New digital communication solution monitors seniors as they age-in-place

Most seniors in Canada want to stay in their homes as they age but struggle to stay connected to family and caregivers. Many of them require help with basic daily tasks like using the phone and managing their medication.

Without proper oversight by a PSW, care coordinator, or family caregiver, it’s hard to tell if our loved ones are stable or in a state of decline. Isolation can lead to higher rates of depression and premature moves into long-term care.

An Ontario start-up company, kiloBryte Inc., recently developed a senior-first digital communication device – called Paige – that checks all the boxes for safety, security and ease of use.

“Paige is a secure one-touch video communications solution that bridges the gap between the family circle of care and home-care service providers,” said Bob Millar, co-founder and chief revenue officer. “It overcomes the workforce shortage and enables service delivery and human connection.”

Paige’s co-founders have all experienced the challenges of caring for an aging parent. In fact, two of the co-founders were primary caregivers for their mothers before their passing, and all three co-founders experienced the stress, distance and helplessness that come with that responsibility.

“We built Paige to make that experience easier for millions of families who have or will have that same experience,” said Millar.

Millar joined forces with two friends to develop a solution to better connect aging seniors and their families. The three previously worked together at BlackBerry, in Waterloo, and understand wireless communications and usability.

What exactly is Paige? It’s a one-touch video calling device disguised as a large format dementia clock, making it familiar, friendly, and unintimidating.

Older adults simply tap the photo of the person they want to reach, and the person is instantly connected via video call. Families join from their smartphones using the Paige Connect companion App.

When needed, Paige devices can also be configured to auto-answer inbound video calls, so a trusted family member, caregiver or professional can always get through.

No more “I can’t reach them – they’re not answering.” Many of us take video chat for granted, until a loved one ages out of the technology and can’t connect any more.

“Paige is built from the ground up to solve a problem that I lived,” said Peter Kirkpatrick, co-founder of Paige. “Every facet of the design has come from the point of view of, “Would mom be able to use it?”

There are many problems with the current healthcare system. In hospitals, bed occupancy rates are too high; many acute care beds are occupied by patients who no longer require them but can’t be safely discharged, creating a bottleneck for new admissions. This results in longer wait times, increased stress on staff and higher risk of patient deterioration outside the correct setting.

Paige, however, enables earlier and safer discharge from hospital by providing monitoring and engagement for seniors while recovering at home.

Paige links hospital-to-home, home and community service providers and family caregiver networks’ with real-time communication and data. It leads to lower re-admissions, avoids extended hospital stays and frees up acute care beds.

Paige also addresses challenges faced by seniors in retirement communities overcoming feelings of isolation, especially for those with infrequent visitors.

By using Paige, family members can see and hear their loved ones anytime they like. And if an aging family member has cognitive or physical challenges, Paige’s auto-answer capability ensures families can always see and speak with their loved ones.

Paige is currently undergoing programs, pilots and partnerships with a wide range of organizations, including: a national healthcare provider, George Brown College; Sheridan College’s Centre for Elder Research with support from the Ontario Centre of Innovation, Mitacs and the University of Waterloo.

During user validation, Paige was tested across 70,000 minutes of live video in 10,000+ calls.

“As we begin to focus on commercialization, we’ve been receiving support from local innovation hubs, recently completed the Accelerator Centre’s REV Lab program (in Waterloo, Ontario), and are excited to now be part of their Incubate scaleup program,” said Millar.