Some Caregiving Innovations Win
The technology industry seems to be getting it. Today’s caregivers – in light of medical advances and baby boomers who keep on booming (working) - need more options than ever before.
How else are caregivers going to see to it that housebound mom and older sibling with dementia get the care they need and deserve to maintain a quality lifestyle?
But these advances all come with price tags for further research and development.
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It was a relief to discover that AARP recently sponsored a caregiving tech competition in Sunnyvale, California to generate technologies that could improve tomorrow’s choices.
The AARP Innovations@50+ Live Pitch brought together venture capitalists and the latest and greatest high tech inventions. These inventions were ranked by members of the audience for their ability to address caregiving needs.
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The presentations were focused on making life easier for either the aging patients or their caregivers, or both. No doubt this can be quite a challenge.
There were, initially, more than 200 entrants. Of those ten were selected to do a presentation. Two from that group emerged from the pack as winners. They were:
SingFit, a Los Angeles-based company that has designed both app and music software to stimulate the minds of dementia patients. It also has the added bonus of providing an effective body-mind workout.
Penrose Check-Ins (Senior Care Auditors of Dallas, Texas) received the venture capitalist judges’ award. This system of app and specially designed technologies that work with auditors who make home visits. It provides a prescribed list that is relevant to the family member’s well-being. A real plus for long-distance caregivers, especially.
These two will meet with the AARP Innovation team mentorship which could possibly help them develop income streams of support to continue with their good work.
To learn more, click here.
Author Dietrich Stroeh chronicles his caretaking journey in the e-book Three Months: A Caregiving Journey from Heartbreak to Healing. This Kindle ebook takes readers inside the Stroeh household where home care, medical decisions and much needed laughter gave extraordinary shape to an unexpected and devastating illness.
He has also written two free e-books on the topic. To learn more, click here.
