WASHINGTON, March 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AARP Services,
Inc. (ASI) and UnitedHealthcare have launched a four-month
innovation challenge to identify new solutions for preventing falls
among older adults.
OpenIDEO – known for activating global communities – has been
engaged to facilitate the challenge program. Participants are
encouraged to develop breakthrough solutions in fall prevention, an
underserved area of healthy aging.
The innovation challenge is open to anyone, including
entrepreneurs, technologists, designers, researchers and
clinicians. Through an online workshop, participants and a
multidisciplinary advisory group will share research, and develop,
prototype and refine their ideas.
Winners will be selected in June for two awards: Most
Promising Idea and Most Viable Solution. In addition to cash
awards, winners receive access to ASI's iCare Research Panel for
usability/concept testing. The Most Viable Solution winner may also
have the opportunity, if it's a fit, to participate in
CareConnection, ASI's solutions pilot website.
To learn more about the challenge go to
http://ideo.to/YLLouu
Falls and fall-related injuries are a major concern among older
adults and their caregivers. One in four older adults falls each
year, yet less than half tell their doctors.i
Ninety-five percent of hip fractures are caused by falls,
which can reduce life expectancy by 10 percent to 15
percent.ii Current solutions focus on fall monitoring
and detection, and less on fall awareness/prevention.
"We talked with hundreds of caregivers and older adults, and
falls are one of their major concerns," said Sanjay Khurana, vice president caregiving, ASI.
"By harnessing the power of this community of innovators, we hope
to generate practical new ideas and solutions that help minimize
the risk of falls."
In 2014, 29 million falls were reported among people 65 and
over, with 7 million of those falls resulting in injuries.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls
among older adults cost the U.S. health care system $34 billion in direct medical costs. These costs
are expected to rise to more than $67
billion by 2020.iii
"A fall can be traumatic for older adults and drastically affect
their health and quality of life," said Efrem Castillo, M.D., chief medical officer of
UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. "Innovators who
participate in this challenge can meaningfully improve the health
and well-being of millions of older adults by helping us rethink
fall prevention."
ABOUT AARP SERVICES, INC. – AARP Services Inc., founded in
1999, is a wholly owned taxable subsidiary of AARP. AARP Services
manages the provider relationships for and performs quality control
oversight of the wide range of products and services that carry the
AARP name and are made available by independent providers as
benefits to AARP's millions of members. The provider offers
currently span health products, financial products, travel and
leisure products, and life event services. Specific products
include Medicare supplemental insurance; credit cards; auto, home,
mobile home and motorcycle insurance; life insurance and annuities;
member discounts on rental cars, cruises, vacation packages and
lodging; special offers on technology and gifts; and pharmacy
services. AARP Services also engages in new product development
activities for AARP and provides certain consulting services to
outside companies.
ABOUT OPENIDEO – OpenIDEO (www.openideo.com) is a global open
innovation platform that builds collaborative communities to
address pressing social and environmental issues. In online
Challenges, offline Chapters and targeted programs, OpenIDEO
enables innovators anywhere to apply design thinking towards
generating social impact.
ABOUT UNITEDHEALTHCARE – UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to
helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the
health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs,
and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The
company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for
individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and
their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and
contracts directly with more than 1 million physicians and care
professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities
nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and
well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at
uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.
i Stevens JA, Ballesteros MF, Mack KA, Rudd RA,
DeCaro E, Adler G. Gender differences in seeking care for falls in
the aged Medicare Population. Am J Prev Med 2012;43:59–62.
ii George F. Fuller, COL,
MC, USA, White House Medical
Clinic, Washington, D.C. Am Fam
Physician. 2000 Apr
1;61(7):2159-2168.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0401/p2159.html
iii National Council on Aging. Issue Brief: Funding for
Elder Falls Prevention. August
2015.
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SOURCE AARP Services Inc.