In the 1900s, the average American lifespan was 47.7 years. Today, it is 78.8 years. 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. In just over 10 years, 20% of the US population will be 65 and over.
So, what are we doing to care for this growing population? The urgency around that question inspired Martha to start working with the Mount Sinai Health System NYC 15 years ago. Today’s episode will be the first in a series of conversations that specifically addresses the needs of our aging population.
Dan Josebachvili created a wearable medical device, the Silvertree Reach, to help older adults stay independent, but safe. Dr. Helen Fernandez, Vice Chair of Education for the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, is an expert on fall prevention and is working to re-frame perceptions around aging.
The two join Martha to discuss issues that face older adults, and new products and innovations to help them live healthy, productive lives – what Martha calls “living the good, long life.”
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know, we always say we want to meet people
where they are in life, and by enabling people to
be on the move to live the lives they want
to live. I mean, it's something you've always said, which
is it's not about aging well, it's about living well.
And if we can be a condo it to enable
that for older adults and for their families, then we
feel like we've really accomplished what we've set out to do.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Back in two thousand and seven, I get involved with
the Mount sin Medical Center, home to a nationally recognized
geriatrics department. We established at that time the Martha Stewart
Center for Living, which was to focus on the care
needs of older adults. We knew then about the challenges
that are looming in the United States. Ten thousand baby
(00:44):
boomers turn sixty five every day and we do not
have enough geriatricians to care for them. Along with this
explosion of older adults, perceptions around aging are changing. We're
seeing people living, working, and thriving for years pass the
so called typical retirement age. Our president is eighty two.
(01:05):
Of the biggest rock tours of the past few years
have been led by eighty year old Mick Jagger. And
seventy three year old Bruce Springsteen. And there is a
strong longevity economy growing to serve this demographic. This will
be the first in a series of conversations that will
specifically address the changing population of older Americans. I'm here
(01:28):
today with Dan jose Bachvili, the founder of Silvertree, a
wearable medical device, and doctor Helen Fernandez, vice Chair of
Education for the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
at Mount Sinai. We're going to talk about issues that
face older adults and new products and innovations to help
(01:48):
them live a good, long life. Welcome to my podcast,
doctor Fernandez and Dan. Thank you for having us so
Helen and Dan. People are living longer, stronger, better life today.
How many Americans are over sixty five?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Sixteen percent of the population. Over fifty million Americans are
over in the age of sixty.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Five, and by two thousand and thirty four, what will
that number be?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
That number will be one in every five Americans twenty
close to twenty one percent of the population.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
And what are we doing to take care of this
older population? That's the big question today and the question
not facing not just people who are getting older, but
the people who have to help take care of those
people who are getting older. So many of my friends
are saying, oh my gosh, they have to take care
of their mom, They have to figure out what to
do with dad, They have to figure out where are
(02:45):
they going to should they sell their homes. It is
a very complicated subject. And that's one reason why I
did go into the field of geriatric medicine because it
really interested me because my mom, who thank Heavans, was
a healthy, beautiful woman up until ninety three when she
finally died of a simple complication. But it brought the
(03:07):
subject close to home and now with me. I'm an
older American now and I wonder, you know, I have
to make plans for myself. Really, all people have to
take care of themselves. And Dan has been working for
how many years now on silver Tree, going on four
years now, four years. Silver Tree is a bracelet device.
(03:29):
I call it a bracelet. It is a wrist band
and tell us what silver Tree does for us.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, So the whole idea is to help keep people
that we care about feeling safe, feeling connected, feeling protected,
and most of all, feeling confident to continue living the
lives they want. So it's the ability to get in
touch in an emergency, the ability to automatically detect the
fall when a fall occurs, the ability to locate someone
if you havn'ts forbid, they've wandered off or they don't
(03:58):
know where they are. It's that sense of peace of
mind for family members and confidence for the older adult.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
So it's not really a watchdog. I mean, it really
is a device to alert other people very much. So.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, it's an industry that's been around for forty years,
and unfortunately it hasn't evolved a whole lot since it
came on the scene in the late seventies early eighties.
So we saw an opportunity to come and do it
a little different and make it a part of someone's
life and not just that dreaded insurance that hangs around
your neck in case something happens.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
So all of you listening, If you have an older
adult in your family who needs attention in this way,
or if you yourself are feeling that you need to
feel bitter about your everyday existence, this is the program
to listen to. Doctor Fernandez has been working at Mount
Signing for how many years.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
It will be twenty five years.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Wow. This, so you have seen a drastic change in
geriatric medicine and the care of older adults, in teaching
older adults how to better take care of themselves. It's
been an amazing journey. And indeed, now because there are
so many older people that medicine that practice that geriatric
(05:16):
attention is terribly important and we have to figure out
what to do with the aging population. So you have
a big challenge. Yes, we do.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
And I would say even in my time at Mount
Sina when I started, twelve percent of the population was
over the age of sixty five, and that has exponentially increased.
Right now, over one hundred thousand Americans are over the
age of one hundred and that's.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Going really one hundred thousand, isn't that wonderful? I'd see.
I love that. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
And then by twenty thirty five, there'll be half a
million Americans that are over the age of one hundred.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Wow. Well, I recently took a test. There are these
written tests that you can take and answer these questions
about your lifestyle. I guess, and I came out to
be one hundred and ten. So isn't that great? I
just felt fabulous, And then people say, well, what do
you want to leave live to one hundred and ten for?
In this world? I have a watch to see and
a lot to learn, and I really think that if
(06:11):
I can do it in good health and with strengths
and without being a burden to other people, I absolutely
want to see what's going to happen. I'm a curious person.
And isn't that really what drives many many people who
are living longer, a curiosity to understand what's going on.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yes, definitely people want to explore what Dan talked about.
Live as functionally as long as possible, independent, have autonomy,
take up new hobbies, new tasks, maybe new jobs. It's
really an exciting time. You know. I think of my
own father, who's ninety two, great and he reads every
(06:52):
single day, every single newspaper.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I get a report that was like my mom. She
read the New York Times cover to cover every single day.
She was better informed than me or any of my friends.
And she put it together. You know. She was geopolitical,
and I liked that so much about her. And she
was also the chauffeur for her friends. She never had
a car accident. I bought her a real safe car
(07:17):
and she was the chauffeur. And I like to see that.
I think that that is admirable. And also and so
many friends. That's what we have to encourage. That absence
of loneliness. That's another big topic. But back to safety
and feeling secure. Dan's wrist band this is a this
is a risk device that you wear on your wrist.
(07:39):
It is very nice, comfortable. I've been wearing it. It
has you can wear it in the shower. You do
not have to take it off at night to charge.
Like the Apple Watch, you have to charge every night.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
The battery life is much longer. What's the battery life now?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Dan's up to fourteen days.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Fourteen days, which which is great because you don't have
to you know, it's another worry, which is you know,
you're charging your iPhone, you're charging your iPad, you're charging
whatever else other devices you have around your house, and
this watch every fourteen days, this just goes on a
simple little charger by your bedside.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
That's right. We designed the product to you know, we
always say we want to meet people where they are
in life, and by enabling people to be on the move,
to live the lives they want to live. I mean,
it's something you've always said, which is it's not about
aging well, it's about living well. And if we can
be a condo it to enable that for older adults
and for their families, then we feel like we've really
(08:34):
accomplished what we've set out to do.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So describe the device and what it does exactly, because
I think people will be very interested to understand that
there is something that you can wear, or your mom
or your dad, or your aunt or your uncle can
wear that will really help them tremendously.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Yeah, of course, So you describe it very well, Martha.
I'd say wrisk warn device very simple technology. There is
no screen, there is one button. It is a soft
rubber material so it doesn't irritate the skin. It's light weight,
and it comes in two colors, a light in the dark.
And the whole idea is you can wear it anywhere
(09:11):
to the gym, to pilates, in the shower, to a
fancy dinner.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
I take it off in pilates, do you I do?
Because I'm lying on my back, I'm jumping up and down,
I'm doing steps. It's a little active and I'm afraid
it's going to go off.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Well, that's totally fair. One of the features is fall detection.
But you know, God forbid you take a tumble and pilates. Well,
I suppose there's someone.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
They're always there, right, Yeah, I'm with an instructor.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Well that's good, that's good. But the whole intent for
us was design with simplicity and design.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I'm gonna wear it tomorrow and I'm gonna see if
it goes off.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I get a lot of grief from my engineers in
the office because I wear mine all the time, including
in the gym, and I trigger a lot of false
alarms by doing.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Some but you have to catch those alarms. Do this device.
It does change. It gets a red, a little bit
of a buzz, a little bit of a vibration, and
so then you can just press a button and the
green comes back on.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
That's right. It was designed to be simple. So there's
the one button where if you ever need help, you
can press it and the first alert goes automatically to
your team whomever you've invited it.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
How many members of a team can be put into
this device.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
As many as you like, so it could be friends,
family members, neighbors, It calls them, It sends them a
push notification on their phone and a text message, and
it gives them your exact location, and it tells them
that you've either pushed the button asking for help, or
if a fall has been detected, that you've fallen, and
it gives your family sort of that first chance to
(10:40):
intervene and make sure you're okay. If within a minute
there is no reaction or intervention from the family, it
immediately goes to a nine one one call center and
that kicks into gear, this process of sending an ambulance
and making sure that you're taking care of it.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
And it does work. Because I was out and about
on my phone, which is a very large farm, and
it went off without me detecting it because I was
I was on a tractor or something bouncing around in
the field and it went off, and three people came
looking for me and they found me. Well, that's great
that I felt safe. I felt that I had attention.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
And are you still writing the tractor? Of course, and
we've done our job.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yes, I am still writing the tractor. So now it
is powered by.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
So it works pretty much anywhere. It has Bluetooth to
connect to your phone. It has cellular when you're out
and about, it has Wi Fi when you're at home,
and it has GPS so that if you're sort of
out in a remote place, we can pinpoint to within
a few meters where you are.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Okay, So that all works very well. And doctor Fernandez,
what do you think about that?
Speaker 3 (11:49):
I think it's an outstanding device because I recommend to
my patients who are one have fallen or at risk
of falls, have difficulty with walking, or patients who have
cognitive issues like dementia, to have something that will provide
some really safety right and for caregivers to know that
(12:12):
they don't have to be right there, and that patients
can live independently and older adults can live independently. You know,
falls are really really actually one of the most common
problems that older adults encounter.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Is it instability or is tripping or what is it?
It's a combination of things.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Our gate changes that we get as we get older.
We have more of a stewed posture, we have shorter steps.
Plus you add, if somebody has a chronic illness like
arthritis or other things that kind of contribute or issues
around balance also are a problem, and we see somebody
falls every older adult every eleven seconds. There is an
(12:53):
older adult who goes to emergency room every twenty minutes
due to a fall. And what we're trying to capture
are those falls, right, and so people at risk and
then the recovery because sometimes people fall and then nobody
knows they've fallen and they're maybe not found for a
couple of days and they're dehydrated, they have to be hospitalized.
(13:15):
And if we can detect this much earlier with devices
like this, how much reassurance that is one for the
patient but also for the caregiver.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, Dan, you have a big job ahead of you.
You have to inform each and every hospital staff about
the Silver Tree. We have to get the word out
that this device is very efficacious and very useful and
very available.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
That's right. And I'm thrilled to be here with doctor
Fernandez because we were talking before we came on air
that there's a lot we can be doing together.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And I think that families have to know this too,
and as I said, the caregivers. So there's more and
more attention being paid to the aging population. As we mentioned,
what else can we do for this aging pup in
terms of education, in terms of just helping them.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yeah, I think one, what are the risk for falls?
What do you have around the home that's putting you
more at risk?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
A loose rug?
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Yeah, they're beautiful.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
A friend of mine slipped on her rug and she
ended up, you know, falling badly and having to have
a hip replacement as a result. So you have to
really look around and learn at your house, right, Yes,
you do.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
You have to think about kind of their extension cord
stairs lighting when you're getting up and going to the
bathroom in the middle of the light, is there a
good light, even if it's a little dim that can
just light the pathway, So really being alert that.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
There are those lights that you plug in that are
motion detectors and as you walk by the light, Yes,
and we've put those on all our stairs. My daughter,
who is not over sixty five years old, she fell
down a stair in my house in Maine and broke
her ankle. And and the next time I went to
that house, guess what, there were lights on all the stairways,
(15:05):
these little motion detector lights, which was very useful.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Other things, thinking about if in the bathroom where it's
a very slippery environment obviously, so if there are issues
around around your balance, making sure you have grab bars,
making sure you have non skid rugs, you know in
the bathtub, things that you can grab onto if you're
feeling a little dizzy, or just to setting you, and
(15:29):
then exercise walking. Walking is the best type of prevention
in terms of falls. We found that if people just
move it, they're less likely to lose it.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
I love that. I like that.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Yeah, so getting out there and I think you know,
one of the things that we've learned a lot during
the pandemic is people became very physically isolated and socially isolated,
and this is an opportunity to really take advantage and
go out be protected. But you can go out, you
can walk, and having an assisted device like this that
(16:03):
is going to detect a fall, we'll give you that
safety to be able to take that walk down the
street in the park. Because we want people to be
more active, to be more socially engaged. It's really really
important not just for falls, but also for your memory,
your cognition.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Well, the Americans lifespan has increased a lot over the years.
Oh what is it now? What is the life expectancy.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Seventy eight point eight years, and it was dramatically you know,
in the nineteen hundreds. If somebody was born in nineteen hundreds,
your lifespan would be forty seven point seven years. So
just think about kind of that dramatic change. And a
lot of it.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Had to do.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
You know, we learned sanitation was a big issue treating
our waters, as well as some great medical advances like
having antibiotics, vaccinations, a big development in the nineteen seventies
around treating heart disease that used to be the number
one killer and now that's a really treatable disease and
(17:13):
people live a long time.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
What is the number one now.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Well, it's a combination. It's probably more cancer. We did
see an uptick obviously around COVID where that was a shift.
Dementia as well is within the top five and heart
disease is still up there, but it has definitely come down.
And the other thing that helped besides treatments was a
decrease in smoking. Tobacco cessation really helped also in decreasing
(17:41):
heart disease.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
That's good, Yes, that's good. And are you recommending people
wear devices like this? Oh? Yeah, nice? Silvertree.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Yes, definitely, And it has changed close to the twenty
five years that I've been in practice. Originally it was
this big, clunky necklace that everybody like, I don't want
people to know that I have this. They would be
hiding it, or they put it on the bedstand and
never wear it.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
I fell in the other room and I'm like, oh,
where's your device? Oh it was by the bedstand, but
you fell in the bathroom, right, So it's great that
there's an evolution that these are more wearable, fashionable, less obvious.
Patients are more likely to use them than this big
device that has a big button in the.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Middle of it. My dream was before I met Dan,
my dream was to have just like a little diamond
on a chain around my neck. I like this, just
a little diamond that you could press or or it
would detect a fall. Now that has not happened yet,
We're we're working on good. Dan just looks like a
(18:47):
real piece of beautiful jewelry. Wonderful and wouldn't that be nice? Yes,
And the same thing with the wrist the wristband. This
is a perfectly benign and lightweight and comfortable device. The
silver Tree reach it's called and so easy to wear
and so so very valuable in terms of detection. So
(19:09):
so good. I'm glad that the hospital is behind these
these this idea and and that we will encourage all
the outpatients who come to Mount Sinai to the Martha
Stewart Center for Living. Especially you see the age of
the life expectancy increasing. Aren't you amazed at how many
people like over seventy are working and being productive and
(19:32):
not being pushed out of their jobs?
Speaker 3 (19:36):
Definitely, And one of my big initiatives is reframing agent,
how we think about agents, how we really think about it,
more about us, not them, because we all are what
are your options?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Either die or live longer? And you're getting all the
moment you're born exactly, it's always aging exactly, But what
kind of aging is really what we have to focus
on exactly?
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Seeing that to live a healthier life, to be as
much as one can independent, and so these are methods
to do that in order to and be socially integrated,
I think is really important. Yeah, a lot of older
adults are still working, sometimes picking up other jobs out there.
(20:20):
A lot of my patients are volunteers, even within giving
back to the hospital or practices, which is wonderful to see.
And I think there's wonderful teaching of generations. One of
the programs we run is linking my patients to medical
students and having them get to know them over time
(20:41):
as a person in their context, and they get really
jazzed up to interact with each other. They talk every day, they.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Have lunch together.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
So that's what we want to see.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Yeah, absolutely, so, Jan your history is buried. Tell us
a little bit about your background.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
So it's been a little bit. What I always like
to cau is non linear. I actually started as a
first responder, a firefighter, and that was where I sort
of had a first first row seat to this ecosystem
of emergency response and escalation and how ancient it is
in many ways, and that always stuck with me. And
(21:18):
as I've gotten older and I've had a number of
different roles and sort of building early stage consumer things,
that concept always stuck with me. And now that I'm
in this, you know, what we like to call the
sandwich generation, where my parents are getting older and I'm
worried about them, and I have my career and I
have my family and my kids. I have to find
a way to balance that, and technology has always been
(21:41):
the place my generation has turned to to help solve
these kind of really intractable problems. Bringing that together with
my time as a first responder, it was really clear
that there was an opportunity to do something different right
a category that's existed since those commercials from the eighties
of help I've fallen and I Can't get up hasn't changed.
There was an opportunity to be a product and a
(22:03):
brand that people were not ashamed of that tries to
kick this old stigma of aging as the arch right
where we peak in midlife, and it's all about confidence,
and it's all about safety, and it's all about promoting
connection between families, between caregivers and their parents, and doing
it in a way where we're not asking a person
(22:23):
to sacrifice, whether it's dignity or a sense of self
in order to feel a little bit more safe.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
I remember going to Washington on behalf of the Center
for Living to the Council on Aging. It was so primitive,
the discussions were primitive. I don't and I have not
been for ten years. So what's happening in Washington with
the government, What are they doing to help with this
problem of the aging population.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Yeah, I think they're looking at innovative clinical models to
better meet patient needs. So Dan and I talked about
even beforehand kind of link with emergency response services like
EMTs and what we're now calling it paramedicine and actually
having them go and do visits, not even bring patients
(23:12):
right to the emergency room, just go do a visit,
connect with the primary care doctor, give information, report back,
do a video, and prevent a hospitalization. So this is
really key innovative. We really ramped up during the COVID
pandemic to be able to offer this throughout the city
and we're seeing more and more models like this, and
(23:34):
Medicare is investing in models now.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
The fewer people that have to go to the hospital
to crowd the wards and the emergency rooms, the better. Yes,
and Dan with his Silver Tree company, you have a
very very long road ahead of you to make sure
that all these places to help are aligned.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Absolutely, we see this as a long journey starting with
a place of critical importance, which is physical safety. But
as we expand and as we grow, it's not just
about connecting family members with their loved ones with emergency services.
But it's about creating a community around living well in
this stage in life. And if we can do that,
(24:14):
and we can be a connector of service providers and
clinicians and products, we can be part of this solution
to help push this forward. Because as much as we
love to think that the government is going to step
in and do the job for us, they will follow innovation.
And if we prove that there is a way for
(24:35):
us to not just improve life outcomes but reduce cost
of care, there's a really strong argument for government involvement
to push this forward.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
So some people might find it counterintuitive to develop a
tech product for older people. Why do you disagree?
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Because technology is all around us and when older adults
were younger, they were working with technology of their time.
So it's not a matter of can older adults work
with technology? The answer is obviously yes. It's a matter
of can technology companies and creators create and design technology
(25:15):
for the right user, And it's about designing with intent.
And as much as we love Apple and all the
other big tech companies, it's clear where their focus is
and where their focus isn't. And so you know, as
doctor Hernandez pointed out, earlier. This is an unbelievable opportunity
to design with intent for a demographic that's going to
(25:36):
make up twenty percent of the country that still has
the highest disposable income and highest purchasing power. So we
see it as a great business opportunity as well as
the right thing to do.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
So why are people reluctant to subscribe to such a service.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Historically it's been about stigma and the thought of I'm
at a stage in my life where I need this
because I am fill in the blank, let's stable on
my feet, I have some chronic health condition. It's a
really sort of personal taxing feeling, and a lot of
(26:23):
that has to do with the way these other companies
before us have marketed and positioned their products as medical products,
where they're not quite right. They sort of blend that
line between it's a medical product and it's a consumer device.
And so for us to be able to say, hold
on a second, it is not about positioning aging as pathology.
(26:46):
It's about being a product that solves a real problem
really no matter the age. You know, we don't really
talk about this as being a product for older adults.
We know that that is a very applicable use case.
But the feelings of confidence and peace of mind really
extend to across generations.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
True, And I think that your marketing has to make
that so clear. Because if you're a runner and you
run by yourself early morning, what if you do fall
in a hole, yeah, you know, and you need help,
you might as well have this bracelet on, right.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
That's right, that's right. And again the whole intent is
about simplicity and meeting people where they are.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
That poor guy who they just found on a bear
cam in Alaska, there is a hiker hiking in the mountains,
remote area of Alaska. He found a bear cam, which
is a camera you know, that studies the actions of
and movements of bears. He looked in there and even
begged for help. Somebody saw it, because I mean a
(27:50):
lot of people have these on their and their iPads
or on their computers. They're looking at the bears and
they see this poor man begging for help. They found
it with a few hours.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
They saved him. He was starving and dehydrated and and
he'd been wandering around out there for a few days.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Not good.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
No, But but if he had had the device.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Yeah, if he if he had had silver tree, we
would have found him right.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Away, hopefully not the bear's right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
He's lucky that there wasn't a bear waiting.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
For him with the camera exactly. So are you finding
Doctor Fernanda's patients still being reluctant to get this kind
of help?
Speaker 3 (28:30):
They are because a bit about what Dan's saying in
terms of stigma. Stigma, what does it mean? Does it
mean that I can't live independently? Does it mean I
can't be where I am right now and it's been
my home for thirty forty years?
Speaker 2 (28:46):
It means that they can exactly, And so it was
reframing the reverse of what they're thinking.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Exactly. Yeah, So I think they're two things. One it's
reframing how it can help them live independently, and two
that they're better designs out there that it isn't like
this plunky button that you that you have to wear
and hide.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Now, what if you fall and your wrist is underneath
you or something, what do you do?
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Well, that's where the automatic fall detection kicks in. Okay,
So it is capable of detecting a fall with no
movement after and then the cavalry will come. The cavalry
will come.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
How are you getting more users for the silver Tree?
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Well, it starts with awareness, right, People need to know
that we exist. People need to know that this product
is out there and available. And then it's about really
conditioning people, as doctor Fernandez are saying, it's really about
understanding the value and not what you're at being asked
to give up. So it's talking about the features, talking
about what it enables you to do. And so today
(29:51):
we're focused on a direct to consumer model because one
of the ways we found that the best way to
fight stigma is to position this in a channel in
an market that people are already associating with. Oh, it's
a consumer product. It is how I buy eighty five
percent of my electronics. And so by starting there and
(30:11):
building a community and building a following, we can expand.
And then it's about finding the right partners like Mount
Sinai AARP. It's about finding the places where our audience
is captive and listening and telling them the story of
why this product is so good for.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Them and what does AARP say about this?
Speaker 1 (30:33):
They love it. I mean look, ARP is the type
of organization that, because of where they sit and the
trust that they hold amongst the community. They can't single
out specific products in a category that is competitive for
natural reasons. But we're working with them on a campaign
right now that's going to launch later this year where
it is about telling the story of living well and
(30:57):
really trying to kick that old paradigm and really help
people see and feel themselves in this stage of life
that is all about potential, not about pathology.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
And helen what other new products are helping people live
longer and better, more productive lives well.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
Other innovative clinical models. We are embedding ourselves in other
practices in neurology and surgery so that people have the
best outcomes because many times, I mean, surgeons are great
at what they do, but they're not thinking so much
about the holistic approach what an older adult would need.
And so we're there to really do a comprehensive geriatric
(31:42):
assessment so that our patients, our older adults, really get
the best outcome with any kind of procedures, with any
kind of treatment. So more and more of these models,
we're placing ourselves in other places besides being at Martha Stewart.
We're lucky at Martha Stewart really lucky. We have a tea,
we have a social worker, nurses, nurse pectition, and we
(32:03):
know that this is a team sport that isn't just
the provider. That caregivers need resources. So that's the other piece,
is helping to support the caregivers and giving them resources
to be able to care for their loved ones at home.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
And what innovations do you still want to see being used?
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Well, I want to see obviously an expansion of training.
We train at Mount sign A twenty percent of the
workforce of new geriatricians for the whole country, and under
my leadership, that's grown. It was ten percent, it's grown
over twenty four years to twenty percent. What I'm now
looking at are developing healthcare leaders in geriatrics that will
(32:43):
change the health system, not just the individual patient, but
how can we make the hospital, clinics, everywhere you go
more age friendly. And so I think that's what's really
the antidote, and the other is reframing what people think
about older adults and really see them as people that
(33:06):
are part of our society that give us a lot
of wisdom.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
When did that stop? I mean when when did it stop?
When they the older adults and many many cultures are revered. Yes,
and then all of a sudden in America as a
you know, it was it was they're just they're just
older throwaways. Yeah, it is really horrible.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
And you know, I've been working with ARP. It's part
of eight organizations to think about how are people featured
in films? How are people featured in commercials?
Speaker 1 (33:40):
Right?
Speaker 3 (33:40):
The living? Well?
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Right, well, you see some silly movies, but but there
they are making a point like eighty for Brady. Yeah, you've.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Grace and Frankie, great series. So we there is impact
the movie industry is.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
And it makes a difference. And I post in my
bathing suit on the Illustrated and that made that made
a huge impression worldwide. I mean, we got one hundred
and eight billion impressions from that cover. Now a friend
of mine who's in her seventies got on the front
page of Wall Street Journal as the most successful private
(34:18):
banker in America. Amazing because and she's in her seventies,
and they have more of this has to happen because
she's a valuable human being and it has helped many, many,
many people in her job, as so many other doctors
and lawyers and professionals help people well into their seventies, eighties,
(34:39):
and even nineties. So I'm not going to be a
crusader exactly, but I am certainly a huge supporter of
making sure that aging successfully is the best revenge.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
That's a way to phrase it.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
What else can you say? It's just really important and
you can make a very lasting impression on younger people
that it really does make a difference. That age is
just a number. And so I'm so happy that both
of you are working towards making aging successful, making aging
(35:15):
just a good part of living a good, long life.
I hope you can continue for a long time with
your work, and I really want Silver Tree to be
seen on pretty much everybody's wrists. It will is a
very big goal, and it will be really helpful to
our country. Look what's happening with social security. I mean,
(35:37):
we don't have any guarantees that all these governmental in
yeah and will will help us. So we have to
do it ourselves, and we have to work at that.
Let's make a big effort. But thank you so much
for your time, both of you, and we're going to
continue hopefully talking about successful aging and interview people who
(35:58):
are above the U sixty five, who have who are
still contributing tremendously to our country, and good luck to
both of you. Thank thank you, thank you for having
us
You know, we always say we want to meet people
where they are in life, and by enabling people to
be on the move to live the lives they want
to live. I mean, it's something you've always said, which
is it's not about aging well, it's about living well.
And if we can be a condo it to enable
that for older adults and for their families, then we
feel like we've really accomplished what we've set out to do.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Back in two thousand and seven, I get involved with
the Mount sin Medical Center, home to a nationally recognized
geriatrics department. We established at that time the Martha Stewart
Center for Living, which was to focus on the care
needs of older adults. We knew then about the challenges
that are looming in the United States. Ten thousand baby
(00:44):
boomers turn sixty five every day and we do not
have enough geriatricians to care for them. Along with this
explosion of older adults, perceptions around aging are changing. We're
seeing people living, working, and thriving for years pass the
so called typical retirement age. Our president is eighty two.
(01:05):
Of the biggest rock tours of the past few years
have been led by eighty year old Mick Jagger. And
seventy three year old Bruce Springsteen. And there is a
strong longevity economy growing to serve this demographic. This will
be the first in a series of conversations that will
specifically address the changing population of older Americans. I'm here
(01:28):
today with Dan jose Bachvili, the founder of Silvertree, a
wearable medical device, and doctor Helen Fernandez, vice Chair of
Education for the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
at Mount Sinai. We're going to talk about issues that
face older adults and new products and innovations to help
(01:48):
them live a good, long life. Welcome to my podcast,
doctor Fernandez and Dan. Thank you for having us so
Helen and Dan. People are living longer, stronger, better life today.
How many Americans are over sixty five?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
Sixteen percent of the population. Over fifty million Americans are
over in the age of sixty.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Five, and by two thousand and thirty four, what will
that number be?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
That number will be one in every five Americans twenty
close to twenty one percent of the population.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
And what are we doing to take care of this
older population? That's the big question today and the question
not facing not just people who are getting older, but
the people who have to help take care of those
people who are getting older. So many of my friends
are saying, oh my gosh, they have to take care
of their mom, They have to figure out what to
do with dad, They have to figure out where are
(02:45):
they going to should they sell their homes. It is
a very complicated subject. And that's one reason why I
did go into the field of geriatric medicine because it
really interested me because my mom, who thank Heavans, was
a healthy, beautiful woman up until ninety three when she
finally died of a simple complication. But it brought the
(03:07):
subject close to home and now with me. I'm an
older American now and I wonder, you know, I have
to make plans for myself. Really, all people have to
take care of themselves. And Dan has been working for
how many years now on silver Tree, going on four
years now, four years. Silver Tree is a bracelet device.
(03:29):
I call it a bracelet. It is a wrist band
and tell us what silver Tree does for us.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yeah, So the whole idea is to help keep people
that we care about feeling safe, feeling connected, feeling protected,
and most of all, feeling confident to continue living the
lives they want. So it's the ability to get in
touch in an emergency, the ability to automatically detect the
fall when a fall occurs, the ability to locate someone
if you havn'ts forbid, they've wandered off or they don't
(03:58):
know where they are. It's that sense of peace of
mind for family members and confidence for the older adult.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
So it's not really a watchdog. I mean, it really
is a device to alert other people very much. So.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, it's an industry that's been around for forty years,
and unfortunately it hasn't evolved a whole lot since it
came on the scene in the late seventies early eighties.
So we saw an opportunity to come and do it
a little different and make it a part of someone's
life and not just that dreaded insurance that hangs around
your neck in case something happens.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
So all of you listening, If you have an older
adult in your family who needs attention in this way,
or if you yourself are feeling that you need to
feel bitter about your everyday existence, this is the program
to listen to. Doctor Fernandez has been working at Mount
Signing for how many years.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
It will be twenty five years.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Wow. This, so you have seen a drastic change in
geriatric medicine and the care of older adults, in teaching
older adults how to better take care of themselves. It's
been an amazing journey. And indeed, now because there are
so many older people that medicine that practice that geriatric
(05:16):
attention is terribly important and we have to figure out
what to do with the aging population. So you have
a big challenge. Yes, we do.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
And I would say even in my time at Mount
Sina when I started, twelve percent of the population was
over the age of sixty five, and that has exponentially increased.
Right now, over one hundred thousand Americans are over the
age of one hundred and that's.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Going really one hundred thousand, isn't that wonderful? I'd see.
I love that. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
And then by twenty thirty five, there'll be half a
million Americans that are over the age of one hundred.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Wow. Well, I recently took a test. There are these
written tests that you can take and answer these questions
about your lifestyle. I guess, and I came out to
be one hundred and ten. So isn't that great? I
just felt fabulous, And then people say, well, what do
you want to leave live to one hundred and ten for?
In this world? I have a watch to see and
a lot to learn, and I really think that if
(06:11):
I can do it in good health and with strengths
and without being a burden to other people, I absolutely
want to see what's going to happen. I'm a curious person.
And isn't that really what drives many many people who
are living longer, a curiosity to understand what's going on.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yes, definitely people want to explore what Dan talked about.
Live as functionally as long as possible, independent, have autonomy,
take up new hobbies, new tasks, maybe new jobs. It's
really an exciting time. You know. I think of my
own father, who's ninety two, great and he reads every
(06:52):
single day, every single newspaper.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I get a report that was like my mom. She
read the New York Times cover to cover every single day.
She was better informed than me or any of my friends.
And she put it together. You know. She was geopolitical,
and I liked that so much about her. And she
was also the chauffeur for her friends. She never had
a car accident. I bought her a real safe car
(07:17):
and she was the chauffeur. And I like to see that.
I think that that is admirable. And also and so
many friends. That's what we have to encourage. That absence
of loneliness. That's another big topic. But back to safety
and feeling secure. Dan's wrist band this is a this
is a risk device that you wear on your wrist.
(07:39):
It is very nice, comfortable. I've been wearing it. It
has you can wear it in the shower. You do
not have to take it off at night to charge.
Like the Apple Watch, you have to charge every night.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
The battery life is much longer. What's the battery life now?
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Dan's up to fourteen days.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Fourteen days, which which is great because you don't have
to you know, it's another worry, which is you know,
you're charging your iPhone, you're charging your iPad, you're charging
whatever else other devices you have around your house, and
this watch every fourteen days, this just goes on a
simple little charger by your bedside.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
That's right. We designed the product to you know, we
always say we want to meet people where they are
in life, and by enabling people to be on the move,
to live the lives they want to live. I mean,
it's something you've always said, which is it's not about
aging well, it's about living well. And if we can
be a condo it to enable that for older adults
and for their families, then we feel like we've really
(08:34):
accomplished what we've set out to do.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So describe the device and what it does exactly, because
I think people will be very interested to understand that
there is something that you can wear, or your mom
or your dad, or your aunt or your uncle can
wear that will really help them tremendously.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Yeah, of course, So you describe it very well, Martha.
I'd say wrisk warn device very simple technology. There is
no screen, there is one button. It is a soft
rubber material so it doesn't irritate the skin. It's light weight,
and it comes in two colors, a light in the dark.
And the whole idea is you can wear it anywhere
(09:11):
to the gym, to pilates, in the shower, to a
fancy dinner.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
I take it off in pilates, do you I do?
Because I'm lying on my back, I'm jumping up and down,
I'm doing steps. It's a little active and I'm afraid
it's going to go off.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
Well, that's totally fair. One of the features is fall detection.
But you know, God forbid you take a tumble and pilates. Well,
I suppose there's someone.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
They're always there, right, Yeah, I'm with an instructor.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Well that's good, that's good. But the whole intent for
us was design with simplicity and design.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I'm gonna wear it tomorrow and I'm gonna see if
it goes off.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I get a lot of grief from my engineers in
the office because I wear mine all the time, including
in the gym, and I trigger a lot of false
alarms by doing.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Some but you have to catch those alarms. Do this device.
It does change. It gets a red, a little bit
of a buzz, a little bit of a vibration, and
so then you can just press a button and the
green comes back on.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
That's right. It was designed to be simple. So there's
the one button where if you ever need help, you
can press it and the first alert goes automatically to
your team whomever you've invited it.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
How many members of a team can be put into
this device.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
As many as you like, so it could be friends,
family members, neighbors, It calls them, It sends them a
push notification on their phone and a text message, and
it gives them your exact location, and it tells them
that you've either pushed the button asking for help, or
if a fall has been detected, that you've fallen, and
it gives your family sort of that first chance to
(10:40):
intervene and make sure you're okay. If within a minute
there is no reaction or intervention from the family, it
immediately goes to a nine one one call center and
that kicks into gear, this process of sending an ambulance
and making sure that you're taking care of it.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
And it does work. Because I was out and about
on my phone, which is a very large farm, and
it went off without me detecting it because I was
I was on a tractor or something bouncing around in
the field and it went off, and three people came
looking for me and they found me. Well, that's great
that I felt safe. I felt that I had attention.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
And are you still writing the tractor? Of course, and
we've done our job.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yes, I am still writing the tractor. So now it
is powered by.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
So it works pretty much anywhere. It has Bluetooth to
connect to your phone. It has cellular when you're out
and about, it has Wi Fi when you're at home,
and it has GPS so that if you're sort of
out in a remote place, we can pinpoint to within
a few meters where you are.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Okay, So that all works very well. And doctor Fernandez,
what do you think about that?
Speaker 3 (11:49):
I think it's an outstanding device because I recommend to
my patients who are one have fallen or at risk
of falls, have difficulty with walking, or patients who have
cognitive issues like dementia, to have something that will provide
some really safety right and for caregivers to know that
(12:12):
they don't have to be right there, and that patients
can live independently and older adults can live independently. You know,
falls are really really actually one of the most common
problems that older adults encounter.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Is it instability or is tripping or what is it?
It's a combination of things.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Our gate changes that we get as we get older.
We have more of a stewed posture, we have shorter steps.
Plus you add, if somebody has a chronic illness like
arthritis or other things that kind of contribute or issues
around balance also are a problem, and we see somebody
falls every older adult every eleven seconds. There is an
(12:53):
older adult who goes to emergency room every twenty minutes
due to a fall. And what we're trying to capture
are those falls, right, and so people at risk and
then the recovery because sometimes people fall and then nobody
knows they've fallen and they're maybe not found for a
couple of days and they're dehydrated, they have to be hospitalized.
(13:15):
And if we can detect this much earlier with devices
like this, how much reassurance that is one for the
patient but also for the caregiver.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Well, Dan, you have a big job ahead of you.
You have to inform each and every hospital staff about
the Silver Tree. We have to get the word out
that this device is very efficacious and very useful and
very available.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
That's right. And I'm thrilled to be here with doctor
Fernandez because we were talking before we came on air
that there's a lot we can be doing together.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And I think that families have to know this too,
and as I said, the caregivers. So there's more and
more attention being paid to the aging population. As we mentioned,
what else can we do for this aging pup in
terms of education, in terms of just helping them.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yeah, I think one, what are the risk for falls?
What do you have around the home that's putting you
more at risk?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
A loose rug?
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Yeah, they're beautiful.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
A friend of mine slipped on her rug and she
ended up, you know, falling badly and having to have
a hip replacement as a result. So you have to
really look around and learn at your house, right, Yes,
you do.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
You have to think about kind of their extension cord
stairs lighting when you're getting up and going to the
bathroom in the middle of the light, is there a
good light, even if it's a little dim that can
just light the pathway, So really being alert that.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
There are those lights that you plug in that are
motion detectors and as you walk by the light, Yes,
and we've put those on all our stairs. My daughter,
who is not over sixty five years old, she fell
down a stair in my house in Maine and broke
her ankle. And and the next time I went to
that house, guess what, there were lights on all the stairways,
(15:05):
these little motion detector lights, which was very useful.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Other things, thinking about if in the bathroom where it's
a very slippery environment obviously, so if there are issues
around around your balance, making sure you have grab bars,
making sure you have non skid rugs, you know in
the bathtub, things that you can grab onto if you're
feeling a little dizzy, or just to setting you, and
(15:29):
then exercise walking. Walking is the best type of prevention
in terms of falls. We found that if people just
move it, they're less likely to lose it.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
I love that. I like that.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Yeah, so getting out there and I think you know,
one of the things that we've learned a lot during
the pandemic is people became very physically isolated and socially isolated,
and this is an opportunity to really take advantage and
go out be protected. But you can go out, you
can walk, and having an assisted device like this that
(16:03):
is going to detect a fall, we'll give you that
safety to be able to take that walk down the
street in the park. Because we want people to be
more active, to be more socially engaged. It's really really
important not just for falls, but also for your memory,
your cognition.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Well, the Americans lifespan has increased a lot over the years.
Oh what is it now? What is the life expectancy.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
Seventy eight point eight years, and it was dramatically you know,
in the nineteen hundreds. If somebody was born in nineteen hundreds,
your lifespan would be forty seven point seven years. So
just think about kind of that dramatic change. And a
lot of it.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
Had to do.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
You know, we learned sanitation was a big issue treating
our waters, as well as some great medical advances like
having antibiotics, vaccinations, a big development in the nineteen seventies
around treating heart disease that used to be the number
one killer and now that's a really treatable disease and
(17:13):
people live a long time.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
What is the number one now.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Well, it's a combination. It's probably more cancer. We did
see an uptick obviously around COVID where that was a shift.
Dementia as well is within the top five and heart
disease is still up there, but it has definitely come down.
And the other thing that helped besides treatments was a
decrease in smoking. Tobacco cessation really helped also in decreasing
(17:41):
heart disease.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
That's good, Yes, that's good. And are you recommending people
wear devices like this? Oh? Yeah, nice? Silvertree.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
Yes, definitely, And it has changed close to the twenty
five years that I've been in practice. Originally it was
this big, clunky necklace that everybody like, I don't want
people to know that I have this. They would be
hiding it, or they put it on the bedstand and
never wear it.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Right.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
I fell in the other room and I'm like, oh,
where's your device? Oh it was by the bedstand, but
you fell in the bathroom, right, So it's great that
there's an evolution that these are more wearable, fashionable, less obvious.
Patients are more likely to use them than this big
device that has a big button in the.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Middle of it. My dream was before I met Dan,
my dream was to have just like a little diamond
on a chain around my neck. I like this, just
a little diamond that you could press or or it
would detect a fall. Now that has not happened yet,
We're we're working on good. Dan just looks like a
(18:47):
real piece of beautiful jewelry. Wonderful and wouldn't that be nice? Yes,
And the same thing with the wrist the wristband. This
is a perfectly benign and lightweight and comfortable device. The
silver Tree reach it's called and so easy to wear
and so so very valuable in terms of detection. So
(19:09):
so good. I'm glad that the hospital is behind these
these this idea and and that we will encourage all
the outpatients who come to Mount Sinai to the Martha
Stewart Center for Living. Especially you see the age of
the life expectancy increasing. Aren't you amazed at how many
people like over seventy are working and being productive and
(19:32):
not being pushed out of their jobs?
Speaker 3 (19:36):
Definitely, And one of my big initiatives is reframing agent,
how we think about agents, how we really think about it,
more about us, not them, because we all are what
are your options?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Either die or live longer? And you're getting all the
moment you're born exactly, it's always aging exactly, But what
kind of aging is really what we have to focus
on exactly?
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Seeing that to live a healthier life, to be as
much as one can independent, and so these are methods
to do that in order to and be socially integrated,
I think is really important. Yeah, a lot of older
adults are still working, sometimes picking up other jobs out there.
(20:20):
A lot of my patients are volunteers, even within giving
back to the hospital or practices, which is wonderful to see.
And I think there's wonderful teaching of generations. One of
the programs we run is linking my patients to medical
students and having them get to know them over time
(20:41):
as a person in their context, and they get really
jazzed up to interact with each other. They talk every day, they.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Have lunch together.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
So that's what we want to see.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Yeah, absolutely, so, Jan your history is buried. Tell us
a little bit about your background.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
So it's been a little bit. What I always like
to cau is non linear. I actually started as a
first responder, a firefighter, and that was where I sort
of had a first first row seat to this ecosystem
of emergency response and escalation and how ancient it is
in many ways, and that always stuck with me. And
(21:18):
as I've gotten older and I've had a number of
different roles and sort of building early stage consumer things,
that concept always stuck with me. And now that I'm
in this, you know, what we like to call the
sandwich generation, where my parents are getting older and I'm
worried about them, and I have my career and I
have my family and my kids. I have to find
a way to balance that, and technology has always been
(21:41):
the place my generation has turned to to help solve
these kind of really intractable problems. Bringing that together with
my time as a first responder, it was really clear
that there was an opportunity to do something different right
a category that's existed since those commercials from the eighties
of help I've fallen and I Can't get up hasn't changed.
There was an opportunity to be a product and a
(22:03):
brand that people were not ashamed of that tries to
kick this old stigma of aging as the arch right
where we peak in midlife, and it's all about confidence,
and it's all about safety, and it's all about promoting
connection between families, between caregivers and their parents, and doing
it in a way where we're not asking a person
(22:23):
to sacrifice, whether it's dignity or a sense of self
in order to feel a little bit more safe.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
I remember going to Washington on behalf of the Center
for Living to the Council on Aging. It was so primitive,
the discussions were primitive. I don't and I have not
been for ten years. So what's happening in Washington with
the government, What are they doing to help with this
problem of the aging population.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Yeah, I think they're looking at innovative clinical models to
better meet patient needs. So Dan and I talked about
even beforehand kind of link with emergency response services like
EMTs and what we're now calling it paramedicine and actually
having them go and do visits, not even bring patients
(23:12):
right to the emergency room, just go do a visit,
connect with the primary care doctor, give information, report back,
do a video, and prevent a hospitalization. So this is
really key innovative. We really ramped up during the COVID
pandemic to be able to offer this throughout the city
and we're seeing more and more models like this, and
(23:34):
Medicare is investing in models now.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
The fewer people that have to go to the hospital
to crowd the wards and the emergency rooms, the better. Yes,
and Dan with his Silver Tree company, you have a
very very long road ahead of you to make sure
that all these places to help are aligned.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Absolutely, we see this as a long journey starting with
a place of critical importance, which is physical safety. But
as we expand and as we grow, it's not just
about connecting family members with their loved ones with emergency services.
But it's about creating a community around living well in
this stage in life. And if we can do that,
(24:14):
and we can be a connector of service providers and
clinicians and products, we can be part of this solution
to help push this forward. Because as much as we
love to think that the government is going to step
in and do the job for us, they will follow innovation.
And if we prove that there is a way for
(24:35):
us to not just improve life outcomes but reduce cost
of care, there's a really strong argument for government involvement
to push this forward.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
So some people might find it counterintuitive to develop a
tech product for older people. Why do you disagree?
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Because technology is all around us and when older adults
were younger, they were working with technology of their time.
So it's not a matter of can older adults work
with technology? The answer is obviously yes. It's a matter
of can technology companies and creators create and design technology
(25:15):
for the right user, And it's about designing with intent.
And as much as we love Apple and all the
other big tech companies, it's clear where their focus is
and where their focus isn't. And so you know, as
doctor Hernandez pointed out, earlier. This is an unbelievable opportunity
to design with intent for a demographic that's going to
(25:36):
make up twenty percent of the country that still has
the highest disposable income and highest purchasing power. So we
see it as a great business opportunity as well as
the right thing to do.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
So why are people reluctant to subscribe to such a service.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Historically it's been about stigma and the thought of I'm
at a stage in my life where I need this
because I am fill in the blank, let's stable on
my feet, I have some chronic health condition. It's a
really sort of personal taxing feeling, and a lot of
(26:23):
that has to do with the way these other companies
before us have marketed and positioned their products as medical products,
where they're not quite right. They sort of blend that
line between it's a medical product and it's a consumer device.
And so for us to be able to say, hold
on a second, it is not about positioning aging as pathology.
(26:46):
It's about being a product that solves a real problem
really no matter the age. You know, we don't really
talk about this as being a product for older adults.
We know that that is a very applicable use case.
But the feelings of confidence and peace of mind really
extend to across generations.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
True, And I think that your marketing has to make
that so clear. Because if you're a runner and you
run by yourself early morning, what if you do fall
in a hole, yeah, you know, and you need help,
you might as well have this bracelet on, right.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
That's right, that's right. And again the whole intent is
about simplicity and meeting people where they are.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
That poor guy who they just found on a bear
cam in Alaska, there is a hiker hiking in the mountains,
remote area of Alaska. He found a bear cam, which
is a camera you know, that studies the actions of
and movements of bears. He looked in there and even
begged for help. Somebody saw it, because I mean a
(27:50):
lot of people have these on their and their iPads
or on their computers. They're looking at the bears and
they see this poor man begging for help. They found
it with a few hours.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
They saved him. He was starving and dehydrated and and
he'd been wandering around out there for a few days.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Not good.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
No, But but if he had had the device.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Yeah, if he if he had had silver tree, we
would have found him right.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Away, hopefully not the bear's right, that's right.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
He's lucky that there wasn't a bear waiting.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
For him with the camera exactly. So are you finding
Doctor Fernanda's patients still being reluctant to get this kind
of help?
Speaker 3 (28:30):
They are because a bit about what Dan's saying in
terms of stigma. Stigma, what does it mean? Does it
mean that I can't live independently? Does it mean I
can't be where I am right now and it's been
my home for thirty forty years?
Speaker 2 (28:46):
It means that they can exactly, And so it was
reframing the reverse of what they're thinking.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Exactly. Yeah, So I think they're two things. One it's
reframing how it can help them live independently, and two
that they're better designs out there that it isn't like
this plunky button that you that you have to wear
and hide.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Now, what if you fall and your wrist is underneath
you or something, what do you do?
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Well, that's where the automatic fall detection kicks in. Okay,
So it is capable of detecting a fall with no
movement after and then the cavalry will come. The cavalry
will come.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
How are you getting more users for the silver Tree?
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Well, it starts with awareness, right, People need to know
that we exist. People need to know that this product
is out there and available. And then it's about really
conditioning people, as doctor Fernandez are saying, it's really about
understanding the value and not what you're at being asked
to give up. So it's talking about the features, talking
about what it enables you to do. And so today
(29:51):
we're focused on a direct to consumer model because one
of the ways we found that the best way to
fight stigma is to position this in a channel in
an market that people are already associating with. Oh, it's
a consumer product. It is how I buy eighty five
percent of my electronics. And so by starting there and
(30:11):
building a community and building a following, we can expand.
And then it's about finding the right partners like Mount
Sinai AARP. It's about finding the places where our audience
is captive and listening and telling them the story of
why this product is so good for.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Them and what does AARP say about this?
Speaker 1 (30:33):
They love it. I mean look, ARP is the type
of organization that, because of where they sit and the
trust that they hold amongst the community. They can't single
out specific products in a category that is competitive for
natural reasons. But we're working with them on a campaign
right now that's going to launch later this year where
it is about telling the story of living well and
(30:57):
really trying to kick that old paradigm and really help
people see and feel themselves in this stage of life
that is all about potential, not about pathology.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
And helen what other new products are helping people live
longer and better, more productive lives well.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
Other innovative clinical models. We are embedding ourselves in other
practices in neurology and surgery so that people have the
best outcomes because many times, I mean, surgeons are great
at what they do, but they're not thinking so much
about the holistic approach what an older adult would need.
And so we're there to really do a comprehensive geriatric
(31:42):
assessment so that our patients, our older adults, really get
the best outcome with any kind of procedures, with any
kind of treatment. So more and more of these models,
we're placing ourselves in other places besides being at Martha Stewart.
We're lucky at Martha Stewart really lucky. We have a tea,
we have a social worker, nurses, nurse pectition, and we
(32:03):
know that this is a team sport that isn't just
the provider. That caregivers need resources. So that's the other piece,
is helping to support the caregivers and giving them resources
to be able to care for their loved ones at home.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
And what innovations do you still want to see being used?
Speaker 3 (32:21):
Well, I want to see obviously an expansion of training.
We train at Mount sign A twenty percent of the
workforce of new geriatricians for the whole country, and under
my leadership, that's grown. It was ten percent, it's grown
over twenty four years to twenty percent. What I'm now
looking at are developing healthcare leaders in geriatrics that will
(32:43):
change the health system, not just the individual patient, but
how can we make the hospital, clinics, everywhere you go
more age friendly. And so I think that's what's really
the antidote, and the other is reframing what people think
about older adults and really see them as people that
(33:06):
are part of our society that give us a lot
of wisdom.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
When did that stop? I mean when when did it stop?
When they the older adults and many many cultures are revered. Yes,
and then all of a sudden in America as a
you know, it was it was they're just they're just
older throwaways. Yeah, it is really horrible.
Speaker 3 (33:30):
And you know, I've been working with ARP. It's part
of eight organizations to think about how are people featured
in films? How are people featured in commercials?
Speaker 1 (33:40):
Right?
Speaker 3 (33:40):
The living? Well?
Speaker 2 (33:42):
Right, well, you see some silly movies, but but there
they are making a point like eighty for Brady. Yeah, you've.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Grace and Frankie, great series. So we there is impact
the movie industry is.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
And it makes a difference. And I post in my
bathing suit on the Illustrated and that made that made
a huge impression worldwide. I mean, we got one hundred
and eight billion impressions from that cover. Now a friend
of mine who's in her seventies got on the front
page of Wall Street Journal as the most successful private
(34:18):
banker in America. Amazing because and she's in her seventies,
and they have more of this has to happen because
she's a valuable human being and it has helped many, many,
many people in her job, as so many other doctors
and lawyers and professionals help people well into their seventies, eighties,
(34:39):
and even nineties. So I'm not going to be a
crusader exactly, but I am certainly a huge supporter of
making sure that aging successfully is the best revenge.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
That's a way to phrase it.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
What else can you say? It's just really important and
you can make a very lasting impression on younger people
that it really does make a difference. That age is
just a number. And so I'm so happy that both
of you are working towards making aging successful, making aging
(35:15):
just a good part of living a good, long life.
I hope you can continue for a long time with
your work, and I really want Silver Tree to be
seen on pretty much everybody's wrists. It will is a
very big goal, and it will be really helpful to
our country. Look what's happening with social security. I mean,
(35:37):
we don't have any guarantees that all these governmental in
yeah and will will help us. So we have to
do it ourselves, and we have to work at that.
Let's make a big effort. But thank you so much
for your time, both of you, and we're going to
continue hopefully talking about successful aging and interview people who
(35:58):
are above the U sixty five, who have who are
still contributing tremendously to our country, and good luck to
both of you. Thank thank you, thank you for having
us
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