No . . . not mine . . . There is this very odd looking guy (not an insult, he works at looking weird) by the name of David Shing who wears the moniker “AOL’s digital prophet”. Yes, I get the irony of AOL having a digital prophet given their avalanche-like decline. Yet, the list of 5 Game Changing Digital Predictions for 2014 (The link is to a 110 second video that includes 15 seconds of advertising at the start) is pretty intriguing and, if he is right, they hold interesting promise for the senior living industry.
The 5 Digital Predictions
1. We are moving to a screen ecosystem
The idea here is that, rather than our devices operating separately, they will be talking to each other and working together to our benefit. For instance: A prospect family member is watching TV and surfing the web for Assisted Living and finds something that is interesting. She hits an icon on her laptop and it pops onto the big screen TV for the rest of the family to look at. While still a little clunky something similar, can be done today with Google CromeCast.
2. We are entering into the collaboration age
This is my favorite. It is why Senior Housing Forum exists and is committed to conversation and open dialog. It is why I love events like the Marcus Evans CXO Summit and organizations like Eden Alternative that are committed to the idea that conversations and collaboration result in better solutions. It is why I am excited about the One Voice Initiative. There is no doubt that senior living is not for every elder, maybe not even for most elders, but there are many, many elders who are living in sub-optimal conditions because we either are not offering the right products or not telling the story in the right way. Collaboration can change that.
3. There will be a movement toward de-friending and un-following
You know you are already doing this, as am I. If you are marketing through social media it feels scary because it will make your numbers look less robust, but ultimately we are all better off if our social media connections are people we can really have meaningful engagement with. One of the things that will drive de-friending and un-following is too many posts in a day or a week. Particularly annoying are those individuals who post the same thing over and over again throughout the day or, even worse, post something that is weeks or months old. When I click on that stuff I feel like that person has ripped off my time.
4. Mobile Intimacy
I hope this is true. Right now mobile mostly detracts from personal relationships. I go to meetings, events, even church functions where people would rather interact with their “devices” than the people around them. Hopefully these devices will make creating community better not more difficult.
5. Smarter Wearables
Itouched on this last week in my article about the perfect call system. I am convinced that wearables, and maybe even implantables, will allow us to collect and use data that will allow elders to live safer, healthier lives and do it in such a way that it lightens caregiver loads.
Shings’s prophesy and my take. What do you think? Do you have any digital prophesies for 2014 and beyond?
Steve,
Thank you for sharing this piece. I’m try to closely follow how digital and technological developments will influence quality of care and overall quality of life for the rapidly expanding senior population. I think #1 and #5 in particular will have the greatest impact on senior well being.
As seniors continue to embrace technology, I think remote monitoring will play a huge part in preventative health care maintenance as devices communicate with one another and with us. Over time collaboration between our devices, physicians, hospitals, health facilities and families will create better outcomes for seniors, especially those dealing with costly chronic conditions. Wearables will become commonplace (I’m wearing one now) and will relay useful data to the right professionals in time to avoid lengthy hospitalizations and make medication adjustments in real time.
It is a very exciting time!
Djena Graves Lennix
Accent on Seniors
The de-friending and un-follow are my top in this article. Another that I believe will evolve is immigration reform due to staffing issues and workforce turnover – AND elderly migrating to countries with lower cost care.
Like everything, the novelty of technology has worn off and we need to harness the immense power inherent in it to improve our lives, especially given the tsunami that is the growing elder population, ALs and Home Health have been behind the curve on using technology, but with collaboration of AL and elder associations and organizations with technology companies, researchers and industry influencers, we can lower cost and have a better quality of care that can lead to improved quality of life.
Are there periodic summits that bring these groups together to collaborate?
As a technology designer and consultant for senior living facilities, it’s great to see a conversation and opinions about what’s here and what’s coming next. Yes, Senior Living is slow to adopt. I think all of the subjects above are excellent, and there are a few more areas that should be added… technology infrastructure to harness all of this and the operational efficiency it can employ. It’s just as important to use technology for its recurring value in the back-of-house operations… One example is climate (HVAC) control and smart sensors used for predictive and preventative maintenance across the facility. These leads to lower operational costs. You’d be amazing at how many energy dollars are wasted when heating and air conditioning is running when it doesn’t need to be. The cost effective technology for this and many other areas are here today and ready for deployment.