Yet another entry into the web portal for seniors space. What do you think?
With the exception of emergency call systems, there is no other senior living technology space that is more crowded than web portal systems for seniors. They pretty much all offer a simplified easy to use Skype shell and a simplified email application.
- Some are pretty basic and some have a ton of easy to use features.
- Some require you to purchase hardware as part of the system and others will let you bring your own hardware.
- Some are designed to be used mostly in resident common areas with some assistance from staff and others are well suited for use in the individual resident’s apartments.
- Some have pricing plans that are based on the number of residents and others priced per building.
- At least one company even offers their basic system for free and others have a pretty significant per resident, per month fee.
I have been approached by a number of these companies hoping I would write about their particular flavor of web access but none have really knocked my socks off and, in truth, there are many seniors who do just fine with of- the-shelf hardware and applications. I am also inclined to think that these early permutations will have only a slight resemblance to something yet to be developed, that will become as ubiquitous as iPads. A company by the name of SEI-TEK™ is hoping to have the next ubiquitous thing. I am not sure this is that “thing” but it was interesting enough to take a look at.
Savi™ Tablet
The headline of their Kickstarter Campaign reads: Savi™ Tablet – New Advances in Technology for Seniors. They created a senior friendly user interface that lives on an Andriod tablet with a key board. Their initial offering includes simplified Email, Internet, photos, music, videos, books, video conferencing and calendar. They also have plans to keep track of things like blood pressure and weight. They are projecting that they will sell the device for $349, with plans to generate on-going revenue from the users, but what’s included and how much it will cost is not clear and is a critical piece of information because it could make $349 a great deal or a terrible deal. (Note: Further discussion with the founder reveals they expect to charge $8-$10 per month) My big red flag is their Kickstarter Campaign.
The Savi™ Kickstarter Campaign
In case you don’t know, Kickstarter is a crowdsourcing website where people who think they have a good idea, but don’t have enough money to fund that idea can pitch their project to the world, hoping that others will donate funds to the project. The crowd can make donations at various levels and usually the higher the donation the cooler the perks. The Savi perks are not terrific. With most Kickstarter Campaigns the lowest level donations get you something pretty cheesy though often fun and wacky. But as the donation level goes up the perks get more substantial. Particularly when someone is being asked to contribute to what is essentially a commercial venture, ponying up high dollars gets you discounted product. The Savi Campaign takes more of the opposite approach. If I put in $500 I get a $350 device and a t-shirt. If I bump my donation up to $1,000 I still get just one $350 device and a t-shirt, plus an invitation to the home office (at what I assume would be my own expense). These perks might make sense if they were for some charitable enterprise or art project. In that case I could see being willing to take a “minus value perk”, but I have a hard time with the idea, that I should fund this project so the principals can make a lot of money and I can pay way more than the minimum.
Two Questions
- Would your residents or their families purchase and use this device?
- Would you donate money to this Kickstarter campaign?
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The answer to your question is that it’s just another offering in a very crowded field. One might add that it’s not a very imaginative offering at that. There is a need for an interactive tablet that can work as a television remote so that the tablet display is mirrored on the TV, and GrandCare may have that, though I’m not sure.
Seniors are comfortable with their televisions, and they are familiar with the concept of a remote, so an extended function tablet “remote” might well gain success, provided that the touch sensitivity takes into account the dry callousing that inhibits many seniors from using touch sensitive devices.
The potential is there. The market, too, is there, not with the providers, who are resistant to technology, but with the seniors themselves who will embrace technology when they believe they can master it and when they see the value. This should be seen as a consumer market.
The Savi™ doesn’t seem very interesting and not all that useful either.
Hi Steve
As I have a review site for caregiver products – I am also inundated with requests to do product reviews and I only review what I really, really like. In my opinion – Lots of helping hands is the very best web portal and it is free. No reason to use anything else.
I constantly see all kinds of products for aging in place or home care or caregivers that are simply technology chasing markets. My theory is that a lot of companies started out doing X, more or less failed – had to pivot and looked toward senior care, aging in place etc due to its huge market potential.
Unfortunately – there is no real demand for these products and what these companies fail to realize is that while market research indicates that baby boomers have a lot of money to spend on consumer goods – the reality is that most family caregivers or seniors aging in place have very little money and need it to take care of their loved ones and to buy medicine etc
To date, there is no real “killer app” that the above would actually feel good about spending what little money they have to buy it.
Thanks again for a great column – spot on!! Hope it leads to more discussion of this important topic
Michael
My parent’s wouldn’t be able to use it. My mom can’t see and my dad wouldn’t understand…he’s always calling me on how to use his cell phone!
True story: Mom calls me and says “I bought a computer!” I’m thinking why? She didn’t use when my dad alive (he did use computer, excel, word etc).
“Well my TV Email program doesn’t work anymore.. I want to send email to my friends”
I asked why she bought this particular computer: ‘ it has big type so I can read it and for $20 a month they guarantee it won’t get a virus’.
I told her to refuse the package. Instead she went to the Apple Store and bought an IPad. Yep, my then 79 year old mother quickly learned to use an IPad. (She is 83 now.) She sends email to all her friends but still writes birthday cards, she has learned to forward email (jokes and junk like the rest of us), she loves she can get photos and videos from friends and family. On Thanksgiving we took videos of all her great-grandkids and sent, she watched the videos at the same time we were sitting down to dinner. And she learned how to write stories and at the CCRC office they print those for her. Plus now she can watch black and white video on YouTube of singers she remembers from her youth.
Simple – easy and it fills this seniors need to stay in communication with her friends and family. Only requirement is wi-fi and that’s in the building. (For a lot less money a Nook or similar device would do the same thing).
Maybe it’s just me, but seems there are already solutions available.
nice post John – your Mom is cool 🙂
the tablets more or less are the reason why a lot of companies never made it – their hardware solutions were very costly and their business models were based on leasing that hardware. Then tablets came along and everything changed.
My mom taught herself how to skypes and skypes with us all the time – we use pc anywhere so I can deal with any computer issues she may have remotely – no need for anything else at this time
Michael
From LinkedIn Groups
Technology should enable improved processes and methods. Make them accessible.
Not make outdated methods faster and easier.
The latter is arranging deck chairs on The Titanic. Might make a few bucks for the technology vendor “throwing stuff at the market” to see what sticks.
By F. Todd Winninger
From LinkedIn Groups
I’ve read the other comments, listened to the video and I’m on the fence because there is no one solution for all seniors. I think it’s a little early to tell on this one but the use of off the shelf components and donations to fund development would be red flags for me. That being said, I do like the approach of every app works the same way, and, if they can develop a way for a user to create custom apps for ADLs and IADLs for dementia victims there might be a market. The other issue I’ve heard in dementia forums is not only ease of use but often they can’t remember their passwords. So some fingerprint or retinal recognition software resident on Savi to replace the need for passwords to get into the apps would be great. All in all, I think right now it is another in the sea of existing products but that could change if they find a breakout niche such as focusing on cognitive impairment, etc. We’ll have to wait and see. So far they’ve raised about $4K of their goal of $100K with ten days left. If the idea is so great I’m not sure why they are not looking at some venture capitalists that make a living funding disruptive technologies.
By Thomas M. Lorenz
I would recommend senior housing leaders ask the question, should a housing provider be in the business of providing “senior friendly” devices or email/social media platforms? As many of the comments have already stated, “mom does fine with … (off the shelf/free apps)”. If there is no real business case and a demanding reason why you should provide or promote these products, let the consumer choose. Probably the better question is do you provide Wi-Fi to residents. That is probably the only business case that can be justified. Then remember one more risk issue…do you really want to be tied to supporting personal information like emails and such for your clients? Consider the privacy issues and if data is compromised. Better to leave this to other providers like Google and such.
I love technology, and love the idea of getting it in the hands of our Elders. At my community we have many residents that have iPads, computers, smart phones and other devices. Apps, when the price is right, is a great way to connect the residents to the community through technology. But creating something that requires a special device is unacceptable in today’s world.
There are so many companies developing software for Assisted Living, but none that are completely comprehensive of all community operations. Some are geared towards finances and portfolio management, and others more to partial community operations, but none run the whole gamete. Redundancy continues to run rapid. I would love to see something more comprehensive that offers a familiar user interface, is highly intuitive, and incredibly user friendly hit the market.