Conceptualize an ecosystem of devices to help people age in home longer using existing 3M product.

It’s hard to feel comfortable with letting your parents live at home as their age comes with declining health concerns. From physical to cognitive health declines, these challenges are facing us all. Our stakeholders came requesting we conceptualize a group of interconnected devices that will allow aging people to age in home longer. The devices will help children of parents with declining health feel comfortable to live at home by themselves. No parents want to leave home before they feel ready, with 3Ms smart ecosystem of devices, you will be able to monitor your loved ones without having them feel monitored. In fact, it’s an engaging system that will help them with daily tasks to live at home safely and responsibly while keeping you in the loop.

After meeting with our stakeholders from 3M we had to ask ourselves

Who are the users?

• 60-80 year old people with declining health

• Children 40-60 years old who take place as caregivers

Methods:

• Stakeholder Interview

• Research and debrief with team

• Create a strategy statement

• Experience Map

• System of IoT prototypes

• Multi-touchpoint experience walkthrough

This raises massive concern for many reasons. The United States doesn’t have infrastructure in place to support this magnitude of people. With the number of aging people on the rise, we have to consider how these people will be cared for. Research shows that minor hospital visits can lead to longer term health concerns and ambulance services are flooded from minor emergencies preventable by emerging technologies.

I dove to find 3M products that we could use from plastics, glass, temperature readers to foams and sensors. Using those products to conceptualize a device that would help aging people remember to go on walks and communicate with other devices in it’s ecosystem cohesively creating a safer environment for people to age in home longer.

Where the gaps are and how can we close them?

We dove deep and conducted secondary research on how people are aging in home and whats stopping them from successfully doing so. We found the gaps in the system and conceptualized our ways to make those gaps smaller. We know it can be difficult to get a parent using tech to its fuller capabilities, so our concepts had to be creative in a way so that aging people wont run into frustrations using them.

Where are the opportunities?

I found that some of the key problems in this space are created by feelings of loneliness and fear of losing independence. Multigenerational homes are a thing of the 20th century and those feelings of having grandparents living with their children are still profoundly held feelings to them because they’ve experienced it themselves. These feelings manifest into larger themes like lack of communication with family and grandchildren, not enough time to help, living alone and an overall lack of help. There are technologies and systems currently working to close these gaps such as pill dispensers, delivery systems, analytic systems that keep doctors informed on patient health without needing to see the patient, and aging friendly smart devices. Our map bridges the gap between hospital caregiving and the home. The map pulls together many facets of the healthcare for the stages of life between the strong ability to live alone verse needing help on a day to day basis. We are keeping families informed and assured that their loved ones are keeping on track with day to day necessities such as moving, eating and security.

”All user experience touch points for 3M In-Home Healthcare will help caregivers providing care to 60-80 year old aging individuals with early signs of dementia and/or general declining health to feel reassured & engaged so that they are able to help these aging individuals age-in-place. We will do this by focusing on communication & reinforcing well being while maintaining independence.”

Several studies have found that nursing home residents have worse health outcomes than seniors who choose to age in place, even if seniors are in similar health. Our system is aimed to be preventative. Our devices use existing 3M tech: data and analytical science, electronic systems, software solutions, connected systems, healthcare data management and other products such as high density foams and temperature sensors. We want to create an experience where our elders can be monitored without feeling monitored.

Introducing Seat Buddy:

Seat buddy is an interconnected device that communicates with the other devices in the 3M health care ecosystem. When seat buddy’s haptics activate, you’ll also find a corresponding message on the smart frame interface with phrases such as “it looks like you’ve been sitting for a while, lets take a walk”, “looks like its time to eat!”, “have you had your meds today?” Seat buddy is made using 3M’s temperature sensors, open cell polyurethane foam and closed cell high density foam.

Seat Buddy interacts with the other devices in our ecosystem. When someone interacts with Smart Entry, you will be notified who is at the front door with haptic feedback from your Seat Buddy along with being able to see who is at the door from your chair with the corresponding Smart Frame. Seat Buddy communicates with the Smart Fridge by using haptics with corresponding messages from Smart Frame about when you should have a meal or a glass of water. Seat Buddy also lets you now when you’ve been sitting for a while to encourage you to get up or move around. Hoping that moving around will prevent hotspots following with open sores and infection. Our SmartCare Sensor is the joining hub of our ecosystem.

3 layers = 4” thick

1. Upper- open cell foam for breathability and comfort

2. Center- wiring for haptic feedback and temperature sensors

3. Bottom- super dense foam for stability

We’ve made tactics and implemented the ideas, we’ve created the design principles and experience strategy. In the future, We would work with businesses to create a strategy that is feasible and attainable to achieve our North Star goal. We would like to gamify some aspects of our system that is geared towards patients with declining cognitive health. I believe our in home Smart Frame could include interactive memory activities to help patients remember loved ones and family members. This application would help patients remember they have family letting them remember they are not alone, as well as being able to remember who the faces they might see on a day to day or weekly basis.