The future of aging

There’s something we don’t talk about very much. It happens to all of us, but most of us would like to avoid it.

I’m talking about aging.

We’re living longer. That’s a good thing, right? And yet, the caregiver pool is shrinking or feeling burnt out and overwhelmed. And many people prefer to avoid talking about it.

That’s why I spoke with Chia-Lin Simmons, CEO of LogicMark, one of the leaders in medical alert, health communication, and personal safety technology. Simmons is a tech veteran who has worked at Google, Audible (during its sale to Amazon), Samsung, and with various startups in Silicon Valley.

When she joined LogicMark in 2021, the company was still rooted in the classic “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” medical-alert model. She wanted to rebuild it for the new world we find ourselves in. One of connected homes, longitudinal data, AI, and people who still want to retain the human aspects.

But what does that actually look like?

We discuss the future of aging and the role that technologies, including AI, are playing and can play. What are the technological gaps that older adults might need to overcome? How do we make sure robots aren’t replacing real human interactions? Which tasks should be allocated to machines and which are better suited for humans?

Human time is limited, perhaps it is best spent in areas that require real connection and creativity while technology handles repetitive tasks and monitoring of things like medication adherence, activity patterns, early signs of decline and so on.

There’s much debate about the role of AI, but one of the things it excels in is spotting patterns across massive data and making predictions based on probabilities. But it’s not a substitute for human vulnerability or the voice you hear when you reach out in the midst of a health crisis.

In this conversation we also explore the idea of having a digital twins, people’s relationships with safety devices, and the emotional load of caregiving.

Ultimately, at the center of everything is the tension between using technological tools to expanding human capacity vs outsourcing the very bits that make us human.

I hope you enjoy it!

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