The tech user experience – still flawed and in need of fixing. As noted in the May report, The User Experience Needs an Upgrade, the requirement to use smartphones and other tech is growing exponentially – in-person and by-telephone experiences have disappeared or deteriorated. Yet there are few useful ways to help older adults navigate the thicket of user interfaces, and this only becomes more obvious as AI capabilities emerge that could be extremely useful, but finding and understanding them is, well, work. Frustration bubbles up here and there – AARP’s 2024 Tech Trends and Adults 50+ noted that only 61% of adults aged 70+ felt they had the digital skills to fully take advantage of being online.
Concerns about AI are all around, but its future role is inevitable. There it is, one consumer well-publicized survey after another, whether it is the WSJ, Pew Research or AARP, even as adoption in business, healthcare and other industries grows. Consumers continue to express worry – but in the meantime…82% of companies are either using or exploring use of AI today. That parallels the senior living and care organizations interviewed for this new report – there is a combination of evaluating, limited use, and actually in use with benefit. Interviewees contributed ideas, actual projects and concerns, helping to shape the new report, The Future of AI in Senior Living and Care.
A new study offers a conundrum, or maybe a marketing problem. Most Americans 50 and older don’t trust AI-generated health information, says a new poll published by the University of Michigan. But they do trust their own ability to figure out what information is good and what isn’t when they look for it. They say they trust WebMD, Healthline. And yet only 32% said it was easy to find accurate health advice. But how would you know what is accurate? And the 84% who said they got health information from a health care provider, pharmacist, friend or family member in the past year. A friend or family member? Really?
It’s that awful time – the hurricane season. The time when the national hurricane center forecasts, repeated ad nauseum, are destined to frighten everyone, no matter how far from affected regions. The same broadcast can dwell on cones and paths, shout at those in beach areas that the evacuation instructions are meant for them – “IF YOU STAY, YOU WILL DIE!” Mapping the cone of the hurricane and talking constantly about evacuation sounds like a plan – but some observe that the distance required to evacuate to safety could be long – and thus talking about availability of shelters makes more sense. So residents who will 'shelter in place' stock up before stores begin closing, and gas stations run out of gas . Then they watch the 24-hour source of all fear – cable news, looking for guidance from Jim Cantore, that icon among storm trackers.
No surprise – AI tools are already part of senior living operations and planning. The research phase is nearly complete for the report on AI in Senior Living and Care. It is increasingly apparent that AI is not a future for many. it is already solving vexing problems that proprietary or existing apps could not effectively tackle, whether in senior living or skilled nursing home environments. Although a few interviewees felt that AI tools were 'not quite ready for prime time' all saw that the future benefit, particularly in terms of more effective use of data, optimizing workloads of staff, and proactive monitoring of the wellbeing of residents. The report will quote specific executives about their experiences, but here are insights from the 20 conversations held to date:
The tech user experience – still flawed and in need of fixing. As noted in the May report, 
Concerns about AI are all around, but its future role is inevitable. There it is, one consumer 
A new study offers a conundrum, or maybe a marketing problem. Most Americans 50 and older don’t trust AI-generated health information, says a 
It’s that awful time – the hurricane season. The time when the national hurricane center forecasts, repeated ad nauseum, are 
No surprise – AI tools are already part of senior living operations and planning. The research phase is nearly complete for the report on