Can innovative technology and smart homes help older adults live longer, happier, and more independently? The AgeTech Collaborative™ (ATC) from AARP and Asbury Methodist Village joined forces to launch an innovative pilot that explores the possibility.
Xander was honored to participate in the ATC’s inaugural living lab, The Asbury Smart Living Project. During the pioneering pilot, Asbury Methodist Village equipped a two-bedroom apartment with cutting-edge smart home products from eight startups within the ATC. The smart home products addressed different aspects related to healthy aging-in-place. safeguarding stoves to prevent fires, monitoring health data and balance to prevent falls and injuries, and fostering interaction, either virtual or in-person.
The project introduced the Asbury community to smart technologies that could improve their lives, and allowed them to try those products for six months. This first-of-its-kind smart living showcase proved mutually beneficial to the Asbury community residents and the startups developing age tech products. Residents provided ATC with candid feedback—the positive and negative—on their interest in and the practicality of each technology.
A XanderGlasses kit was available at the Asbury Smart Living Showcase for residents to try and use whenever they wanted. The team at Xander worked diligently for two years to develop and refine a simple and reliable solution—XanderGlasses—to help individuals with auditory disorders communicate with clarity and confidence. At Asbury, roughly a hundred residents could test the glasses in the smart home setting.
“Xander can increase social ability by improving communication, enhancing social interaction.”
Resident, Asbury Methodist Village
We were thrilled to learn through a survey given by ATC at the end of the six-month showcase that residents selected XanderGlasses as the technology most interesting to them! The top three age tech products residents chose were XanderGlasses, selected by 25% of respondents; iGuard Home Solutions (which uses motion sensors to monitor stoves and prevent fires), was chosen by 17% of respondents; 15% of respondents selected ZIBRIO (a smart scale that measures balance and provides a real-time fall risk score) as most interesting and useful to them. Residents described the three technologies that interested them most as “not too complicated” and they “address widely experienced problems.”
Several residents cited the potential widespread social benefits of the glasses: “Xander can increase social ability by improving communication, enhancing social interaction.” Wearing the glasses, one resident shared, “Helps reduce friction between partners by improving communication.” One resident noted that while many tech solutions can isolate users, XanderGlasses fosters social interactions. “Xander contributes to social interaction in the CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). If you can follow the conversation you are more likely to seek interactive opportunities.”
“Xander contributes to social interaction in the CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). If you can follow the conversation you are more likely to seek interactive opportunities.”
Resident, Asbury Methodist Village
Others liked the practicality and simplicity of the solution, noting, the glasses “Would be an immediate help to hearing-impaired residents.” One person reflected, “Xander seems of immediate use to many here at Asbury. So many do not hear and continually ask for others to repeat what they said. Having goggles to put on that basically provide subtitles would be wonderful for those folks.” Another residents shared, “Currently, I misunderstand many key words even with hearing aids. Xander glasses would make a major improvement in my life.”
Residents shared thoughtful ideas on how the experience could be improved. One noted, “the glasses should be offered in different colors or patterns - not only black. The glasses are a bit weighty.” Another echoed that the glasses “Need reduction in size and weight for easier use.” We value candid feedback and have been working on our next generation of glasses which address these observations and improve user experience.
We’re grateful to have participated in the Asbury Senior Living Showcase and hopefully that XanderGlasses and other age tech solutions will enable older adults to live longer, happier, and more independently.