More seniors want to age in place. Here's how technology can help

Globe and Mail

10 hours ago

Betty Falkner's mother didn't want to move into an assisted living home. But by 1994, at age 87, 'she just couldn't be left in the house anymore,' recalls Ms. Falkner. 'She had already fallen once. Her brother had fallen and broken a hip and waited three days [before he was] found. So, she knew the risks of living alone.'
Now nearly 80 herself, Ms. Falkner says today's seniors can live at home longer, 'because of all the technology that's helping us stay in our homes. Now, my mother might have a choice. At that time, she really didn't.'
Ms. Falkner, a retired accountant, lives with her husband in a bungalow just outside Edmonton. Thanks to technology, she plans to live there for life – a goal shared by many Canadians.
In a 2024 federal government study called Supporting Canadians Aging at Home, up to 96 per cent of Canadians aged 65 and older said they would do everything possible to avoid going into a long-term care facility.
A few years ago, Ms. Falkner developed a hereditary condition called essential tremor. It caused her hands to shake so severely that daily activities – from writing and brushing her teeth to eating and drinking – became difficult.
'You scrape your gums with your toothbrush,' she says. Dialing a cell phone, fitting a key into a keyhole or cutting food was challenging.
Now she uses a 'smart' glove, developed by Toronto startup Steadiwear Inc., to manage her tremors. Designed to stabilize the wrist joint, the glove helps reduce shaking for people with essential tremor or Parkinson's disease.
'I am just thrilled with it,' she says. 'It's made such a difference in my life because I have control of my hands again.'
Since her condition can leave her unsteady, Ms. Falkner also uses the Fall Detection feature on her Apple Watch, which can detect hard falls and alert emergency services. Its gait-steadiness feature provides early warnings to help prevent falls.
'If I ever end up by myself,' she says, 'I won't have to leave my home because I know there are so many things available now that would make me feel safe here.'
Bridgette Murphy, acting chief executive officer at Age-Well, a national technology and aging network, says Ms. Falkner's Steady-3 glove is among some 180 innovations supported by the organization to help older adults maintain independence, health and quality of life.
Since launching a decade ago, Age-Well has partnered with more than 400 industry, academic and government partners. Its collaborations range from smart-home technology and remote monitoring to robotic and AI-driven tools for social connection, cognition and mobility.
Canada's age-tech sector is expanding at a critical time, says Ms. Murphy, as nearly nearly one in four Canadians will be aged 65 and older in just five years, in an already stressed health-care system.
In 2024, seniors accounted for nearly half of all health-care spending, according to Canadian Institute for Health Information. Per capita, spending on seniors was five times higher than for those under age 65.
Yet studies show that up to 22 per cent of hospital visits by seniors could be avoided through better health management that technology can enable.
'When you've got a health-care system that can't take much more pressure and individuals who would rather not be in it, there's a clear pathway for technology to help keep costs down and improve quality of life,' says Ms. Murphy.
Although older adults are often stereotyped as technophobic, nine in 10 use the internet daily, and 80 per cent say they're confident that technological advancements can help them stay safe, independent and at home longer.
But how can seniors find out about innovations like wearable airbags that prevent hip injury, social robots that promote connection or smart fridges that analyze grocery needs?
Enter Age-Well's Innovation Studio. Located in Toronto and modelled after a typical one-bedroom apartment for seniors, the studio integrates Canadian-made technologies designed to support daily activities and health-care needs.
Ms. Falkner attended the studio's opening event in May, demonstrating her glove and learning about other innovations, such as Quantum Robotic Systems' QBii robot, which carries heavy loads around the house and up and down stairs; TochTech Technologies Ltd.'s smart stove monitor which sends alerts if a stove is left unattended; and Centivizer's virtual biking experience.
From an armchair or wheelchair, users can pedal a stationary pedal system, while watching travel videos on screen. The catch? They have to keep pedalling to view the footage – turning exercise into a rewarding experience.
Since half of Canadians will be caregivers at some point in their lives, the Innovation Studio also features tech solutions for those who care for seniors.
Among them are remote monitoring systems from AltumView and Chirp that detect human activity and send alerts in emergencies such as falls. Unlike traditional surveillance, both are designed to protect privacy. AltumView's video feed scrambles human images into stick figures, while Chirp uses radar, thermal and audio sensors instead of video.
Both systems use AI-powered apps that detect early signs of health decline – for example, if a senior stays in bed longer than usual, an alert is sent so care providers can intervene sooner.
R. Bruce Wallace, an Ottawa-based professor and engineer, develops solutions for seniors with mobility and memory disability, as well as for caregivers, who are often overwhelmed by the demands of balancing caregiving with their own lives.
'We have to account for both these individuals,' says Dr. Wallace, executive director of the Age-Well National Innovation Hub on Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory (SAM3), a collaboration between the Bruyère Health Research Institute and Carleton University in partnership with Age-Well. 'If you're the spouse or the adult child taking care of someone living with dementia, you go to bed every night with one eye open. And if you don't get enough sleep, you burn out.'
At the start of the pandemic, Dr. Wallace moved more than 100 sensors from his labs to his home, turning it into a smart-home testing site.
Sensors on his fridge, stove, mattress, floors and doors track everything from eating and sleeping patterns to gait and movement. If someone gets out of bed and doesn't return within a set time or if an exterior door opens in the night, the system sends an alert to the caregiver.
Dr. Wallace says the system allows caregivers to sleep easier, knowing there's a protective layer of technology in place.
The equipment is relatively inexpensive, he adds. 'It's mostly the same hardware used for home security systems. We're just turning it on its head.'
He expects this kind of technology will become more common in homes with seniors with dementia in the coming years.
'We have a baby boomer issue,' he explains. 'If boomers are institutionalized at the same rate as their parents, we don't have enough long-term care beds.'
The alternative puts the burden on family members or other caregivers, he adds. 'So, I see technology as a way to offload that work – helping people support seniors and still do everything else they need to do.'
Ms. Murphy agrees. 'A lot of caregivers are older adults themselves. The roles are sometimes fluid. So, it's important to consider holistically what it means to age in place. It's not just about the individual – it's their environment, their social circle and their circle of care.
'Technology isn't the only solution,' she adds, 'but it can be harnessed to support people remain where they want to remain as they age.'