Seniors For Living

Yesterday, Medical News Today reported on a synergistic partnership between national retailer Best Buy®, the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation (CFI) and Charter House, a continuing care retirement community in Rochester, Minnesota. As per the release, a “living lab” (formally called the HAIL – Healthy Aging & Independent Living – Lab) is now part of the Charter House campus; it will serve as a hub for focus groups, for “designing, prototyping and piloting new services and technologies”, and have a general goal of supporting aging in place.

Charter House residents may voluntarily participate in studies and trials originating in the HAIL Lab; other community agencies will also collaborate to provide subjects and controls.

Nicholas LaRusso, M.D., the medical director of CFI, shares the laudable goal of the HAIL Lab: “to understand the needs of seniors and develop products and services that will help them live longer, more independent lives.”

Although Best Buy’s primary role is to provide funding for the Healthy Aging & Independent Living Lab, the company has been investigating opportunities for the development of “wireless-enabled health-related devices.” Already, the company has demonstrated their commitment to independent living and wellness by offering a wider spectrum of health-related products, such as pedometers and blood pressure monitors.