Calgary, Alberta — (Business Wire) – The HealthTech Home project is a new initiative by the Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF) and Health Cities to address health system pressures by integrating and validating consumer technology and innovative health solutions in residential settings.
As Canada’s largest generation, the Baby Boomers, has reached an elderly population, ageing at home has become a priority for the health sector. Recent research shows that home-based care can reduce costs to the health care system while enabling older adults to remain safe, independent, and connected to their families and communities. However, understanding the technology needed to support seniors in ageing at home is not always an easy option, as many products are expensive or do not integrate directly with existing consumer or health systems.
The HealthTech Home project created a sandbox environment for independent seniors, deployed in a BSF-owned apartment unit connected to one of their continuing care homes. Select and install a health technology solution to monitor the health of independent living apartment tenants over a year to slow or reverse any decline in health and help with aging. Technology selection, implementation and evaluation will create a framework to support ageing in place. Currently, there are few frameworks that inform the implementation of aged care technology in residential settings.
In addition to validating consumer and health technology, the project has established the first-of-its-kind HealthTech Home Innovation Council. A council of key stakeholder groups will meet regularly to share and review results to inform policy and funding decisions. Once a technology is proven in a project, the committee will assist with scale-up and deployment to ensure greater impact.
Best Buy Canada is the program’s first technology partner. The company’s expertise in commercial technologies designed to support aging in place, coupled with its unique ability to bring foundational elements to HealthTech Home in a unified manner, allows for a Canada-wide agnostic approach to vendor selection. Other partners include the University of Calgary’s Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging, CBI Health and W21C.
Tony Weeks, president and CEO of the Brenda Stratford Foundation, said: “Today’s generation of older adults has different expectations for staying home and maintaining independence as they age. “We are committed to leading research and innovation to improve the quality of older adults. The quality of life and care for seniors to support our mission of optimizing well-being and enriching people’s lives, making an impact inside and outside our senior care community. ”
Reg Joseph, CEO of Health Cities, said: “We know that enabling older adults to live and work where they are comfortable and supported by their community can lead to better health outcomes. Designing technology and solutions frameworks is key to building” An aging population provides a more efficient health system. Alberta’s economy depends on creating these opportunities for Canadian health technology companies to integrate their solutions.”
“Best Buy Health’s philosophy is that technology can make life better — at any age, for any need,” said Best Buy Health Director Sara Aghvami. “We are delighted to be a part of the HealthTech Home project, which we believe will provide a perfect example of how technology can enrich lives and allow countless people to age wherever they call home.”
About the Brenda Stratford Foundation
The Brenda Strafford Foundation is a Canadian registered charitable organization established in 1975. The foundation’s core business is elder care, owning and operating five continuing care communities in and around Calgary with a strategic focus on research and innovation for older adults. Health and Wellness. The foundation also conducts local philanthropy programs serving women and children fleeing domestic violence and families at risk of homelessness, and international philanthropy programs for vulnerable populations in underserved areas of the Caribbean in need of health services.
www.theBSF.ca
About Healthy City
Health Cities is a Canadian not-for-profit corporation that partners with clinicians, innovators, philanthropic organizations and corporations to develop new models of care to drive better health outcomes and economic growth in the health sector. Our focus is on transforming innovations in our health sector into solutions with commercial application and global relevance, adopting them to make a local impact and scaling them up for export to global markets.
Visit healthcities.ca for more information.
About Best Buy Canada
A wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY), Best Buy Canada Ltd. is one of Canada’s largest and most successful omnichannel retailers, operating the Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile and Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.ca) brands. With more than 160 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile Stores in Canada and a wide variety of lifestyle products available through BestBuy.ca, Best Buy is a leader in overall retail that caters to how, when and where customers shop. Best Buy Canada is committed to positively impacting communities by providing services and technology to help caregivers, improve digital skills and expand the reach of businesses specializing in nursing.
For more information, visit BestBuy.ca.