Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

US startups aim to help seniors 'age in place'

Monitoring devices for the elderly started with products like privately-held Life Alert, which leapt into public awareness nearly 30 years ago with TV ads showing the elderly “Mrs. Fletcher” reaching for her Life Alert pendant and telling an operator, "I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!"

Now companies like Nortek Security & Control and small startups are taking that much further.

The challenge though is that older consumers may not be ready to use the technology and their medical, security and wellness needs may differ significantly. There are also safety and privacy risks.

“There’s a lot of potential, but a big gap between what seniors want and what the market can provide,” said Harry Wang, director of health and mobile product research at Parks Associates.

From the article "US startups aim to help seniors 'age in place'" by Reuters. 

Previously In The News

Report: Smart Home Devices Had Biggest Impact on Security Market in 2016

As for why dealers change their offerings, there are many possibilities. According to the Parks and SSI study, competitive forces are key. It could also be driven by the consumer, as more homeowners a...

Energy Management at ‘Big Boom Window’ for Integrators

Forty-four percent. That’s how many Americans, according to Chris White, an analyst at Parks Associates, monitor their energy—manually or otherwise. That’s 44% of homeowners who are already engaging i...

10 Best IoT Insights and Smart-Home Quotes from Connections 2018

A short woman trips on the way to the podium of the first panel discussion at Connections 2018, produced by smart-home research firm Parks Associates. She snipes, "And I'm a morning person." You know...

Top 5 Home Tech Trends and Opportunities for 2017: From Voice Control to VR

Parks Associates research indicates 40 percent of U.S. smartphone owners use voice-recognition software, generally eclipsing the use of phones for streaming music to speakers or video to a second scre...