The Aging Innovation Challenge is looking for students to develop new solutions to an aging issue. Accept the challenge for a chance to present your innovation to a panel of judges and take home a prize from the $50,000 pool.
The New York State Department of Health has partnered with HeroX, an online platform that uses crowdsourcing, to challenge college and university students to consider the needs of older adults with limitations in performing one or more activities of daily living (ADLS). ADLs include taking a bath or shower, getting dressed, using the bathroom, getting up from a chair, walking across a room, and eating a meal. In collaboration with the Empire State Development Corporation and the SUNY Research Foundation, students participating in the Challenge will be encouraged to develop solutions that will have a lasting impact.
There are approximately 2.9 million New Yorkers over the age of 65. By the year 2025, that number is expected to rise by 26 percent. Thirty-five percent of New Yorkers age 65 and older require assistance with one or more ADL – which include eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, and transferring. The competition is set to advance solutions to help New York serve a growing population of aging citizens needing assistance to remain safely in their homes.
The next big invention to change the quality of life of older adults and those who care for them may come from a student in a New York college or university.
Will you be the one?
Submissions are due April 30. For more information, visit HeroX.com and search for the Aging Innovation or go to herox.com/aginginnovationNY.
Aging Innovation Challenge Flyer (PDF)
