CES 2021 – roll the press releases and turn on your computer. A long time ago, one writer published a charmingly-named CES overview of CES 2012 called CES in Pajamas – an entertaining read with links to 2012 videos just to see what flopped, what was canceled (remember Microsoft Kinect?) and what/who is still around. Laptops were hot (remember the Ultrabook?) Voice First and the Apple Watch had not emerged. Oh well. Fast forward to 2021. Pajama-like clothing is the only way to consume the content vastness of this entirely online Consumer Electronics Show with 500 exhibits, 70,000 registered attendees, and 3 full days of sessions, many pre-recorded, some live. Too many press releases and some odd stuff (a rollable Smart phone?) Here are a few useful to older adults, alphabetical from firm sites:
The hearing loss statistics are daunting. The number is sizable – 38 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. But probably the most startling statistic is related to older adults – half of those age 75+ difficulty hearing. Of those age 70 and older with hearing loss, only 30% have hearing aids. How is this the status quo? Even though age is the single greatest predictor of hearing loss, many people wait 7 or more years before attempting to address it. That could include purchasing a sound amplification product (PSAP), hearing aid, or the newest amplification category, hearables. The consequences of untreated hearing loss include social isolation, which itself is related to poorer health outcomes.
October was a long and extravagant month for the tech market. Between trade events, including the Connected Health Conference in Boston, LeadingAge in San Diego, HLTH in Las Vegas, the Aging 2.0 Revolutionize Conference in Boston which was highlighted by the reveal of Venture Capital investor Dominic Endicott's $2 Trillion Age-Tech market size, making the Consumer Technology Association's $29 Billion look cautious. No doubt there were also many smaller events throughout the country. Here are the October blog posts:
Hearing aids should appeal to those with significant hearing loss. It’s a given that hearing loss interferes with communication – which itself is a risk for social isolation – as well as fall risk and dementia. Ironically, according to the recently published and comprehensive MarketTrak10 survey, the decision to wear them is so often delayed years – the delay resulting from excuses like “hear well enough; can’t afford; too expensive; no coverage.” Given the associated risks and isolation from delay, it is surprising that until recently, the devices were well-matched with the excuses. What’s changed to overcome all of these excuses?