Age, Wisdom, and Swiping Right
Could smartphones and cloud storage provide solutions to the upcoming seniors’ housing crunch?
Could smartphones and cloud storage provide solutions for the forthcoming seniors' housing crunch?
智能手機及雲端儲存能解決未來長者住屋問題嗎？
In its May publication of Senior Housing Outlook 2018, Colliers International pointed out a fact that we all know: we're aging. Come 2050, 30% of the population in Asia's biggest economies—singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and South Korea—will be over 65 years old, and they'll be living for even longer. That will put pressure on both labour forces and economic growth, and “even fast-developing countries where seniors are a smaller presence, such as India and the Philippines, will face difficulties if many of their young people continue to work overseas and are largely unable to attend to the immediate needs of their elderly parents,” according to Colliers.
Independent Living
When our greying population is considered, it is usually in relation to health care costs and pension scheme strain, but housing is a crucial, oft overlooked factor in a changing world. Previous generations assumed elderly parents would live with their children, especially in Asia, but smaller families, rising divorce rates, and simple social evolution has made that less of a guaranteed practice. Plenty of seniors don't want to live with their kids, and so “more infrastructure will need to be created for the rising number of seniors who will be residing independently and to cater for those who need different degrees of daily assistance and medical care,” said Colliers.
As the advisory saw it, four key housing types will be needed in the coming years: developments for active seniors; assisted living facilities with trained staff to help seniors who require moderate assistance with daily activities; nursing care facilities with 24-hour assistance for significant medical issues; and in-home care services for the hale and hearty.
It is with in-home care that technology potentially offers solutions. For scores of independent-mined senior citizens, giving up the home and lifestyle they value is an unsavoury option and aging in place is the preference. “I expect tech to play a big part in [aging in place],” says David Faulkner, managing director, valuations and advisory services, Asia at Colliers, and editor of the report. “I have noticed that a lot more elderly people are getting comfortable with technology. A lot of retired people are active on Facebook, they'll shop online and they're more tech savvy.” Smart technologies may make ageing in place easier, but even the most robust seniors need help on occasion, and forgetfulness comes with age quite naturally. Seniors that don't feel ready for
I expect tech to play a big part in [aging in place]... A lot more elderly people are getting comfortable with technology.
assisted living could benefit from smart homes, and the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) is looking into just that.
The “Smart Home for Seniors” pilot programme aims to provide in-home care for the elderly by integrating smart home technology. Working from the SCHSA'S call centres, the programme is rooted in prevention of the kind of accidents that could strip an otherwise fit senior of their independence: wet floors, unattended stoves, forgotten medications, and more. Specialised sensors, cloud computing and data analytics are all parts of creating hightech homes that beep and respond when the kitchen seems hotter than it should be, or when blood pressure pills are required but Gran is so engrossed in a Korean drama she forgets the time.
Big Data for Good
The test lab in the SCHSA offices in Ho Man Tin, designed by Clifton Leung at Clifton Leung Design Workshop, is open to the public—a crucial element in showcasing what smart tech can do for, both for elderly residents who may be unfamiliar with an ipad and their children, who are most likely to pay for it. The lab “[serves] as a platform to facilitate device testing and to showcase the new generation of seniors' home,” says the SCHSA. It also features 3D graphics that add a playful element and provide a more tangible idea of what the programme does.
Leung's focus on the model apartment was less on design and materials and more on technology, admittedly a tricky concept for the generations ahead. “We used vinyl floors in the design because they don't slip, even with water on them, [with] different coloured zoning to indicate where you are,” says Leung. “The pilot project isn't so much about safety as it is about technology, so it's the sensors on the cabinets, the flood sensors near the bathroom, blood pressure gauges and so on that were supposed to stand out. It's not about brands either. It's a test lab.”
Test labs are a start, but getting Gran to actually use sensors and technology she doesn't fully understand is another story. “It's hard. Classic example: I gave my mum a phone with the SCHSA app. She refused