Big Idea 1 Feedback

[joanna408]

Gist: A health monitoring device for seniors who live independently

What should be kept:

• The proposal was clear and concise.

What could be cut:

• Consider removing: “Many of these seniors would like to not have the responsibility of a house, but want to live in a socially engaging environment, such as an independent living facility.” It seems irrelevant and somewhat confusing. 1) I would imagine seniors who live independently also live by themselves in a house. 2) It suggests these seniors want to live in a nursing home.

What could be added:

• It would be helpful to include a urgent call button that can be used to summon assistance when a senior accidentally falls or hurts themselves, as that may be a common challenge seniors face when living by themselves.
• It may be even more persuasive if you specify that the health data is communicated regularly to the senior’s chosen physician, which would provide a personalized healthcare aspect for each senior.

[mattprout]

• Consider removing: “Many of these seniors would like to not have the responsibility of a house, but want to live in a socially engaging environment, such as an independent living facility.” It seems irrelevant and somewhat confusing. 1) I would imagine seniors who live independently also live by themselves in a house. 2) It suggests these seniors want to live in a nursing home.

[MP] Here is the concept of independent living I was thinking about for this idea: “Independent living is frequently referred to as retirement communities, retirement homes, senior apartments, or senior housing. You are as independent as possible in your personal care, however, independent living housing options offer a sense of community and numerous levels of service, such as laundry and housekeeping. Many independent living communities offer a range of social events and outings as well. Additional offerings include meal plans, fitness facilities, groundskeeping and household maintenance.” (http://www.seniorsforliving.com/independent-living/) So the independent living situation is between living in a nursing home and living in a home. It seems possible to support the service in a home, but it seems like it would be more affordable if it were a service in a living facility.

• It would be helpful to include a urgent call button that can be used to summon assistance when a senior accidentally falls or hurts themselves, as that may be a common challenge seniors face when living by themselves.

[MP] That is a good idea, and will add that. I wonder if the technology exists to detect how far off the ground the fitness tracker is, to determine if the wearer is lying on the ground.

• It may be even more persuasive if you specify that the health data is communicated regularly to the senior’s chosen physician, which would provide a personalized healthcare aspect for each senior.

[MP] What if the system provided a portal that provides the data to the healthcare provider? After the call center has contacted the senior, they can setup an appointment with a nurse or physician. The provider could then login to the portal to view the data that triggered the alert.