5 million consumers will own PERS devices by 2024

New research from Parks Associates estimates more than 5 million consumers in the US will own PERS devices by 2024. Enabling Independence: Connected Solutions for seniors and Caregivers forecasts traditional and mobile PERS revenue will reach $1.1 billion in the same year.

The report Enabling Independence: Connected Solutions for Seniors and Caregivers assesses the aging with independence market, with particular focus on the personal emergency response system (PERS) market. It profiles leading efforts from service providers and product manufacturers, examines business models and partnership requirements, and includes a five-year forecast of PERS and sensor-based independent living solutions for seniors at home.

"Traditional PERS and mobile PERS (mPERS) devices remain at the forefront, but home sensor-based systems are gaining prominence among device manufacturers and service providers. Future PERS growth or decline will be largely dependent on the adoption of alternative devices and home sensor-based systems," said Lindsay Gafford, Research Analyst, Parks Associates.

Alternative devices with emergency response capabilities—such as mobile phones, smartwatches, smart speakers, and residential security systems—are competing with legacy PERS devices in the senior assistive technology market. Some industry players are taking advantage of the widespread penetration of these devices and finding ways to integrate more robust emergency response technology into the devices already in consumers' homes, while others are utilizing these form factors to develop new PERS-specific solutions that appeal to a broader consumer base and encourage adoption.

"Industry players are all looking to encourage more proactive purchasing earlier in a senior's life before an emergency occurs. The vast majority of seniors want to stay in their own home for as long as possible, so companies can focus their messaging on senior empowerment, highlighting how the solution enables the ability to live independently at home for as long as possible, with stylistic designs that do not carry the stigma of first-generation solutions," Gafford said.

Additional research findings:

• Eighteen percent of US broadband households are ages 65+. This percentage equates to nearly 19 million households and is expected to nearly double by the year 2050.
• Among seniors in US broadband households, 4% report owning a PERS device.
• Twenty percent of US broadband households identify themselves as current or future caregivers of a senior. This equates to nearly 20 million households.