Q: Aging 2.0 hosted the inaugural Global Innovation Summit last month. How did the summit contribute to the Aging 2.0 mission?
A: We try to bridge long-term care and tech start-ups. The summit brought these two worlds together. It’s critical to involve people who work with older adults in the innovation process. They understand the need and how things work in everyday life and in their workflow. Entrepreneurs can build almost anything, but they need the guidance.
Q: In what other ways does Aging 2.0 bring those worlds together?
A: We’ve hosted over 50 events in three countries. To offer input into tech development, long-term care communities can host happy hours and mini-events with speakers. Just go to www.aging2/join2. We invest in promising startups. We can say to providers that we’ve talked to 1,000 startups and here are the ones gaining traction.
Q: Are tech entrepreneurs getting more interested in serving long-term care?
A: The quality and quantity of entrepreneurs that are attracted to the space and the providers involved are increasing exponentially. Problems are getting complex and connected and we can’t solve them in silos. Interdisciplinary and, in our case, intergenerational teams are needed to tackle large social issues.
From the June 01, 2014 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
