In this episode, join us to hear about innovations from the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) through the eyes of a startup accelerator leader, along with specific product offerings that support improved toileting practices and a transformed view of how habits can be utilized to extend independent living options and support caregivers.

This show (recorded on February 1, 2024) included the following guests in the order they presented:
 
Jeffrey Gray, Founder of AgeTech Atlanta - a vibrant group of startups representing the greater Atlanta, Georgia. B2B attendee and industry expert. Jeffrey mentioned being intrigued by Zoog, who was a guest on our Part 2 CES Highlights show. It’s a video format storytelling app that helps you communicate with your grandkids (or hopefully in the future, it could even be used for communicating with dementia and cognitively challenged care receivers). Jeffrey also gave kudos to Singfit and the Samsung Health House that was front-and-center in the pavilion organized by the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP, as well as Map Habit (also a guest on this episode).

Dan Walkowiak of Bemis Manufacturing - the leader in toilet seats nationally, operating for 120 years, and still family-owned. Bemis exhibited its innovative new new “Empower” product, the first toilet seat that automatically applies cleanser and barrier spray to the user at the touch of a button, increasing user dignity and independence, as well as reducing the risk of UTI, among other benefits. Exhibitor located near the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP Pavilion.

Matt Golden, CoFounder and CEO of MapHabit - a culmination of science and innovation that is transforming the way that older adults learn and retain information, and in so doing, helping care receivers in their daily lives to maintain independence for as long as possible. Map Habit does this by helping users to “map out” their daily routines and define which micro-steps can be associated with visual cues. This innovation is increasingly offered through Medicare group partners. Finalist in the AgeTech After Dark pitch competition.

All great innovations from caring companies!

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Hosted by: Debbie Howard, Linda Sherman, Steve Ewell, and Carol Chiang

About this Category
Our seven CES 2024 Highlights shows feature leaders from innovative agetech and/or accessibility companies who either exhibited and/or pitched at CES 2024 through the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP Pavilion, the AgeTech After Dark Pitch Competition (also from AARP), the Eureka Park Accessibility Award Winners group of five, or the CTA Foundation Pitch competition.

Listen to all of our CES Highlights shows on the Rethinking Aging Club podcast!
CES Highlights Category Link

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

This episode features products that were exhibited at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show. These innovations support personalized communications from a huge library of choices, provide an alternative for those with visual impairments, offer solace through music therapy to those with cognitive decline, and help older adults organize their treasured objects giving meaning to their importance.

This show (recorded on January 25, 2024) included the following guests in the order they presented:

Yoav Oren, Co-Founder and CEO of Zoog - a communications tool that makes you the star of children’s stories, greeting cards, and songs from an incredibly rich library of content designed to engage grandchildren, family, and friends. Exhibitor in the Agetech Collaborative from AARP Pavilion.

Amos Miller, Founder and CEO of Glidance - the creators of Glide, a haptic guidance tool offering an alternative to white canes or guide dogs for those who have lost their sight. Only a fraction of the 7 million Americans with significant vision loss utilize a guide dog or white cane, meaning that most vision-impaired people must depend on caregivers for help with getting to doctor's appointments and other outside activities. Exhibitor in the Eureka Park Accessibility Award Winners group.

Zachary McMahon, Co-Founder and CEO of Lucid - a “music as medicine” solution that provides music listening therapy for those already on their cognitive decline journey. It leverages AI, Cloud libraries, and effective computing for a better experience (i.e., utilization of “face mesh” technology allows the software to recognize user reactions and then connect these reactions with the music that is provided through the app). Exhibitor in the Agetech Collaborative from AARP Pavilion.

Heather Nickerson, Co-Founder and CEO of Artifacts – a patented web and app-based platform that helps aging adults leave a legacy by capturing, preserving, and sharing the stories and meaning behind the objects you treasure in a safe and secure space. Exhibitor in the Agetech Collaborative from AARP Pavilion.

Boomer Tech Talk website link

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Hosted by: Linda Sherman, Debbie Howard, Steve Ewell

Resources
Linda's Zoog video on LinkedIn

About this CategoryOur seven CES 2024 Highlights shows feature leaders from innovative agetech and/or accessibility companies who either exhibited and/or pitched at CES 2024 through the Agetech Collaborative from AARP Pavilion, the Agetech After Dark Pitch Competition (also from AARP), the Eureka Park Accessibility Award Winners group of five, or the CTA Foundation Pitch competition.

Listen to all of our CES Highlights shows:
(category page link)
 
Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

This episode highlights innovations from the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that support vision, hearing, and speech comprehension for older adults, as well as digital communications for telehealth and avoidance of social isolation.

Recorded January 18, 2024, the following guests presented in this order:

Taylor Speegle, Co-Founder of VisionAid - an eye disease simulator adding to vision solutions by creating empathy among doctors, low vision clinics, and care facilities while encouraging patient compliance with macular degeneration through the use of mixed reality (i.e., leveraging VR and related technologies). One of five winners of a Eureka Park Accessibility Award.

Costin Tuculescu, CEO of ONSCREEN - a HIPAA-compliant interface that turns TVs into a telehealth and social communications device for older adults by pushing text messages, reminders, photos, and videos to the TV.  An AI companion called “Joy” engages with users with personalized greetings and reminders, and pushes information to medical records - a great example of function convergence. Winner, AgeTech After Dark Pitch Competition from the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP.

Sara A. Smolley, Co-Founder and Vice President of Partnerships for Voiceitt - an AI interface that facilitates speech recognition via mainstream apps for non-standard speech patterns (i.e., Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, some aging conditions, etc.), enabling users to fulfill basic wants and needs. Voiceitt learns a person's way of speaking, and helps them communicate in real time. Exhibitor in the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP Pavilion.

Amy Li, CEO and Founder of Concha Labs – a highly personalized, six patent holding, hearing solution factoring in multiple parameters to improve functionality. Only 20% of the 1.5 billion people worldwide with hearing loss use a solution, in part because prior products have not allowed for personalization. Concha Labs' first product is an OTC hearing aid priced at about one-third the cost of traditional hearing aids. One of five winners of a Eureka Park Accessibility Award.

All great innovations from caring companies!

Boomer Tech Talk website link

LinkedIn Show Post

Hosted by: Debbie Howard, Linda Sherman, Steve Ewell, Carol Chiang, Michael Phillips

About this Category
Our seven CES 2024 Highlights shows feature leaders from innovative agetech and/or accessibility companies who either exhibited and/or pitched at CES 2024 through the Agetech Collaborative from AARP Pavilion, the Agetech After Dark Pitch Competition (also from AARP), the Eureka Park Accessibility Award Winners group of five, or the CTA Foundation Pitch competition.

Listen to all of our CES Highlights shows on the Rethinking Aging Club podcast!

CES Highlights Category Link

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

Joseph Castonguay discussed automated sliding doors for improved accessibility and fall prevention. 

Casey Levy-Tulloch highlighted Josh AI's role in consolidating smart home devices into a single, easy-to-use interface. 

Jeremy Barker emphasized Murphy Door's innovative hidden beds and storage solutions for enhancing space utilization and privacy. 

Ryan Herd from Caregiver Smart Solutions underscored the importance of integrating these technologies to provide peace of mind for caregivers. 

Carol Chiang emphasized the need for aesthetically pleasing smart home solutions.

Recorded on December 14, 2023. This episode is part of our Smart Home series.
Speakers are listed in their order of appearance.

Joseph Castonguay, President, Autoslide

Casey Levy-Tulloch, Chief Growth Officer, Josh.ai

Jeremy Barker, CEO, Murphy Door

Ryan Herd, Founder/CEO, Caregiver Smart Solutions

Carol Chiang OTR/L, CAPS, ECHM, CHAMP, Founder, Evolving Homes; In 2024 became  - Co-Founder, Partner and Director Corp Development and Innovation at IIX Care

Debbie Howard's Episode Recap

BoomerTechTalk.com episode page

LinkedIn Show Post

Hosted by: Linda Sherman, Debbie Howard and Michael Phillips

We continue to record new Rethinking Aging Club podcasts live on Thursdays. How to join live.

Please follow our 2 podcasts. This and News for the Ages by Rethinking Aging Club. Our News for the Ages podcasts are published weekly on Wednesday, the day after they are recorded.

We are catching up with publishing Rethinking Aging Club podcasts, and hope to be current by early 2025.

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

Studies have shown that laughter has medicinal benefits and film (streaming, theatre,  broadcast TV or the LaughMD app) is a great way to deliver that. We heard the inside story on The War with Grandpa. And a wise perspective on how TV series longevity has changed over time.

Recorded on December 7, 2023, this episode is part of the Streaming Film Series. Speakers are listed in their order of appearance.

Frank Chindamo, Founder, LaughMD app
LaughMD is designed for use in: Hospitals (Bedside, ER, Urgent Care, Maternity). Oncology (Infusion and other settings), Dialysis

Grant Cramer, Partner/President at Global Pictures Media, Producer, Actor
Executive Producer: The War with Grandpa. 2020. Starring Robert DeNiro, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour (available on Hulu) - Grant Cramer Wikipedia

Lisa Papatzimas, Stellar background in Entertainment Marketing. SVP of Global Marketing and Publicity, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc (CSSE/Redbox is in Chapter 7)

Debbie Howard's summary of this show.

BoomerTechTalk.com episode page

LinkedIn Show Post

Co-Hosts: Linda Sherman, Debbie Howard, and Benjamin Surmi

We continue to record new Rethinking Aging Club podcasts live on Thursdays. How to join live.

Please follow our 2 podcasts. This and News for the Ages by Rethinking Aging Club. Our News for the Ages podcasts are published weekly on Wednesday, the day after they are recorded.

We are catching up with publishing Rethinking Aging Club podcasts, and hope to be current by early 2025.

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

Susan Golden Sc.D. discussed her book "Stage, Not Age," emphasizing the $28 trillion global market for older adults by 2050. She highlighted the importance of design with, not for, older adults, citing Best Buy's VR training for sales staff and Nike's continuous athlete strategy. Susan also talked about the need for a caregiver connector and the potential of NORCs (Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities) for aging in place. She stressed the importance of lifelong learning, with a $5 trillion opportunity in the US, and the need for better end-of-life planning platforms like Cake. The discussion also touched on the financial challenges and the potential for a national caregiving strategy.

We love the term Susan uses “stealth features”. Susan says “It was actually coined at MIT and it's a brilliant term that nobody wants to be marketed to as an old person. They want a product that everybody else uses but that might just be modified for their use.” We recommend that you buy the book.

Recorded on November 16, 2023, this episode is part of the Marketing and Market Research Series.

Referred to during discussion:
5Q Stage Segmentation Susan Golden Stage (Not Age)

“We offer our findings as an open-source reference and innovation tool for all interested parties to use in developing a functioning Care Connector “
December 2022 Stanford Full 142 page report Landscape of Caregiving Report
Executive Summary of above Landscape of Caregiving Report

Additional references from Dr. Zalan Alam:
UK No Decision About Me Without Me
Why America faces a geriatrician shortage - and what to do about it

BoomerTechTalk.com episode page

LinkedIn Show Post

Co-Hosts: Linda Sherman, Debbie Howard and Steve Ewell 

We continue to record new Rethinking Aging Club podcasts live on Thursdays. How to join live.

Please follow our 2 podcasts. This and News for the Ages by Rethinking Aging Club. Our News for the Ages podcasts are published weekly on Wednesday, the day after they are recorded.

We are catching up with publishing Rethinking Aging Club podcasts, and hope to be current by early 2025.

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

Kicking off our recognition of November as National Family Caregivers Month, we focused on the scale and urgency of caregiving in the U.S. and why product innovation matters amidst the context of family caregivers providing hundreds of billions in unpaid support while juggling work and complex conditions—making practical, affordable tools essential.

Mary Furlong previewed her upcoming Washington Innovation Summit bringing together leaders in caregiving investment, policy, and partnerships amidst the surging needs among adults 77–87.

Neal Shah shared how his fast-growing care-matching platform connects families with vetted pre-health university students for companionship and non-medical support.

Emile Maamary updated us on the upcoming Steadi-Three glove which reduces hand tremors for those struggling with Essential Tremor or Parkinson’s).

Yves Trottier enlightened us on how powered and manual lift systems for kitchens/baths (adjustable cabinets, countertops, islands, wardrobes) are enabling barrier-free living (while protecting caregivers from injury). And how to finance them.

Recorded on November 2, 2023, this episode is part of our Caregiver Friendly Products Series. Speakers are listed in their order of appearance.

Mary Furlong, CEO, Mary Furlong & Associates 

Neal K. Shah, Co-founder and CEO, CareYaya; An AgeTech Collaborative from AARP portfolio company

Emile Maamary, Founder and CEO, Steadiwear; Winner of the pitch contest, Oct. 11, Living Best Pitch Contest in Tokyo 2023

Yves Trottier, Owner, Accessible Home Solutions 

Debbie Howard’s summary of this show.

RESOURCES (Yves Trottier)
For ideas on financing suggestions
Disability Housing Grants from VA
Paying for Home Modifications from ”Paying for Senior Care”
Homestyle Renovation from Single Family Fanniemae

BoomerTechTalk.com episode page

LinkedIn Show Post 

Co-Hosts: Linda Sherman and Debbie Howard, Steve Ewell and Michael Phillips

We continue to record new Rethinking Aging Club podcasts live on Thursdays. How to join live.

Please follow both of our podcasts including News for the Ages by Rethinking Aging Club.

We are catching up with publishing historical Rethinking Aging Club podcasts with 134 already published and 14 to go. We hope to be current by the end of October 2025.

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

This Project Updates episode focused on updates from several age-friendly product and technology initiatives, with Kithwood and Rubato leveraging AI.
Michael Phillips discussed the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), emphasizing the importance of digital inclusion for older adults.  The Secretary General laid out an ambitious goal to ensure that every man, woman and child on the planet are connected to the internet by 2030, so many organizations are busy making sure that the infrastructure is in place, that's good news for product developers, because that will provide a larger global access to products, services and innovations.

Margo Merrick introduced Loop Village, an online platform offering virtual companionship and live events to combat loneliness and isolation, with 130 live events monthly. Margo highlighted the importance of social engagement and physical activity in reversing dementia symptoms.

Amber Ju highlighted Kithwood, a senior living marketplace leveraging AI to improve search experiences. Kithwood focuses on Independent Living Communities.

Amit Sternberg presented Rubato, an AI-driven music therapy platform for stress reduction in dementia patients, showing a 50% stress reduction in trials. Amit explained the science behind Rubato's algorithm, which uses biometric data to recommend personalized music playlists.

The session concluded with discussions on AI's role in enhancing user experiences and the potential for personalized digital health tools.

Recorded on October 5, 2023. This episode is part of the Project Updates Series. Speakers are listed in their order of appearance.

Michael Phillips, Director Strategic Partnerships, AARP , with UN General Assembly 78 update

Margot Biane Merrick, Co-Founder and CEO, The Loop Village, AgeTech Collaborative Participant

Amber Ju, CEO, Kithward

Amit Sternberg, CEO and Co-Founder, Rubato

BoomerTechTalk.com episode page

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Hosted by: Linda Sherman and Michael Phillips

We continue to record new Rethinking Aging Club podcasts live on Thursdays. How to join live.

Please follow our 2 podcasts. This and News for the Ages by Rethinking Aging Club. Our News for the Ages podcasts are published weekly on Wednesday, the day after they are recorded.

We are catching up with publishing Rethinking Aging Club podcasts, and hope to be current by early 2025.

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

We had an unusual and useful format for this Marketing episode. We found a volunteer product founder in the longevity marketplace to get advice from our experts. Natasha Williams, CEO and Founder, Phoenix Hipwear.  Thank you to Mary Furlong for the suggestion.

Recorded on September 28, 2023, this episode is part of the Marketing Series.

Our panel:
Josef Katz, JosefKatz.com, Prime Life Podcast
Jennifer Abernethy, Socially Delivered Digital Agency; Founder, Mod.Life
Claire Brooks, President, ModelPeople
Linda Sherman, Boomer Tech Talk about Linda

Natasha was looking for a pivot from B:B only to Senior Living Communities to adding B:C sales for Phoenix Hipwear, seeking to reach caregivers directly.

Joseph Katz emphasized ROI over cost and leveraging social media and platforms like LinkedIn. Jennifer Abernethy suggested targeting 45-65-year-olds on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, and using personal branding. Claire Brooks advised understanding decision-makers and leveraging old-school marketing.

Additional recommendations from our experts included improving website credibility, using testimonials, and exploring Medicare Advantage plans for coverage.

BoomerTechTalk.com episode page

LinkedIn Show Post

Co-Hosts: Linda Sherman and Michael Phillips

We continue to record new Rethinking Aging Club podcasts live on Thursdays. How to join live.

Please follow our 2 podcasts. This and News for the Ages by Rethinking Aging Club. Our News for the Ages podcasts are published weekly on Wednesday, the day after they are recorded.

We are catching up with publishing Rethinking Aging Club podcasts, and hope to be current by early 2025.

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman

We discussed leveraging conferences in this Marketing episode. Key points included the importance of personalized follow-ups, staying at conference hotels, and using QR codes for contact information. Claire Brooks emphasized segmenting older adults into distinct groups and co-designing with stakeholders. Lori Miller highlighted the value of authenticity and personal connections in marketing. Betsy Rosenfeld Vargas shared insights on leveraging conferences for business growth, stressing the need for personalized emails and staying late for networking opportunities. The session concluded with a discussion on the importance of respecting autonomy and dignity in marketing to older adults.

Recorded on September 21, 2023, this episode is part of the Marketing Series. Speakers are listed in their order of appearance.

Betsy Rosenfeld Vargas, VP Marketing, The Loop Village and Executive Coach and Consultant for Women With Betsy

Benjamin Surmi, Director Education and Culture, Koelsch Communities

Laurie Miller, Founder, AgeTechNow.com and Apple Care and Companion

Claire Brooks, President, ModelPeople

Debbie Howard's summary of this show.

BoomerTechTalk.com episode page

LinkedIn Show Post

Co-Hosts: Linda Sherman, Debbie Howard, Benjamin Surmi and Steve Ewell

We continue to record new Rethinking Aging Club podcast episodes live on Thursdays. How to join live.

Please follow our 2 podcasts. This and News for the Ages by Rethinking Aging Club. Our News for the Ages podcasts are published weekly on Wednesday, the day after they are recorded.

We are catching up with publishing Rethinking Aging Club podcasts, and hope to be current by early 2025.

Music: Solemnity written and performed by Richard Sherman