Old age isn’t what it used to be: a versatile solution for a more independent breed of seniors

Today’s seniors aren’t what they used to be.

Writer Stephen King recently turned 76. Rock legends Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr just released the final Beatles song at the age of 81 and 83 respectively. Captain James T. Kirk himself, the venerable William Shatner, is 92. And none of them are resting on their laurels. 

Imagine, there are adults today whose grandparents raved at Woodstock! So, it’s not surprising that many people in their seventies and eighties aren’t quite ready to think of themselves as “senior citizens,” let alone “elderly.”

The expression “you’re only as old as you feel” was never truer than it is today. But age isn’t just a state of mind or a question of attitude – time takes its toll on even the wildest and most free spirited among us. We slow down a little. We don’t see as sharply as we used to and don’t hear half of what is said over the dinner table. We have to pause in the middle of a sentence to search our minds just to keep our train of thought. Trust me, I know. 

Personal anecdote: When I was hired by SAP about six years ago, some of my friends teased that I was probably Silicon Valley’s “oldest new hire.” Hardly, I’m sure.

A difficult dilemma

True to their youthful and free-spirited generation, many of today’s seniors won’t even consider moving to a retirement home or an assisted living facility. They want to preserve their independence, remain in their communities, and maintain their lifestyle, even if they’re not as self-sufficient as they used to be. 

And so, they and their families face a difficult dilemma: If they preserve their independence and lifestyle, they face growing risks to their safety and well-being; but the path of greater safety entails a change of lifestyle, a loss of independence, and, in many cases, a loss of community.

One company, Australia’s HomeMade, has solved this dilemma for thousands of seniors by clearing a middle path that lets them access the extra support they need without having to move into retirement homes or assisted living facilities. 

HomeMade accomplishes this by providing their customers with a web-based platform that allows them to self-manage their benefits and services via an online dashboard.

Technology so sophisticated you don’t even know it’s there

We all know that seniors and technology don’t always hit it off. A major challenge when developing any tech solution for seniors is to keep it as simple and as clear as possible. HomeMade has met this challenge with the help of an underlying software package from SAP called the Business Technology Platform, which brings together data and analytics, artificial intelligence, application development, automation, and integration into asingle, unified environment.

The underlying technology is super-sophisticated, but you’d never know it from looking at the website – thedashboard is simple, well-designed, and intuitive for even the least tech-savvy seniors. Users can review their budgets, track spending, pick and choose among all the services that are available to them, and even select their own support teams and schedule helpers to run errands, assist in preparing meals, or just pop in to check in on them and say “hi.”

“Oooooo there is a dashboard. Wonderful, easy, I can see where I need to submit the reimbursement right away. This portal is like Christmas.” – That’s an actual quote from a HomeMade customer.

Better service + lower price = happy life

You’d think all this customization and extra convenience would come at a hefty price, but HomeMade actually saves seniors money – and not just a little. Last year, users enjoyed an average savings of $5,600 by using the service.

So, let’s take a moment to get this straight: With the HomeMade platform, seniors can get all the support they need, on their own terms, without having to sacrifice any of their independence, all while saving money. 

From the youthful days of grooving to Sunshine Superman to enjoying retirement under the Australian sun – who says you have to pack away that individual, independent wild streak just because you’re a senior citizen? Certainly not Homemade.

HomeMade was selected a winner of the SAP Innovation Awards 2023 in the Industry Leader category for Healthcare. To learn more about what they did to earn this prestigious award, see HomeMade’s Innovation Awards pitch deck.