AMS Healthcare to support project aimed at helping seniors age in place

Partnership between AMS Healthcare and University Health Network OpenLab to develop technology solutions that will support aging in vertical communities.

The vast majority of seniors dread the prospect of living in institutionalized settings and would rather age in place. Trends suggest Canadian seniors are increasingly moving to urban areas, with many choosing to downsize into apartments or condos in order to remain living independently. This phenomenon has given rise to a large number of naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCS). The NORCs Project seeks to take advantage of the many Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) located in urban centres across the country to explore the delivery of efficient and cost-effective care to keep seniors at home for as long as desired. AMS Healthcare will provide OpenLab funding to support the development of products and technology-enabled solutions that address the gaps that seniors face while aging in these vertical communities.

“With one in five seniors now living in high-rise apartments or condos in Canadian cities, finding solutions to deliver the compassionate care and services they need to age in place makes sense for everyone” says AMS Healthcare CEO, Gail Paech. “AMS is very pleased to be partnering with UHN OpenLab on this important and ground-breaking work.”

University Health Network’s OpenLab is the living laboratory for transformative ideas that have the potential to improve the health of Canadians. They have been working with policymakers and seniors over the past three years to pave the way for NORCs in Canada and to embed them as a viable model for planning the future of aging in cities. In the Project, OpenLab will embed themselves in one NORC community in Toronto, and through an on the ground R&D process, will work with senior residents, building managers, and community stakeholders to identify emerging needs and opportunity areas to support healthy living in NORCs.

The areas The NORCs Project will focus on include opportunities at the intersection of smart building and smart care technology for seniors, grey-powered bulk purchasing, social infrastructure, and tech-enabled communities of support. The AMS Healthcare and UHN OpenLab partnership will then allow for these technological solutions, and other high potential concepts that emerge, to be developed and packaged for spread and scale. “We believe that the innovations coming out of this collaboration will support seniors aging in place, address their social isolation and empower a new generation of seniors to be decision makers in their own care” said Tai Huynh, Creative Director of UHN OpenLab.