Silicon Valley helps seniors stay ‘Lively’
A group of former Apple, eBay and Microsoft employees recently unveiled a new app (mobile phone and tablet application), called Lively, which could help seniors remain independent and continue living at home.
The county of Sarasota, Florida, apparently has the highest concentration of seniors in the U.S. Politicians there are seeking to target Sarasota as a test market for companies to tap into the $8-trillion American seniors market. Lively is the first result of that effort.
It’s a system of tiny sensors, which are placed in pillboxes, refrigerators, TV remotes and elsewhere. When a pillbox or refrigerator is opened, data is transmitted to the Lively website, where 89-year-old Phyllis Bek-gran’s son, for example, can check to see that his mother is OK.
One day, when she hadn’t opened her pillbox by 11 a.m., an email was sent to her son (350 miles away in Key West), who then called her to remind her to take her pills, and to ensure she was doing well.
In addition to logging a senior’s daily routine, Lively can solicit news and photos from designated family members and friends via email. They are compiled into a booklet (a “LivelyGram”) and then snail-mailed to the senior.
As the population of seniors increases and care facilities become harder to access, inventions such as Lively will become critical for seniors wishing to remain at home, wherever their children may live. Let’s hope such apps come to Canada!
This ad ran in the Richmond News on September 20, 2013.