Article about our work with Best Buy.
Canadian Healthcare Technology – Aug 31, 2023
Reaching 40 million in population calls for a celebration in Canada! With nearly one out of five Canadians being at least 65 years of age as of July 2022, the need to have choices for quality aging has become even more important.
Home is where Canadians like to age. Home is also the environment that can impact our health and well-being.
The idea of having our homes do more for us – the place we work so hard all our lives to maintain – is a desired concept for many. Looking at the same idea through healthcare’s lens, a connected and accessible home can also take some pressure off our health system.
Many factors come into play when making our home meet our needs as we age in place. Technology is one of those factors. Starting with the basics, such as making the home safer and more connected with healthcare and loved ones, is what national service providers such as Best Buy Canada have been focusing on through their Best Buy Health services.
Their bundled solutions come in a variety of need types identified through partnering with healthcare and community organizations.
For example, one of their bundles can connect individuals with their doctors, loved ones, and the delivery person at their front door. Soon their bundles will offer convenience such as robot vacuums and mops to skip the manual maintenance of home hygiene – to add time to things that really matter, such as calming our minds and moving our bodies to keep well.
Their Connected Health bundle not only looks timelessly stylish, but it also tracks many health metrics to help us celebrate our progress and work on areas that need nurturing. How different bundles can support aging in place are evaluated through research partnerships such as one in place with Bruyère Research Institute, Carleton University, and AGE-WELL Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory (SAM3) National Innovation Hub.
Best Buy Health also focuses on a gap that keeps some of us from getting the most out of our technology – digital skills. Their free-to-access Best Buy Digital Citizen program has lessons and how-to’s for commonly asked questions all in one place, using step-by-step instructions and jargon free language. They invite everyone to come and learn at their own pace – and repeat the lesson as many times as needed without having to remember a password.
If ever in doubt on how to install and connect our devices, Best Buy’s Geek Squad Agents are a service appointment away. Their hundreds of hours of training in creating human-centric experiences help individuals enjoy the many benefits that technology offers.
The goal of these services is to provide Canadians with meaningful options when they are designing how they would like to age in place.
For information about Best Buy Health by Best Buy Canada Ltd., e-mail health@bestbuycanada.ca.