NFC Device for Dementia Safety, Smart Home AI Reboot, Age Worry Study 4-14-26
Our April 14, 2026 News for Ages episode reviewed an article on innovative devices for dementia patients, including a new NFC tag system in England. We discussed the challenges of setting up smart home devices and the potential still evolving role of AI in simplifying this process. We also discussed a study on aging anxiety and its correlation on biological aging, noting that anxiety about declining health was significant but needed further study.
Presented by Benjamin Surmi, Senior Living Expert and Social Gerontologist
BBC 3-17-26 ‘I Created Device to Help People with Dementia Stay Safe’ by Isobel Fry
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly0jjn7k60o
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a short-range wireless technology enabling two devices—typically a smartphone and a reader—to communicate when placed within a few centimeters of each other. It is widely used for contactless, secure payments (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay), digital wallet services, and, based on RFID technology, rapid pairing or scanning smart tags.
Presented by Elizabeth Magallon Fleury, CAPS, Life’s Encore Planning
NY Times 3-5-26 Smart Home Getting a Reboot from AI by Brian X. Chen
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/technology/personaltech/ai-smart-home-google-gemini-amazon-alexa.html
TP Link
Benjamin mentioned Jubilee TV during Elizabeth’s Smart Home article
We had Ashish D. Aggarwal, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of JubileeTV on our Rethinking Aging Club Podcast 11-6-25
Linda mentioned a Boomer Tech Talk article she wrote with an illustration back in 2010 to support adult children helping their parents to use a Comcast remote.
Linda mentioned “Remote Control” which is associated with Apple FaceTime to be able to assist your loved ones with phone or laptop apps. Not available in the EU. Details for Remote Control from Apple Support.
Presented by Ellen Khalifa, Habits Coach for Healthspan and Wellspan
Psychology Today 3-29-26 New Research Suggests That Age-worry Creates a Self-fulfilling Prophecy by Andrea Bonior, Ph.D.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/friendship-20/202603/a-surprising-effect-of-worrying-about-aging
Study
Discussion hosted with commentary by: Linda Sherman, Ray Gordon and Debbie Howard
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Nickie’s Tune written and performed by Richard Sherman
