March 16, 2021

34% of US broadband heads of household ages 65+ own a smart speaker or smart display

Consumer research tracks continuing impact of COVID-19 on technology adoption for seniors and caregivers

Parks Associates’ COVID-19: Impact on Seniors, Caregivers, and Independent Living Solutions finds 34% of the US senior broadband households (heads of broadband household ages 65 and older) have a smart speaker or smart display, as the low product cost and convenience of voice-first interfaces continue to spur rapid adoption. Current adoption of smart speakers / smart displays is 49% among all US broadband households.

The presence of COVID-19 is contributing to new awareness, use, and openness to connected solutions among both seniors and caregivers. Twenty-six percent of seniors use at least one virtual health or wellness tool, including nearly 10% that use a health tracking solution. Additionally, 76% of broadband households 65+ personally use a smartphone and 13% report owning at least one tested connected medical device.Seniors have also reported higher usage of entertainment services, video calling services, pick-up and delivery services, and other service types.

The research quantifies the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on seniors and family caregivers, assessing concerns, pain points, and demand for new technology products and services.

“There is a myth among service providers that seniors are not tech-adept,” said Elizabeth Parks, President, Parks Associates. “Currently, about a quarter of seniors are using virtual tools to manage their health and wellness, most in the form of patient portals that grant access to health and medical information from physicians. One in ten seniors now use apps and services that track health, fitness, diet, weight, and/or exercise routines. Technology can have a real impact and create value for senior adults and caretakers in many different ways.”

Parks Associates will share more details on this research during the eighth annual Connected Health Summit: Consumer Engagement and Innovation, which will feature virtual sessions throughout 2021:

• Leveraging the Smart Home for a Healthy Home
• Seniors and Caretakers: Serving A Massive Population at Home
• Personalization in Connected Health: Impact of AI
• Virtual Health and Remote Monitoring
• Connected Health Business Models
• Independent Living: Opportunity for Smart Home Platforms
• Tech Giants: Driving Healthcare Innovation
• Connecting the Dots: Interoperability and Health Data

Registrants can also view past sessions on demand, including “New Connected Health Use Cases: Impact of COVID-19,” hosted on January 27 and featuring speakers from Tyto Care, University of Miami Health System, Electronic Caregiver, Omron Healthcare, Atrium Health / Vital Circle, Cloud DX, mmHg, and Silicon Labs. More info at www.connectedhealthsummit.com.

For more information on COVID-19: Impact on Seniors, Caregivers, and Independent Living Solutions, contact sales@parksassociates.com.

To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific research data, please contact Rosey Ulpino at rosey@parksassociates.com, 972.996.0233.

About Connected Health Summit: Consumer Engagement and Innovation

Connected Health Summit, hosted by international research firm Parks Associates, is an executive conference focused on the impact of connected devices and IoT healthcare solutions on consumers at home. In its ninth year, Connected Health Summit brings senior industry leaders together from all aspects of the consumer experience ecosystems to provide insights on new business models, IoT technologies, consumer behaviors, and deployments relevant to consumer healthcare solutions.

The conference features Parks Associates quarterly consumer readdresses opportunities for new solutions in the care giving and senior markets and the wellness markets. This includes smart home platforms, on-demand services, voice assistants, and wearables, to empower consumers, caregivers, and providers and to meet the growing demand for services in independent living, chronic care management, remote access to care, and wellness and fitness solutions. www.connectedhealthsummit.com

Follow the event on Twitter at @CONN_Health_Smt.