The age-tech age

• Age-tech, a new sector, is aiming to address the challenges faced by the elderly in India.

• The Indian Institute of Science launched the Longevity India Initiative in 2024, focusing on extending human ‘health span’ and combating ageing-related challenges.

• Age-tech start-ups aim to address a spectrum of challenges faced by seniors, from physical health to emotional well-being to cognitive skills.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that 1 in 4 older people experience social isolation, impacting their health and longevity.

• Sukoon Unlimited, a city-based start-up, offers services such as emotional support, counselling, group therapies, volunteering opportunities, and concierge services.

• The community has grown from 200 members in the first month to 6,000 users across 400 cities and towns in a year.

• The company has invested in a proprietary AI tool which can respond in more than 100 languages, with more than 65% of the community members talking to it.

• The platform has been around for three years, helping retired professionals find employment opportunities.

• The demand for the platform is mostly from small and medium businesses and start-ups who are looking to hire specialists for a few days of the week.

• The motivation for people to continue working post-retirement is often not just financial, but to feel valued and respected.

Cognitive Health Start-up Ivory and Assistive Chairs for Elderly

Cognitive Health Start-up Ivory

• Co-founded by Issac John and Rahul Krishnan, the company offers neuroscience-backed assessments to help keep the brain sharp and identify neurodegenerative risks.

• The app has about 30,000 users, with two-thirds of them females and 60% from tier-1 cities.

• The company works closely with medium and high-risk customers to recommend lifestyle changes and personalized cognitive brain training sessions.

Assistive Chairs for Elderly

• Around 50% of the senior population needs assistance with basic tasks like sit-to-stand.

• Translead Medtech has designed an assistive chair that offers support while performing the actions of sitting down and standing up, without any electrical power or sensors.

• The company anticipates a need of 25 million such assisted chairs in public spaces and 8 million in homes, offices, and is preparing to begin shipments in June.

Tech Alienation in Elderly Care

• Experts argue that the real needs of the elderly often take a backseat to the fascination with technology and its potential.

• There is a clear urban-rural divide when it comes to agetech, and a large number of seniors find it a challenge to adapt to new technologies.

• Digitization is happening at a rapid pace, excluding key demographics in India, which are the elderly.

• The lack of understanding of technology makes the elderly population very vulnerable to scams.

Govt.’s Role in Age-Tech

• The tech divide becomes even more stark in rural areas.

• The focus on financially independent seniors living in cities makes the services unaffordable for the larger elderly population