Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a641bf/wireless_ehealth_a) has announced the addition of the "Wireless eHealth and the Elderly Consumer" report to their offering.
The market for wireless healthcare devices is perceived as being driven by two interlinked requirements; the need to reduce the cost of delivering care and the need to build healthcare IT infrastructure that will cope with the growth in the number of ageing baby boomers who will require care in the near future. Even so, many vendors are struggling to find a route into what should be a potentially large and rapidly growing market for new medical devices and healthcare software.
Resistance to healthcare reforms and the deployment of online patient records, as well as scepticism towards Health 2.0 style services on the part of incumbent healthcare providers, are creating barriers to entry for the developers and suppliers of mobile healthcare devices and associated online services.
This report examines an alternative route into the wireless healthcare market that may offer less resistance and avoid some of the current barriers to entry. By using technology to empower existing, but often overlooked, providers of care it should be possible for wireless ehealth vendors to exploit the growing convergence between professional and consumer electronics in the healthcare space. The target user in this case is the 'alpha mom', a demographic group identified by Constance Van Flandern as technology aware females who have a significance influence over purchasing decisions in households containing children. The alpha mom is also a major provider of healthcare to her children and other members of her household - care that would otherwise have to be provided by a GP.
The alpha mom can also be seen a prototype for another, overlapping, demographic group: the 'alpha daughter'. The alpha daughter is a female who is providing care for her ageing parents. She uses technology to assist her in the role of care provider and if ehealth vendors can define both her role and technology requirements accurately, the alpha daughter will become an important user of medical devices and online healthcare services.
When considering the importance of the alpha daughter to the mobile health market, it is necessary to understand exactly how demographic trends will impact on the healthcare and social care sectors. It is widely accepted that ageing baby boomers will cause capacity shortages in the healthcare sector and force healthcare providers to automate substantial parts of the care delivered to the elderly. However, innovation in the healthcare IT market will be driven by the sharp leading edge of the next wave of baby boomers (the 1947 birth cohort) the members of which will soon be reaching an age at which they need increasing amounts of health and social support
- Why alpha daughters care for elderly parents.
- Giving alpha daughters technology to support COPD sufferers.
- The ageing baby boomer's impact on healthcare services.
- Health 2.0 - help or hinderance?
- Healthcare reform - avoiding conflict.
- Right products at the right time.
- Devising an alpha daughter marketing strategy
'Alpha mom' is a term first used by Constance Van Flandern to describe a working mother who uses online services to help maintain a balance between family and career. In this report we introduce the 'alpha daughter' - a working woman who is caring for an elderly parent. It is estimated that there are over 30 million people in the US who care for elderly parents, and demographic trends will see this number grow during the next two decades.
We have examined the dynamics of the ageing baby boomer generation to determine how it is likely to impact on the market for wireless healthcare and mHealth based services. We also explain what motivates alpha daughters to support their elderly parents. Included in this report is a case study detailing tasks an alpha daughter undertakes while providing care for a parent suffering from COPD, along with a list of wireless technology and mHealth services needed to make this care more efficient and less time consuming.
In defining alpha daughters, this report provides you with a framework on which you can build an mHealth or wireless healthcare marketing strategy that will enable you to address the needs of this distinct, and expanding, group of consumers.
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