{"id":37120,"date":"2025-07-31T15:12:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T15:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/37120\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T15:12:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T15:12:07","slug":"more-seniors-want-to-age-in-place-heres-how-technology-can-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/37120\/","title":{"rendered":"More seniors want to age in place. Here\u2019s how technology can help"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Thanks to technology, Edmonton resident Betty Faulkner plans to stay in her home for years to come. She now uses a \u2018smart\u2019 glove to manage the essential tremor she developed a few years ago.Amber Bracken<\/p>\n

Betty Falkner\u2019s mother didn\u2019t want to move into an assisted living home. But by 1994, at age 87, \u201cshe just couldn\u2019t be left in the house anymore,\u201d recalls Ms. Falkner. \u201cShe had already fallen once. Her brother had fallen and broken a hip and waited three days [before he was] found. So, she knew the risks of living alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now nearly 80 herself, Ms. Faulkner says today\u2019s seniors can live at home longer, \u201cbecause of all the technology that\u2019s helping us stay in our homes. Now, my mother might have a choice. At that time, she really didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Falkner, a retired accountant, lives with her husband in a bungalow just outside Edmonton. Thanks to technology, she plans to live there for life \u2013 a goal shared by many Canadians.<\/p>\n

In a 2024 federal government study called Supporting Canadians Aging at Home<\/a>, up to 96 per cent of Canadians aged 65 and older said they would do everything possible to avoid going into a long-term care facility.<\/p>\n

A few years ago, she developed a hereditary condition called essential tremor. It caused her hands to shake so severely that daily activities \u2013 from writing and brushing her teeth to eating and drinking \u2013 became difficult. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou scrape your gums with your toothbrush,\u201d she says. Dialing a cell phone, fitting a key into a keyhole or cutting food was challenging. <\/p>\n

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Betty Faulkner\u2019s smart glove is one of some 180 innovations supported by Age-Well to help older adults maintain independence, health and quality of life.Amber Bracken<\/p>\n

Now she uses a \u201csmart\u201d glove, developed by Toronto startup Steadiwear Inc<\/a>., to manage her tremors. Designed to stabilize the wrist joint, the glove helps reduce shaking for people with essential tremor or Parkinson\u2019s disease. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am just thrilled with it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s made such a difference in my life because I have control of my hands again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since her condition can leave her unsteady, Ms. Falkner also uses the Fall Detection feature on her Apple Watch, which can detect hard falls and alert emergency services. Its gait-steadiness feature provides early warnings to help prevent falls.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I ever end up by myself,\u201d she says, \u201cI won\u2019t have to leave my home because I know there are so many things available now that would make me feel safe here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Innovation for aging<\/p>\n

Bridgette Murphy, acting chief executive officer at Age-Well<\/a>, a national technology and aging network, says Ms. Falkner\u2019s Steady-3 glove is among some 180 innovations supported by the organization to help older adults maintain independence, health and quality of life.<\/p>\n

Since launching a decade ago, Age-Well has partnered with more than 400 industry, academic and government partners. Its collaborations range from smart-home technology and remote monitoring to robotic and AI-driven tools for social connection, cognition and mobility. <\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s age-tech sector is expanding at a critical time, says Ms. Murphy, as nearly nearly one in four<\/a> Canadians will be aged 65 and older in just five years, in an already stressed health-care system.<\/p>\n

In 2024, seniors accounted for nearly half<\/a> of all health-care spending, according to Canadian Institute for Health Information. Per capita, spending on seniors was five times higher than for those under age 65.<\/p>\n

Yet studies<\/a> show that up to 22 per cent of hospital visits by seniors could be avoided through better health management that technology can enable. <\/p>\n

According to Age-Well, 90 per cent of seniors want to remain in their homes as they age.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019ve got a health-care system that can\u2019t take much more pressure and individuals who would rather not be in it, there\u2019s a clear pathway for technology to help keep costs down and improve quality of life,\u201d says Ms. Murphy.<\/p>\n

Although older adults are often stereotyped as technophobic, nine in 10<\/a> use the internet daily, and 80 per cent<\/a> say they\u2019re confident that technological advancements can help them stay safe, independent and at home longer.<\/p>\n

But how can seniors find out about innovations like wearable airbags<\/a> that prevent hip injury, social robots<\/a> that promote connection or smart fridges<\/a> that analyze grocery needs?<\/p>\n

Enter Age-Well\u2019s Innovation Studio. Located in Toronto and modelled after a typical one-bedroom apartment for seniors, the studio integrates Canadian-made technologies designed to support daily activities and health-care needs. <\/p>\n

Ms. Falkner attended the studio\u2019s opening event in May, demonstrating her glove and learning about other innovations, such as Quantum Robotic Systems\u2019 QBii<\/a> robot, which carries heavy loads around the house and up and down stairs; TochTech Technologies Ltd<\/a>.\u2019s smart stove monitor which sends alerts if a stove is left unattended; and Centivizer<\/a>\u2019s virtual biking experience. <\/p>\n

From an armchair or wheelchair, users can pedal a stationary pedal system, while watching travel videos on screen. The catch? They have to keep pedalling to view the footage \u2013 turning exercise into a rewarding experience.<\/p>\n

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Centivizer\u2019s virtual biking system lets users pedal while watching scenic videos.Supplied<\/p>\n

Caring for the caregiver<\/p>\n

Since half of Canadians<\/a> will be caregivers at some point in their lives, the Innovation Studio also features tech solutions for those who care for seniors. <\/p>\n

Among them are remote monitoring systems from AltumView and Chirp that detect human activity and send alerts in emergencies such as falls. Unlike traditional surveillance, both are designed to protect privacy. AltumView\u2019s video feed scrambles human images into stick figures, while Chirp uses radar, thermal and audio sensors instead of video. <\/p>\n

Both systems use AI-powered apps that detect early signs of health decline \u2013 for example, if a senior stays in bed longer than usual, an alert is sent so care providers can intervene sooner. <\/p>\n

R. Bruce Wallace, an Ottawa-based professor and engineer, develops solutions for seniors with mobility and memory disability, as well as for caregivers, who are often overwhelmed by the demands of balancing caregiving with their own lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to account for both these individuals,\u201d says Dr. Wallace, executive director of the Age-Well National Innovation Hub on Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory (SAM3), a collaboration between the Bruy\u00e8re Health Research Institute and Carleton University in partnership with Age-Well. \u201cIf you\u2019re the spouse or the adult child taking care of someone living with dementia, you go to bed every night with one eye open. And if you don\u2019t get enough sleep, you burn out.\u201d<\/p>\n

A smart home for dementia care<\/p>\n

At the start of the pandemic, Dr. Wallace moved more than 100 sensors from his labs to his home, turning it into a smart-home testing site.<\/p>\n

Sensors on his fridge, stove, mattress, floors and doors track everything from eating and sleeping patterns to gait and movement. If someone gets out of bed and doesn\u2019t return within a set time or if an exterior door opens in the night, the system sends an alert to the caregiver. <\/p>\n

Dr. Wallace says the system allows caregivers to sleep easier, knowing there\u2019s a protective layer of technology in place.<\/p>\n

The equipment is relatively inexpensive, he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s mostly the same hardware used for home security systems. We\u2019re just turning it on its head.\u201d<\/p>\n

He expects this kind of technology will become more common in homes with seniors with dementia in the coming years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a baby boomer issue,\u201d he explains. \u201cIf boomers are institutionalized at the same rate as their parents, we don\u2019t have enough long-term care beds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The alternative puts the burden on family members or other caregivers, he adds. \u201cSo, I see technology as a way to offload that work \u2013 helping people support seniors and still do everything else they need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Murphy agrees. \u201cA lot of caregivers are older adults themselves. The roles are sometimes fluid. So, it\u2019s important to consider holistically what it means to age in place. It\u2019s not just about the individual \u2013 it\u2019s their environment, their social circle and their circle of care.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology isn\u2019t the only solution,\u201d she adds, \u201cbut it can be harnessed to support people remain where they want to remain as they age.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Thanks to technology, Edmonton resident Betty Faulkner plans to stay in her home…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1401,27356,27360,1572,1397,27357,49,48,13686,10237,16143,84,392,27355,27359,27358,2654,61],"class_list":["post-37120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-adveditorial","tag-age-in-place","tag-age-well","tag-apple","tag-appwebview","tag-assisted-living","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-caregiving","tag-dementia","tag-falls","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-ordid3720630132edit","tag-parkinsons","tag-senior-safety","tag-seniors","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}