If you are concerned about losing your memory you are not alone. There have been a couple of recent surveys that are quite striking. A 2010 AARP survey found that Baby Boomers are more concerned about staying mentally sharp than running out of money. A 2011 Associated Press poll clearly showed that boomers are more afraid of losing their memory than they are of death.
Their fears have not gone unnoticed. The market for brain fitness products is projected to get up to 8 billion dollars (U.S) in sales by 2015, according to Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains. Pricing for products varies from free: Cognitive Fun, Brain Experiment to nominal: $80 per year for Lumosity and pricey $395 for programs from Posit Science. So, do these products actually work or are people just capitalizing on your fears? For more information go to: Is ‘Brain Training’ Worth Your Cash?
In addition to brain fitness there are memory aids such as Memo that helps people remember appointments, medications, tasks, and other important information. The user needs no knowledge of computers?information is displayed automatically. The Memo always displays the correct day, date, and time, in addition to a message line that repeats important information throughout the day. A calendar, To Do list, phone numbers, Help button, Weather, and photo
albums can be added to make the Memo more useful and entertaining. Family caregivers can add and change messages on the Memo remotely, from wherever they have internet access, as often as needed. Several caregivers at work or in distant cities can coordinate care by viewing each others postings. The caregiver website is easy to use with only basic internet skills.
The Memo is $299. The monthly subscription to the Memo website is $29/month, with a discount for annual subscriptions. For more information go to: http://www.memotouch.com.
Originally posted: 08/03/11 by AIPatHome Staff
Beth Snyder Bulik takes a look at the tech spending habits of various demographic groups for an article in Digital.
In fact, spending on technology is one area where boomers are ahead of their younger counterparts. The 46- to 64-year-old group now spends more money on technology than any other demographic, according to Forrester Research’s annual benchmark tech study. That includes monthly telecom fees, gadget and device spending, and overall online purchases. They averaged around $650 spent in online shopping vs. Gen X ($581) and Gen Y ($429) over a three-month period.
But could they be ahead simply because they have more money? Which traditionally this age group (regardless of the boomer designation) usually has?
Click here to read the full story.
Originally posted: 10/11/10 by aip@Home Editor
While social media use has grown dramatically across all age groups, older users have been especially enthusiastic over the past year about embracing new networking tools. Social networking use among internet users ages 50 and older nearly doubled—from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010.
- Between April 2009 and May 2010, social networking use among internet users ages 50-64 grew by 88%–from 25% to 47%.
- During the same period, use among those ages 65 and older grew 100%–from 13% to 26%.
- By comparison, social networking use among users ages 18-29 grew by 13%—from 76% to 86%.
“Young adults continue to be the heaviest users of social media, but their growth pales in comparison with recent gains made by older users,” explains Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and author of the report. “Email is still the primary way that older users maintain contact with friends, families and colleagues, but many older users now rely on social network platforms to help manage their daily communications.”
- One in five (20%) online adults ages 50-64 say they use social networking sites on a typical day, up from 10% one year ago.
- Among adults ages 65 and older, 13% log on to social networking sites on a typical day, compared with just 4% who did so in 2009.
At the same time, the use of status update services like Twitter has also grown—particularly among those ages 50-64. One in ten internet users ages 50 and older now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves or see updates about others.
| A Typical Day: Where Social Media Use Fits In (% of Age Group) |
| Activity |
18-29 |
30-49 |
50-64 |
65+ |
| Send or read email |
62% |
67% |
60% |
55% |
| Get news |
44 |
45 |
42 |
34 |
| Do any banking online |
27 |
30 |
22 |
19 |
| Social networking site |
60 |
39 |
20 |
13 |
| Use online classifieds |
14 |
13 |
6 |
5 |
| Twitter or status update service |
18 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
| Source: Pew Research Center’s 2010 Tracking Survey, August 2010 |
|
Click here to read the full PDF report.
Originally posted: 09/30/10 by AIPatHome Staff
The Mayo Clinic will conduct a telehealth initiative to study to the care and cost benefits of in-home monitoring of patients with chronic diseases. They are partnering with GE Healthcare to implement Intel’s home monitoring technology Intel Health Guide.
During the year-long study 200 high-risk patients over the age of 60 with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, lung disease, will use a medical monitoring device to take their vitals: blood pressure, weight, sugar levels and peak air flow. This information is collected in a central database at the Mayo Clinic where the patient’s primary medical team will have secure web access. Clinicians will also be able to use the videoconferencing system to observe and communicate with their patients.
Last year GE Healthcare and Intel formed a partnership to work together to develop and market home-based telehealth technologies. The companies are expected to invest more than $250 million over the next 5 years.
(Sources: IHealthBeat, HDM)
Originally posted: 02/25/10 by AIPatHome Staff
