed with the statement: "What I'd really like to do is stay in my current residence for as long as possible."
That’s good news for systems integrators and alarm dealers who can leverage their solutions expertise to help them do just that.
Aging in Place
- Nearly 90 percent of seniors want to stay in their own homes as they age, often referred to as “aging in place.”
- Even if they begin to need day-to-day assistance or ongoing health care during retirement, most (82 percent) would prefer to stay in their homes. Only a few express a preference for moving to a facility where care is provided (nine percent) or for moving to a relative’s home (four percent).
- AARP recently identified housing features that seniors find are especially important in the later years as they begin to experience reduced eyesight, poorer balance, reduced flexibility, etc. Some 79 percent said they would want a personal alert system that allows calling for help in emergencies
Remodeler Sound Bites on Aging
Some 75 percent of remodelers report an increase in inquiries related to aging in place, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
NAHB predicts that aging in place remodeling market to be $20 to $25 billion. That’s about 10 percent of the $214 billion home improvement industry.
Graying of America
“More people were 65 and older in the 2010 census than any other previous census.”—U.S. Census Bureau
Medical Alert Group
The Medical Alert Monitoring Association (MAMA), Union, N.J., is a professional trade association representing the needs of the medical alert monitoring and personal emergency response services industry. MAMA focuses on professionalism and the advancement of technology in the industry. Members provide services to some 80 percent of medical alert customers in the U.S. MAMA is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited Standards Development Organization (SDO). The organization was formally constituted in 2007—visit www.medicalalertmonitoringassociation.com.
Trends in Aging
The oldest baby boomers reached age 65 in 2011 and when the trend peaks in 2030, the number of people aged over 65 will soar to about 72.1 million, or one in five Americans.—Administration on Aging
