Why families need tech support for their elderly

Button Simple's stated mission is 'to help families provide better care for and get more joy from each other'. Here's why families need help, and how we aim to provide that help.

High-tech product ecosystem

High-tech consumer products (cell phones, smart TVs, smart home devices) and services (Amazon.com, Uber) are all created by corporations that promise better living through technology. Entertainment, transportation, shopping, health, dining and socializing are all (supposedly) better using the latest version.

While we don't believe corporations are evil, we also know they aren't altruistic. Product management decisions at these companies are driven by corporate revenue goals, not the desire to solve problems. And the high-tech products they create tend to be built for tech-savvy adults; for everyone else, they provide less value and can be hard to use.

It's clear this ecosystem does not (and will not) produce products that truly address how families care for their elders.

Family-based care for seniors

Families, as opposed to these high-tech corporations, have provided care for older relatives for over 500,000 years (source: US News).

Technology might have made some things easier since then, but we believe it's actually harder today to care for our elderly. Here's why:

4 ways it's harder today for families to care for their elderly

• Families are different. 500,000 years ago most families probably lived in the same cave or tree. Today most of us don't live with (or even near) our parents.
• We have far more ways to communicate. Today, most families use a mish-mash of text messages, phone calls, email, apps (like WhatsApp) and handwritten notes. This complexity makes it challenging for families to provide consistent, high quality care. And while collaboration tools like task boards, web calendars, video conferencing and group messaging are common in the business world, they aren't used as much by families.
• Change happens faster now. Things are speeding up. Moore's Law and all that. Product release cycles are months or even weeks, not years. New products and features are poured into the market with minimal support, testing and training. Not everyone is capable of adapting to new products and features at the same rate (witness dad trying to make a Zoom call by himself.)
• Helping your own parent with technology is hard. Identifying solvable problems, choosing a solution, installing, and helping them learn to use it -- that would stress even the strongest parent-child relationship. (And try doing it all remotely!) Daunting … and failure is emotionally costly.

How Button Simple helps

Button Simple enables better collaboration within and between families. We focus on solving technology challenges that prevent older people from getting high quality care, including socialization, exercise, diet, transportation, and entertainment.

We offer a platform that includes:

• Button - an "all's well" beacon that let's families know their elder is OK, and to work as a team to provide care.
• Access to Button Simple's community-driven problem solving toolkit.

The benefits? Better health and personal care for our seniors. Better teamsmanship for families and other caregivers. Piece of mind for those of us who care for an elderly person.