The Consumer Electronics Show and Aging Services

Technology is only going to increase in our profession. According to Forrestor Research, U.S. adults 64 and older who bought technology in a recent three-month period spent an average of $365 on consumer electronic products and $429 on computer hardware and peripherals. And Forrestor points out that Americans 55 to 64 are more active in online finance, shopping and entertainment than those under 65.On Saturday, the Consumer Electronics Show hosts the first Silvers Summit, a showcase for products and services dedicated to keeping we aging people engaged, entertained and healthy. Ecumen will be represented at CES by Kathy Bakkenist, who leads our technology initiatives and policy initiatives for the Center for Aging Services Technologies.Among technologies that will be showcased are:The SeniorPC: A collaboration of HP and Microsoft, these are standard HP laptops, desktops or touch-controlled computers with some notable extras: software that adds a shell on top of Windows with simple icons for browsing the Web, listening to music and sending email. Microsoft also is building in a screen magnifier.ClarityLife C900: It’s a new type of cell phone with a large, easy-to-read display and large buttons to simplify dialing. The sound is amplified, and it has a one-touch emergency response button. When pushed it cycles through 5 contacts until someone is reached.Ingestible Microchip: Proetus Biomedical can add an ingestible microchip to a capsule, without altering the medicine. When swallowed, the chip can send a signal through your body that looks like an EKG. According to Edward Baig at USA Today, it can be detected by a special small bandage that can detect data to a cellphone. Qualcomm is helping connect the special bandage to 3G phone networks, so caregivers or relatives will know when what pills patients have taken or if the pills weren’t taken. Proteus sees this coming to market by 2011 or 2012.What a time to be aging …