Tech for age-related markets: learn, select, study workflow, train -- repeat

LEARN: How does useful technology find the older adults who need it?  The new tech laundry list is a staple of our fast-paced tech times. What is new right now, this minute that could, might, or maybe be useful to older adults -- six new technologies for this, five more for that. An exhibit area at an aging-related event features more than 50 startup logos – pitches for pilots and advice on preparing to pilot.  Perhaps a technology could fill a real need of frail seniors – like a wearable band that notes dehydration and suggests a drink. Note that Nobo’s B60 was developed for athletes and the doctors that treat them. The company is aware of the senior need, but it might take a proactive third party to pull them towards that opportunity.

SELECT: A short list is crafted – how to try before the buy?  Senior housing, home health or home care organizations want to try out a few new offerings that are deemed useful for their residents, their staff, their clients, or themselves. Who has vetted these, identifying what's appropriate, or whether they work? For the very new technologies, do incubators/accelerator programs equipped with demo areas for interested prospects? If a technology doesn’t work as advertised, how do prospective buyers (in any of the above categories) find out before also buying?  Is there a place they can go to find out what are best practices for deploying? What less-than-ideal practices might be?

ASSESS AND CHANGE WORKFLOW: The shiny new object problem. Tech changes constantly, but most don’t need to keep up, even the individual consumer world – where so much gadgetry ends up as trash. In the business world (home care, home health, senior living), if you’re not piloting, it may not pay to be an early adopter. Wait until positive stories about the technology are emerging – making you part of the late majority: “These individuals approach an innovation with a high degree of skepticism and after the majority of society has adopted the innovation.” Understand how a new technology will fit into a business process, an organization, a day-to-day workflow – and as discussed by Ginna Baik in a recent CDW Webinar, what needs to change (maybe too much!) to accommodate it.

TRAIN, RETRAIN – and REPEAT: Next up after the decision – how to go about training?  In senior housing or for home health practices, training on back office solutions should be provided in person by the installing vendor of version X software or new hardware. A plethora of training videos are available for care delivery and practices (much on Youtube), not so much found for tech training of seniors. AARP’s online library of training videos should be standard viewing for organizations deploying tablets, smartphones, or even wondering how to make passwords secure. Trainers should encourage video recording of organization-specific training, so that those who could not attend or need refreshers could view again. And the entire cycle starts again after an assessment of what’s needed AND a view of the laundry list of what’s new.