In the last half-century, excluding Covid-19, global life expectancy has increased by 26% and an estimated 70% of all seniors will require some form of long-term care and assistance. With this continuous increase in our elderly population, the world has been challenged with discovering new ways to treat an aging population while allowing them to maintain a sense of both dignity and independence. As a leader in innovative technology, and categorized as one of the top countries leading the healthtech sector, Israel has produced a plethora of life-altering solutions for this ever-expanding community. Companies have been rapidly developing technology to assist in a variety of areas including remote monitoring, early-detection, preventative action, hospice care, memory care, and more.
Between global pandemics and individuals seeking to retain their freedom this high-risk community has created a heightened demand for technology in the following sub-verticals:
1) Continuous Monitoring: Hundreds of companies have developed solutions for at-home treatment and care for seniors. This includes, but is not limited to, monitoring for falls, monitoring vitals, and telehealth doctors’ visits. Israeli companies that have made an impact in this vertical include:
Neteera: This company has developed a remote patient monitoring solution that enables continuous, contactless, passive monitoring of vital signs and bio-data. The solution is designed to improve care, reduce costs, and enable optimal comfort for patients without any involvement required on their part.
CardiacSense: They have developed a clinically proven medical wearable device for monitoring heart arrhythmias. Based on blood-flow technology, the watch enables 24/7 monitoring and instantaneous electrocardiogram readings, currently focused on the detection of atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias, as well as continuous and comprehensive vital sign monitoring.
2) Living Alone – Robotic Assistance: There are specific technologies more targeted to the elderly community living alone. These individuals need additional assistance to safely manage their health. There is both a mental and physical demand that is associated with living independently. Below are a few robotics companies that have created products that allow these individuals to retain their independence without sacrificing their quality of life.
Temi: A video-oriented, voice-operated autonomous AI robot that can recognize users and follow when requested, save preset locations, and navigate around homes and offices while connecting to smart devices and web services. The self-navigating robot can autonomously move locations and provide remote video chat with doctors, nurses, family, and friends. As well as, deliver medicine and take temperatures.
Intuition Robotics: Intuition Robotics develops digital companion technology. Their AI platform, Q, uses sensor fusion to understand the context of the environment and makes goal-based cognitive decisions using proprietary algorithms that proactively anticipate and engage users with multimodal expressions. They developed ElliQ, a proactive social robot for older adults, aimed at keeping older adults sharp, connected, and engaged by proactively connecting them to their families and the outside world.
3) Doctor’s at Home: Convenience, capability, and time are all factors that play into individual’s ability and frequency to see their doctors. It can be a challenge for these individuals to either take themselves or find/hire someone who can take them to their doctor’s visit. Below are some Israeli companies that have faced this issue head-on and created solutions to bring the doctor’s visit into the home.
Tyto Care: Tyto Care offers a remote examination tool and telehealth platform that enables a complete examination of the heart, lungs, skin, throat, and ears, including temperature readings, anywhere and anytime. The company’s mission is to provide easy, affordable, and high-quality telehealth visits, complete with medical exams, all from the comfort of the patient’s home.
MedFlyt: A technology platform that connects the healthcare industry to caregivers. This web-based platform is designed to simplify the staffing process by helping agencies assign staff to patients at home. MedFlyt also includes a mobile app that provides caregivers with real-time job alerts for opportunities to increase their income.
Israel Trade and Economic Commission in Sydney, Australia 