We appreciate this guest blog post from Scott Peifer, MPPA, MSW and vice president of Alliance Development for Aging2.0, a global organization on a mission to accelerate innovation to improve the lives of older adults around the world.
This is a guest blog post about Aging2.0 and the importance of making innovation a priority within senior living facilities.
Did you know that average life expectancy increases by five hours each day? Would you believe me if I told you there are now more mobile phones in the world than toothbrushes? Both are true and demonstrate the convergence of population aging and exponential technology utilization.
Aging service providers now have the exciting opportunity to leverage that convergence to revolutionize the entire aging experience. A parallel and compatible shift in mindset is also taking hold – a move from medically-oriented care to more holistic person-centered care. Such service models recognize the importance of supporting the ambitions, socialization and joy of older adults in addition to their health. Technology innovation plays an important role in enabling and scaling this new standard of care.
Aging2.0 was established to accelerate innovation in senior care.
Over the past couple of years there has been an explosion in the quantity and quality of technology innovators in the U.S. and around the world focusing their efforts on the development of new solutions to improve the aging experience.
Admittedly, innovation is not always a steady, clean process. Change is messy but is ultimately what creates progress. It is imperative to continue flexing and strengthening your innovation muscle in order to keep pushing forward and raising the bar in senior care. Otherwise, care providers risk:
- Loss of quality and efficiency relative to innovative peers
- Decreased ability to meet evolving customer needs
- Missed new revenue opportunities
- Being left behind or disrupted by new entrants
It is easy to become so focused on everyday operations and traditional threats that we miss opportunities to disrupt ourselves and our customary ways of providing services. However, trying new things – making changes – can improve care, efficiency and customer satisfaction in the process, and open up opportunities for new business lines and greater sustainability. Indeed, innovation requires change management, training, practice and yes, even failure. Remember, innovation is like a muscle, which means the more it is exercised the stronger of a competency it becomes in your organization.
Aging2.0 connects forward-looking industry professionals with like-minded peers and entrepreneurs.
Industry professionals and entrepreneurs are on the front lines of innovation. They are passionate about creating win-win-win solutions for senior care providers, innovators and seniors themselves. Aging2.0 encourages you to flex your innovation muscle and get involved with the exciting new innovations and technologies coming to market today. Your input and insights can help shape the future of the individual products, of the industry and of the aging experience.
Scott hosted a webinar for us and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News last week on “Making Innovation a Priority in Senior Living.”. In this webinar, you will learn some of the latest technologies that are changing the aging experience and hear more about cultivating a culture of innovation within your organization.
