The caregiving crisis in health care exacerbated by the pandemic and the booming eldercare industry—$8 trillion in the United States alone—are propelling the development of a rash of new technologies to bridge the digital divide with older adults, Keren Etkin, author and self-described gerontechnologist, told a University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School virtual audience last week.
Etkin spoke with Dean John A. Quelch from her home in Tel Aviv, Israel, and discussed the growing intersection of technology and aging, and advances toward an inclusive fintech [integration of technology into financial services] for the older generation.
“With COVID, a sense of urgency about loneliness has appeared—we’ve all felt what it’s like to be lonely,” Etkin said. “It’s a known fact that older adults are at greater risk of becoming lonely, especially when they’re widowed or lose other people in their lives. And research has shown that loneliness has negative implications on our physical health. Even if you’re a younger adult, you’re at greater risk for morbidity and death.”
Etkin said it was important to take advantage of the momentum and interest that the pandemic has generated about loneliness in older adults and loneliness in general. “There are so many challenges with the aging population, and loneliness is just one of them,” she said.
The gerontechnologist started her career with a nonprofit organization providing community services to older adults. While the services were helpful, she sensed they were not scalable and that they were unable to produce the needed impact. When offered the opportunity to join a startup that was building a social robot, she quickly transitioned.
“The premise of our work was to solve the challenge of loneliness among older adults—this was a chance to make an impact on millions of people,” she explained.
One of the important features of the voice-activated social robots she helped develop was to respond to text and chat messages, such as: “Hey, Mary, your grandchild sent you a message, would you like me to read it aloud for you?” The grandmother could respond by using her voice.
The robots can relay information about the weather, play games, but most importantly they can be interactive—“Good morning, did you sleep well? Should I turn on the lights?”—and serve a social function to diminish a sense of aloneness.
“During COVID, the company has found that people who have been living with the robot for months found it incredibly beneficial,” Etkin said. “They couldn’t meet with family or friends, but they had a companion they could communicate with on a regular basis.”
The social robots are not geared to do household chores; their physical presence is more used to expressing themselves, moving around, rather than being an iRobot, she explained.
“At the end of this process, when all of us will have social robots in our homes, it’s likely that the social robot will be the hub for all other smart devices, sending commands to the coffee machine, dishwasher, and other appliances, and involved in total system integration,” Etkin said.
Does she envision the government funding social robots?
“Any technology that is proven to be effective and that improves people’s well-being should be considered,” said Etkin, noting the enhanced understanding of social determinants of health. She pointed to Medicare Advantage plans that provide funding for programs and products such as Silver Sneakers and Apple Watch that promote healthier policy holders.
“At the end of the day, whether it’s the government or whoever is paying for the health care bills, it will save them money,” she said.
Etkin highlighted the changing demographics of the world’s population—one-third of Japan’s population is already 65 or older, and percentages are growing around the world because there are fewer babies being born—and a remedying of the misconception about technology and older adults for fueling the boom in eldercare interest.
“The notion that older adults don’t want or use technology is completely false,” Etkin pointed out. Data from the AARP shows that over and over, year over year, older adults in greater numbers are adopting and adapting to new technology, according to Etkin.
She indicated that Amazon, with their Together feature, and other big tech companies are rapidly expanding into eldercare space, releasing features and products specifically for this population.
The pandemic, she noted, has exacerbated the caregiving crisis—the dire need for capable, compassionate caregivers.
“Caregivers are one of the most in-demand jobs—high turnover, hard to staff, and low-paying,” she said. “The crisis is here, not just in home-care, but in senior living. And it’s not just a macro trend, a problem of the long-term care industry—each of us who has loved ones who are older are likely to find ourselves in the role of family care giver.”
New technologies can help not only with daily living and personal care, but also with household maintenance, Etkin stated. Laundry, cleaning, cooking dishes, are all tasks that can be automated.
“We don’t have to use humans for that. We can leave it to humans to do the things that are uniquely human—provide companionship and comfort,” Etkin said.
“When I’m older, I don’t want my grandchildren coming to my house to change lightbulbs—I want them to spend time with me, to tell them my stories and leave a legacy in them,” she said. “We have to invest right now in tech solutions that will enable us to have a better aging experience.”
Etkin is the creator of TheGerontechnologist.com and author of the soon-to-be-released “Age Tech Revolution.”
