FEBRUARY 20209Automating Health DiagnosisPeople like Mrs Dey suffer more from chronic diseases and co-mor-bidities than others. Many large US hospital systems are now increas-ingly using AI-based automation to improve diagnosis and monitoring of diseases that affect the elderly disproportionately - osteoporosis, dementia, and osteoarthritis.In India, large tertiary hospitals are using tele-medicine platforms to provide specialist di-agnostics to small-er clinics in remote locations. These services are partic-ularly beneficial to el-derly patients who can-not travel long distances to access better care. Improving Home CareWe all worry about elderly parents - especially if they live far away from us. However, an explosion of af-fordable tech has now made remote monitoring of elderly patients easi-er and cheaper. By using non-intru-sive sensors or wearable alarms, in-novative Home Care Companies are helping families improve at-home care and emergency response. In the UK for example, AI plat-forms are monitoring a range of health metrics at home - fall risks, pulse rate, sleep cycles, unusual behaviour patterns, and subdued daily activity. Data analytics im-prove patient diagnosis and can now trigger care intervention much earlier at the senior's home.Voice-based virtual assistants such as Amazon Echo are using AI to enable medication adherence and care coordination for the el-derly. Mobile apps are making in-formation more easily available to seniors at home ­ be it med-ical advice, mental counselling, care worker reviews, smart home choices, senior travel options, and pharmacy deals. Reducing Fall Risks1 in 3 adults over 65 will fall at least once a year. Some falls would result in broken bones, head injuries or serious chronic pain. Falls can also cause loss of confidence among the elderly ultimately resulting in loss of independence, like in the case of Mrs Dey.Start-ups have developed AI-pow-ered fall sensors that trigger alarms and immediate-ly engage emer-gency response teams. These health-techs play a crucial role in keeping seniors safer for longer.Reducing Isolation & DepressionSenior citizens often live alone, find travelling hard, and do not engage with social media enough. Isolation among the elderly is very com-mon. Early diagnosis of depression or mental apathy is critical for ac-tive intervention, includ-ing psychological support and medication.Technology can be an en-abler in helping arrest depression and managing it over time. In China, entrepreneurs are using AI-pow-ered cameras to connect at-risk seniors remotely to psychologists, psychiatrists, and volunteers.In Japan, conversational robots are being programmed to provide tailored conversations and engage with seniors who are at risk of social isolation. Robotic helpers are being developed to counter the paucity of human care workers, and even im-prove the efficiency of care. Increasing Digital ParticipationDigital education classes for the el-derly are popular across the world ­ as seniors learn about smart phones, play games on tablets and use social media to interact with others. Companies are building tech solutionsto keep seniors ac-tive, engaged, and connected with the wider world. Specialist digital platforms help American seniors find romance, social clubs, rare books, music of olden times ­ and a whole lot of se-nior-specific interests. It is not that seniors do not engage with digital technology ­ it is just that enough has not been done to engage with them. Technology for the Aged Needs SpecialisationAge-related physical and cogni-tive challenges will require adap-tation and innovation in tech. De-cline in vision may make reading small font on smartphone screens difficult. Co-lour vision maybe compromised with age so that screen designs must be adapted. Keypads need to be bigger or even modified to counter poor eye-sight, arthritic fingers, or dementia. We will need additional regula-tory, privacy, and cyber security measures to protect seniors. For technology to play a central role in 60+ lives, many improvementsare still required ­ simpler products, cheaper hardware, intuitive soft-ware and senior friendly solutions that the elderly want. Yet whatever the challenges, more people like Mrs Dey will need more "Age-Tech" solutions more quickly in the immediate future. Tamojit Dutta Prateep Sen
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