Age-tech innovation aiming to tackle challenges faced by India's elderly

Welldercare's line of smart portraits and mirrors for vitals monitoring and fall detection are in advanced design and engineering stages and are expected to go on sale in the first quarter of 2024

Gulcher Homi Jal, 75, a resident of Girgaon, Mumbai, is a widow who stays alone. Being a senior citizen, she has limited resources and is not tech-savvy. Once she was alone and fell down. She managed to uplift herself with the help of the bed nearby. "After that traumatising experience, I always have a fear of falling, especially if I am not feeling well," says Jal.

Across the country in Bhopal, another senior citizen, Brijmohan Das Gupta, 73, lives with his entire family. He runs a juice shop along with his son. However, he has been facing various challenges for the past few years. There are times when he finds it hard to see clearly at night or climb the stairs. "I am always scared to go out alone because I don't know what could happen," says Gupta.

Jal and Gupta are part of the study done by Welldercare, an age-tech startup, to understand various challenges faced by the ageing population and address them using technology. The Mumbai-based company aims to leverage technology to fill the gaps in human care and bridge low technology adoption rates amongst older adults. Welldercare's core technology philosophy revolves around non-intrusive ambient intelligence to address critical pain points that older adults and their children face. For instance, their line of smart portraits and mirrors for vitals monitoring and fall detection are in advanced design and engineering stages. They are anticipated to go on sale in the first quarter of 2024.

"Our vision is to build an organisation that is at the forefront of technology to empower older adults to live joyful, independent lives with complete control of their health," says Kanishka Acharya, founder and chief executive officer of Welldercare Agetech. "Our technology seamlessly integrates into the homes of older adults without any user compliance required to detect falls and trigger a rapid emergency response."

Indeed, falls pose a significant risk to the well-being of older adults – one-third of the world's 65+ population have a fall at least once a year. Half of those who lie on the floor longer than an hour often don't survive beyond six months.

Welldercare recently launched 'Nobi Smart Lamp' in the Indian market in partnership with Belgium-based age-tech company Nobi. It offers immediate help in the event of a fall. The artificial intelligence-powered smart lamp supports the safety of older adults by providing fall detection and prevention.

Taking the partnership forward, the collaboration aims to tackle the global problem of falls among older adults by offering life-saving solutions on the Iksana platform, a flagship product by Welldercare. This has brought together the service layers and integration with technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI).

"The Iksana platform is a first of its kind, specifically for older adults and their families, that integrates all technology devices and services and needs of daily living onto one easy-to-use platform," says Acharya, a serial entrepreneur who has built businesses in areas such as IT hardware, food processing, agri-tech, mining, infrastructure, and biosciences.

Roeland Pelgrims, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nobi, said with the global population of individuals aged 65 and over projected to double by 2060, it is imperative to provide innovative solutions that support their independence and well-being. "Together with Welldercare Agetech and their unique Iksana platform, we aim to enrich the lives of older adults in India."

At Welldercare, Acharya is supported by a team of experts in areas such as AI, data science, and geriatrics. The problem that the firm is targeting is huge. The elderly population is expected to reach 1.4 billion people globally by 2030, according to industry estimates. In India, the number of elderly people will increase to 319 million by 2050, accounting for 19.5 per cent of the total population. Older adults face unique challenges such as limited access to technology and quality healthcare, and financial insecurity. Other such challenges include mental health problems and social isolation, combined with regional disparities and gender inequality.

Experts said that India's health infrastructure for the elderly population is a growing concern due to the increasing number of senior citizens in the country. The need for specialised medical facilities and aged care services is likely to increase. These include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care services. Experts said this can throw up huge opportunities for startups and large companies to provide innovative solutions and services for the elderly.

Nobi lamp