When your parents or grandparents start to get old, they usually need some help with simple things. But Nest is looking for ways to allow the older generation to continue living on their own for as long as possible, and not need help or get put into a nursing home. This is according to a report from CNBC. No specific products were mentioned, but it is a market that the Alphabet subsidiary is looking to jump into.
According to this report, Nest has approached some senior living facilities as well as experts in the aging space, and pitching a way to incorporate Nest’s devices. Nest has also talked about how it could tweak its existing products – Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest Protect, etc – for older users. One of the ideas that Nest has pitched is to use motion sensors to help people getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night, by automatically turning on lights. Which is actually something that would work well for adults of all ages. Another idea includes notifying people who move around a lot in excessive heat, that they may be at risk for dehydration. There’s also another idea, though this one is a bit further off, and is pretty ambitious for Nest, but it includes sensors in the home that could potentially track changes in movement and other telltale signs before a fall. Seeing as falling when you’re older could actually end up being life-threatening, this is an important thing.
It’s important to stress that these ideas are still in the “idea” phase, and there are no working prototypes yet nor products ready to ship. But these ideas do sound pretty ambitious and could really help older Americans live on their own for as long as possible, seeing as the last thing someone wants is to be sent to a nursing home.