By Jack Cumming
While LeadingAge California was gathered on the Sapphire level of a bayfront hotel in San Diego, a little-noticed meeting was taking place on the Aqua level, one floor down. The sign on the meeting room door showed that Huawei was in the room.
Huawei Is in the House
If you don’t know Huawei, it may be the leading technology company in the world. It’s so formidable that the Trump administration banned it from the U.S. during its first term. Then, it appeared that the Trump people were trying to protect U.S.-based Cisco from foreign competition, although national security was given as the rationale.
Senior living has long lagged in technology. As Roberto Muñiz, board chair of LeadingAge National, asked at the same LeadingAge California meeting, “Nonprofits look for directors with big hearts, but what are the right skills to have?” Obviously, the industry needs a sharp focus on the emerging melding of artificial intelligence with automated devices derived from robotics.
Research Matters
Huawei has approximately 113,000 employees working in research and development, 54.1% of its workforce, compared with about 23,000 for Cisco, 25.9% of its workforce. Moreover, Cisco didn’t even show up in the exhibit hall, but there was Huawei meeting one floor down. Now that’s food for reflection.
There was much talk of AI at the San Diego LeadingAge California meeting, but little evidence of anything concrete to reduce reliance on people and to increase reliability. Japan is well ahead of the U.S. in adopting caregiving technologies, primarily due to necessity, since demographically, Japan is way ahead of our aging population challenge.
Bathroom Humor
Japan seems to have widespread use of hygienic toileting methods. Beyond that, though, one has to turn to imagination. There’s been talk of exoskeletons to help prevent falls, but little to no evidence of a workable product. Beyond these minor hints, though, the idea, as an example, of something that would allow Grandma to retain her dignity and modesty when she needs help showering is nowhere to be found.
Of course, that desirable objective can bring forward inappropriate humor, though it may contain something worthwhile. We live in very serious times in which we’re not supposed to laugh at the predicaments of others, even if they laugh at them themselves. Thinking of Grandma’s shower led me to imagine a gentle push-button apparatus that Grandma could activate herself.
Here’s where the humor comes in. Imagine allowing Grandma to go through a gentle car wash that would leave her clean and tidy with no one seeing her in deshabille unless an alarm signaled that help was needed. Grandma comes into the room with full privacy. Her nightie is removed … by her, or by a warm mechanical breeze, or by something … after which she is wafted through a soothing experience that leaves her clean, refreshed, and feeling lovable.
Freshly attired, she leaves the private room, which then proceeds to cleanse itself. It may make you laugh, but it’s not impossible. It’s also more a matter for engineers than for bighearted directors. Today’s realities are often the stuff of yesterday’s humor. To many Americans, bathroom customs in Japan … or Europe can seem peculiar, even funny.
Takeaways
That brings us to a couple of takeaways. First, there’s huge potential for technology in senior living. Until now, the industry has lagged behind other faster-paced industries. Moreover, it has failed with the dream of a universal electronic health record. It’s unlikely that senior living will suddenly become a tech leader.
Second, as a consequence, it seems obvious that the path to bringing technology to senior living is to start with the broader general market. As mentioned, senior living’s big heart is a barrier to tech leadership.
Third, given the talent differential between Huawei and Cisco, it’s likely that aging-services technology will advance more rapidly elsewhere than in the United States. We’ve already mentioned Japan. China, too, has a growing age challenge, due in no small part to the one-child policy. Huawei is right there, ready to help.
Provider leaders need to stay alert so their enterprise isn’t suddenly rendered obsolete. Remember what happened to Kodak when digital photography became common. It’s easy for businesses that don’t anticipate change to become case studies in how quickly great enterprises, and even established industries like passenger rail, become history. There’s a need for more action to give effect to the talk.
