San Francisco

Silicon Valley: innovations in the
medico-social sector

  • The United States
  • Age Care
  • 16 delegates
  • March 2019
The purpose of this study mission was to discover the innovations developed by Silicon Valley to meet the needs of old age.
A delegation of 16 directors from the age care sector in France and Belgium travelled to San Francisco from March 11th to 16th 2019 with Dialog Health and the CNEH. The purpose of this study mission was to discover the innovations developed by Silicon Valley to meet the needs of old age.

The 9 site visits gave a complete overview of the different types of accommodation provided to seniors in the United States. Skilled nursing facilities are limited in number and in access in the US. There are many intermediate housing solutions that are adaptable to the needs of the residents, such as assisted living facilities, which offer a package including accommodation, meals and activities, and an additional care setting. All the organizations that our participants discovered offer a wide range of care, from home care to day care and various types of accommodation. These integrated campuses provide continuity of care and services for seniors.

The participants noticed several organizational innovations, in particular the PACE model developed by the On Lok Group in San Francisco. It is an integrated capitation-funded organization that addresses all of the health and social needs of poorer seniors. This all-inclusive care is aimed to help them remain at home as long as they want to. Home care is also at the heart of the Helpful Village program, that the delegation discovered at Avenidas in Palo Alto. It is a support network formalized around a social concierge service that answers the needs of elderly people at home. They organize the necessary services (home care or work on the house for example), transport, legal and financial advice, etc.

The role of web platforms is also important as an intermediary to address issues in the medico-social sector. This is the case of Seniorly, which supports seniors in search of an accommodation, or Honor, which pool support functions, particularly HR, to promote harmonization of the quality of home care.

Technological innovations were also present, particularly in the action of FrontPorch's Innovation Center. This team contracts with new technology companies to test innovative solutions, such as immersive 3D videos, or adapt existing technologies to the needs of older people, such as Alexa. All tested solutions are included in clinical trials to participate in the development of new knowledge for technologies adapted to old age.
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