Alberta-Based Project Deploys Consumer Health Monitoring Technology to Pilot an Innovative Home Environment for Aging Populations

CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The HealthTech Home project, a new initiative from The Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF) and Health Cities, aims to address pressure on health systems by integrating and validating consumer technology and innovative health solutions in a residential setting.

s the largest generation of Canadians, the Baby Boomer Generation, reaches the senior age demographic, aging at home has become a priority in the health sector. Recent studies have shown aging at home can lower the cost to the health care system while enabling older adults to remain safe, independent, and connected to their homes and communities. However, understanding the technology required to support older adults to age at home is not always a straightforward selection, as many products are costly or do not integrate directly with existing consumer or health systems.

The HealthTech Home project creates a sandbox environment deployed within a BSF-owned condo unit for independent older adults that is connected to one of their continuing care homes. Health technology solutions are selected and installed to monitor the health of an independent-living condo tenant over the course of one year in an effort to slow, or reverse, any decline in health, and to aid aging in place. The selection, implementation, and evaluation of technology will build a framework that supports aging in place. Currently, little framework exists to inform technology implementation for aging care in a residential setting.

In addition to validating consumer and health technologies, this project has established the HealthTech Home Innovation Council, the first group of its kind. The Council, comprised of key stakeholder groups, will meet regularly to share results and review outcomes to inform policy and funding decisions. Once a technology has been validated within the project, the Council will assist with scale and deployment to ensure greater impact.

Best Buy Canada is the project’s first technology partner. The company's expertise in commercial technology designed to support aging in place, paired with its unique ability to introduce foundational elements into the HealthTech Home in a consolidated way, allows for an agnostic approach to vendor selection scalable across Canada. Additional partners include the University of Calgary’s Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging, CBI Health and W21C.

“Today’s generation of aging seniors have different expectations around remaining in their homes and maintaining their independence as they age," says Tony Weeks, President and CEO at The Brenda Strafford Foundation. "We are committed to leading research and innovation that enhances the quality of life and quality of care for older adults in support of our mission to optimize well-being and enrich people’s lives, creating impact within our seniors’ care communities, and beyond.”

"We know that enabling seniors to age in place, where they are comfortable and have the support of their communities, leads to better health outcomes,” says Reg Joseph, CEO at Health Cities. “Designing a technology and solutions framework is key to building a more efficient health system for aging populations. Alberta’s economy is dependent on creating these opportunities for Canadian health technology companies to integrate their solutions."

“Best Buy Health is driven by the belief that technology can make life better— at any age, for any need,” says Sara Aghvami, Director at Best Buy Health. “We are thrilled to work on the HealthTech Home project, and we believe it will provide a perfect example of how technology enriches lives and allows countless people to age in any place they call home.”

About The Brenda Strafford Foundation

The Brenda Strafford Foundation is a registered Canadian charitable organization established in 1975. The Foundation’s core operations are in seniors’ care, owning and operating five continuing care communities in and around Calgary, AB, and with a strategic focus on research and innovation in seniors’ health and wellness. The Foundation also operates local charitable programs to serve women and children fleeing domestic violence and families at risk of homelessness, as well as international charitable programs for vulnerable populations in need of health services in underserved regions of the Caribbean.

www.theBSF.ca

About Health Cities

Health Cities is a Canadian not-for-profit corporation that works with clinicians, innovators, philanthropic organizations, and companies to develop new models of care that can drive better health outcomes and economic growth in the health sector. Our focus is on transforming innovations from our health sector into solutions that have commercial application and global relevance, adopting them for impact locally and scaling them for export to global markets.

Visit healthcities.ca for more information.

About Best Buy Canada

A wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY), Best Buy Canada Ltd. is one of Canada’s largest and most successful omnichannel retailers, operating the Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, and Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.ca) brands. With over 160 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores across Canada and an expanded assortment of lifestyle products offered through BestBuy.ca, Best Buy is a leader in total retail, catering to customers how, when, and where they want to shop. Best Buy Canada is committed to making a positive impact in the community by providing services and technology that help caregivers, enhance digital skills, and expand the reach of businesses that specialize in care.

For more information, visit BestBuy.ca.

Contacts

Media Inquiries:

Health Cities
Stephanie Gillis-Paulgaard
Email: media@healthcities.ca
Phone: 780-885-0458

The Brenda Strafford Foundation
Julie Arnold
Email: julie.arnold@theBSF.ca
Phone: 403-536-8682

Best Buy Canada
Mathew Wilson – Communications Specialist
Email: media@bestbuycanada.ca
Phone: 604-809-3416

Get your Company Featured in our VR AR Ecosystem Reports

VRARA's 50+ Chapters are producing industry reports on the regional VR/AR ecosystems to promote companies and organizations involved with immersive technologies and media from NYC to Sydney, across the world.  The reports will be promoted by VRARA and our partners reaching potentially a 1M audience. 

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Lethbridge College planning yearly VR Conference in VR following overwhelming success

Join Lethbridge College and our Alberta Chapter here

LETHBRIDGE – After the success of the inaugural event, Lethbridge College has announced Merging Realities: An Event of Multiple Perspectives will be moving forward as an annual affair.

The college hosted the world’s first full-day conference, held completely in virtual reality, back on April 26.

Hone Virtual Education Ltd. CEO Alex Jackson, who is also president of the Alberta chapter of the international VR/AR Association, says the virtual and augmented reality industry is being built on firsts, and Merging Realities was no exception to that.

“This event showcased the potential of this technology to bring the world together by simply pushing the power button. The future is now.”

Since the convention was the first of its kind, Mike McCready, an instructor in Lethbridge College’s Multimedia Production program, says there was no precedent to guide the planning team.

“The virtual reality community supported us and helped to create an exciting buzz around Merging Realities, significantly contributing to its success,” McCready continued. “I’m excited to see how much bigger it can grow in future years.”

A release from the college states Merging Realities brought together industry leaders in virtual and augmented reality to explore applications and future advances.

Keynote speakers from Google and other powerhouse companies shared the exciting applications of VR and AR and offered important networking opportunities to those in attendance.

While some participants gathered on-site at Lethbridge College, the majority joined in virtually from around the world.

Participants from five continents, 16 countries and 84 cities took part either in-person or online.

Additionally, the event prompted:

- 712 live views and a total of 12,690 minutes watched on Twitch, a live streaming video platform
- 1,509 unique visits to the Merging Realities webpage
- 2,957,726 impressions of the #mergingrealities2018 hashtag on Twitter

College organizers say the event would not have been possible without Doghead Simulations’ Rumii platform. The company supplied technical support, licensing and mentorship to organizers.

“Merging Realities was a game changer for our Rumii software, bringing to life our vision at Doghead Simulations for a world that is further connected by technology and virtual reality,” Doghead Simulations Chief Marketing Officer Amber Osborne said.

The innovative and interactive Merging Realities conference helped Lethbridge College in its goal to position itself at the helm of VR and AR development in post-secondary education.

Kris Hodgson, chair of the college’s School of Media and Design, says they are leading the way for people who are interested in getting involved with new and emerging technology.

“Being involved in the early stages of VR and AR means that as the technology evolves, we will play an important role in shaping the way educators and industries use the medium. This industry is moving so rapidly that people who have been in it for only one to two years are now subject matter experts,” Hodgson said.

As the interest and demand for virtual and augmented reality increases, the college will look to share its growing expertise with the community through Corporate and Continuing Education courses beginning this fall.

A date for the second annual Merging Realities conference will be announced in the coming months.

Join Lethbridge College and our Alberta Chapter here

VRARA & Lethbridge College to host world’s first full-day conference held in VR

To RSVP email info@thevrara.com

LETHBRIDGE – The very real world of virtual reality will be explored during an innovative industry-leading conference hosted by Lethbridge College.

Merging Realities: An Event of Multiple Perspectives is taking place on April 26, and the conference will feature renowned guests from the fields of virtual and augmented reality.

They will be speaking to participants who can join in from around the world.

This is made possible by being the first full-day conference to be hosted completely in virtual reality.

Kris Hodgson, interim chair of Lethbridge College’s School of Media and Design, says many virtual meetings have been held around the world, but this is the first conference they know of will spend an entire day in the virtual setting.

“Industry-leading speakers will highlight the latest advances in virtual and augmented reality. Our Multimedia Production program has spearheaded this event, led by instructor Mike McCready and his students, and it's truly incredible what has been accomplished in only a few months.”

A release states that due to high demand only a limited number of seats are available in VR for each session and will be held for those who have VR headsets.

However, all attendees will be able to view all sessions via live streaming with a dozen speakers from a variety of backgrounds scheduled to speak throughout the day.

Keynote presenters include:

-    Alan Smithson: co-founder and CEO of MetaVRse. Alan has positioned himself as a leader in business applications for VR/AR.

-    Alex Katzen: Google's Daydream business development team content specialist. Alex works with third-party VR and AR developers to support the ecosystem and bring quality content to the Google platform.

-    Cathy Hackl: VR/AR global speaker, producer and marketing futurist. Cathy is an Emmy-nominated communicator turned author, named by IZEA and Onalytica as a leading AR/VR influencer and by NBC News as one of the top women working in virtual reality.

Multimedia Production instructor Mike McCready says Merging Realities is a unique event where students and industry are working together to educate the community on virtual and augmented reality.

“The enthusiastic early response is a clear indicator that there are a need and interest for training in this field.”

Lethbridge College is quickly establishing its credentials as a leader in VR/AR, recently joining the international VR/AR Association.

McCready and Hodgson will serve as co-presidents of the Alberta Chapter of VRARA.

The membership gives the college access to resources as it begins to integrate VR/AR into its programming across campus.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg for the work in VR/AR that the School of Media and Design is pursuing,” Hodgson continued. “We look forward to collaborating further with industry across the globe.”

The Merging Realities event will culminate with a business mixer from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the college, which is open to anyone interested in learning more about the many applications for VR/AR.

A full itinerary of the event can be found here.