We don't often think about what we'll be like when we get older. A few decades ago for instance, I never once thought that maybe I might need bifocal lenses but now that's a reality sooner rather than later. Let's take a look at some of these technologies and how they might be useful to our future selves.
Smart Hearing Aids
This technology is already here and will continue to evolve. Essentially, imagine a hearing aid that is able to filter out background noise and focus on the speaker you are trying to listen to. Additionally, smart hearing aids will be able to connect directly to your phones and digital assistants to remind you of important service as well as help control smart devices around your home.
Closed Captioning Services
While closed captioning services aren't a gee-whiz technology, it will continue to be important as technology continues to evolve. For instance, instead of turning the volume up louder, you can just read the text. Additionally, closed captioning has the potential to embed text that is readable by other devices so that your smart home could better understand what's going on and serve you more effectively based on viewing patterns.
Automated Driving
Automated driving is a convenience that I love to enjoy on road trips. The technology is young today and many people are fearful of "robot drivers". Imagine the future though when you won't have to depend on your kids to drive you somewhere because you've gotten too old to drive. While losing your freedom to drive on your own will always be depressing ... having the ability to still go wherever you want will help maintain your sense of independence.
Tele-Medicine and Virtual Doctors
Imagine having a doctor on call 24-hours per day at just the touch of a button. You have an ache or pain and instead of waiting till it gets worse and being forced to go to the doctor, now you can seek consultation via your phone or even a smart screen in the home. Not only is telemedicine convenient when we get older, but it will also help reduce the instances where older people with weakened immune systems are exposed to diseases from sick people at the hospitals.
Home Automation
Right now, most of the discussion around home automation involves tech-forward families looking to connect various parts of their home so that it's easier to turn on and off as well as being more efficient. While these have certain time-saving benefits for younger people, as we get older these technologies have the potential to enable us to stay independent and avoid being forced into homes where we can get a higher level of care.
