“Silver Tech”—defined as technology to help those over 55 enrich their lives—is attracting entrepreneurs and venture capitalists at a rapid rate. Healthy longevity, spending power, and the pervasiveness of smartphones is sparking innovations that improve mobility, safety, and joy for an older population focused on aging well.

---

Millions of people are affected by hearing loss, and it’s a frustrating and debilitating issue for many. A new science-and data-backed app brings sound therapy to the palm of your hand. AudioCardio assesses your hearing and plays personalized tones through headphones to stimulate cells inside the ear. The tones are largely inaudible to users and are played for one hour each day. AudioCardio works to improve hearing over time, and the tone can be played in the back-ground of games, music, news, and more. After several days of use, your hearing is reassessed, and your personalized sound therapy plan is adjusted based on your progress. Currently, AudioCardio is only available for purchase through the Apple App Store.

Virtual reality company MyndVR helps those who are suffering from a wide range of illnesses that affect the aging mind. Patients afflicted with dementia, macular degeneration, and Parkinson’s, and those who are living in veteran’s homes and memory care facilities find that MyndVR reduces anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness while improving memory and cognition. No scientific results have been made public yet, but anecdotal results show that patients, specifically those suffering from dementia, became lucid after using MyndVR. For example, if a patient had spent time in Paris and used MyndVR’s virtual reality experience to see Paris again, he or she could recall time they had spent there previously. St. Mary’s Health System in Lewiston is currently using MyndVR to expand its patients’ horizons and improve overall quality of life.

Protecting important documents has become easier than ever. Secure My Legacy Bags are water-, smoke-, and fire-proof, and made to keep your most valuable items from becoming damaged. Life can change in the blink of an eye, and these lightweight bags keep everything centralized and are easy to pick up and carry with you in case of an emergency. At 5 oz. and 11″ x 15″, Secure My Legacy Bags are constructed with multiple damage-proof layers that can withstand temperatures up to 1,000 degrees F, and expand to hold more than 300 documents, which can include birth certificates, Social Security cards, USB jump drives, cash, legal and medical documents, and more.

Long popular with runners, cyclists, and other athletes, wear-able technologies can monitor heart rate, step count, and calories burned, among other information. VitalTech goes further with its smart watch, VitalBand LTE, which also monitors safety and offers peace of mind to the wearer’s loved ones. It provides sleep quality analytics, automatic fall detection, a panic alert button, and emergency voice callout, and through the Family Connect App, allows caregivers to view vitals, monitor nutrition, send messages, and set medication reminders. Location services track the wearer in case of a fall, allowing help to find and render assistance quickly. The water-resistant watch is easy to wear and uses intuitive touch and voice controls.