The Lively Wearable is the Fitbit for seniors

It’s not just 20-somethings who value design when it comes to wearable tech — no one wants to be caught sporting an eyesore of a device. And while wearables purport to be useful for everyone at every age, it seems that much of the industry has left out the 14.5 percent of the country’s population that is now over the age of 65. Is Life Alert really the best we can offer older Americans? GreatCall Inc., the provider of active aging and independent living solutions, says no, and has recently launched an Indiegogo campaign for a wearable geared toward your mom or your mom’s mom — the Lively Wearable.

This stylish activity tracker combines all the benefits of more traditional health wearables (counting steps, challenging its wearer to stay active, and the like), with certain functionalities that are specific to an aging population. In case of an emergency, the wearer simply needs to press a button on the sleek device to instantly connect her with trained agents who can both assess the severity of the situation and send assistance.

“The Lively Wearable marks a new stage in our product road map, as it offers emergency response combined with activity tracking themed around daily challenges,” said David Inns, CEO of GreatCall. “We saw an opportunity with Indiegogo to get the Lively Wearable in front of new consumers, and those familiar with the wearable market. We want to use the feedback from this campaign to continue to develop products that deliver on our promise of independence for older adults and peace of mind for their younger family caregivers.”

Originally introduced at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Lively Wearable can be worn around the wrist or neck, and is heralded as “the first wearable that connects activity tracking with nationwide mobile safety service via the user’s smartphone.” The elegant band, which you would never guess acts as an emergency alert system, was designed specifically for older adults and their caregivers, and includes a fall detection system, as well as both physical and mental challenges to maintain fully integrated health. And thanks to the Lively’s long battery life, the wearer won’t have to worry about constantly taking the device on and off for charging purposes.

Best of all, because caregivers can be connected to Lively’s data by way of the Link app, they’ll be able to receive data about the wearer’s activity, and also maintain open channels of communication.

The Indiegogo campaign will conclude on March 22, and GreatCall notes, “The goal of the campaign is to gain thoughtful feedback from early tech adopters on the newest addition to GreatCall’s portfolio of products and services.”

from Planet GS via John Jason Fallows on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1Vc3Xga
Lulu Chang