By Laura Nuhaan, CEO and co founder
Interesting article about telehealth shows that digitial divide between seniors and younger generations is a barrier in telehealth. Read more here. From this article: Blacker (AT&T) said lack of access to technology is a problem, especially among the elderly. “The ‘digital divide’ is a big problem because senior… citizens are the
group that is least likely to use digital technology,” West said.
It’s FamiliLink’s mission to overcome the digital divide!
By Inger Rarick, Co-Founder FamiliLink
A new study this month posted by the AMA (American Medical Association) shows that older adults who continue or begin to do ANY amount of exercise appear to live longer and have a lower risk of disability. The study spanned over 15 years and included almost 2000 participants. Some findings included: “Physical activity may delay the spiral of decline that begins with inability to perform daily activities and continues through illness and death by improving cardiovascular fitness, slowing loss of muscle mass, reducing fat, improving immunity and suppressing inflammation.” Click here to see the study.
What I find most significant is that institutions are FINALLY investing money and resources into doing studies on older adults. Almost all of the studies in the past conducted on the benefits and/or harms of exercise have focused on people under the age of 65. This is the first significant studies about how exercise can impact the well-being of older adults.
Certainly this is a step in the right direction. As our population ages (by 2020 there will be 54M older adults…compared to today’s 35M older adults) it is clear that resources must be spent TODAY on learning more about our aging population and what we can do to improve health and well being as we age. The next step is to start investing in technologies and services that will truly impact older adults. At FamiliLink, we know that staying physically active, socially connected, and cognitively stimulated are key success factors to happy aging. With FamiliLink, it is easy to have your older loved one “digitally connected” so you can provide support using the computer and internet. Imagine what you can do once your loved one is “connected”… share digital content (photos and videos), help them with reminders for medications, exercise schedules, important appointments, play brain games together with them and so much more.
I hope institutions continue to do age-specific studies such as the one above, then perhaps investors and corporations will begin to focus on this generation.
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