Falls stand as the primary reason for injuries, early admission to care facilities, and persistent disability among elderly populations globally. In the United States alone, a fall-related death occurs approximately every 19 minutes.¹ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, around 3 million individuals aged 65 and above seek emergency room care due to fall-related injuries, incurring an average expense of $30,000 per case. The total annual expenditure on fall injuries surpassed $50 billion in 2015. Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of these costs.¹,²

By delivering relatively low-cost home modifications to the consumer (resident), both the injuries and related medical costs stemming from fall hazards within the home could be greatly reduced. The average cost of modifications making one’s home more age-friendly run $4400, which equates to roughly half the cost per month within a Skilled Nursing Home (SNF).⁴,⁵

Many older adults lack the awareness of what is necessary to convert their homes in a manner which will enable them to remain/age in place longer, and more safely, due to limited access and understanding of the principles and application of universal and accessible design. This presents a wider opportunity to capitalize on  its merits through home conversions to meet all ages. By making modest home improvement investments and upgrades affordable within society, it will substantially lower costly hospital admissions, as well as long-term care and rehabilitation stays for individuals with chronic conditions, comorbidities, and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) limitations. These combined factors are opportunities to better inform a growing, aging public so that they may become active participants in the process of becoming their own knowledge experts. 

RENOVAHEALTH® emerges as a promising solution for transforming aging-in-place experiences. It combines Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality advancements to offer tailored 3D visualization, pinpointing and mitigating potential fall hazards within dwellings. RENOVAHEALTH® stands out for its personalized accessibility design, educational materials, and an all-inclusive Software as a Service (SaaS) package. This distinctive fusion of design, tech, and education positions RENOVAHEALTH® as patent-pending maverick in aging-in-place solutions, fostering beneficial results for seniors and caregivers.   

In partnership with HITLAB, RENOVAHEALTH®’s platform underwent a heuristic evaluation, delving into its usability and functionality to ensure optimal user experience and real-world applicability. Within RENOVAHEALTH®’s ecosystem, four primary user personas emerge: older adults seeking to age in place comfortably and safely, administrators responsible for managing and implementing solutions within congregant care communities or residential properties, super admins with access to the entire platform for editing features such as company profiles, ADLs (Activities of Daily Living), DOs (Desired Outcomes), and items, and certified aging in place experts specializing in providing expert guidance and support for aging-in-place solutions. The platform has an excellent, customized hotspot feature that allows flexibility for the user to add suggestions for improvement, providing the ability to tailor space recommendations as per their unique needs. This also gives an option to add relevant International Code Council AI Navigator links within the hotspot billboards feature to provide valuable information related to dimensioning and accessible design codes and standards, aiding aging-in-place initiatives. This parallel platform AI-integration enhances the platform’s utility for contractors, designers, and certified aging-in-place specialists, facilitating informed decision-making and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, best practices, and standards. RENOVAHEALTH®’s inclusion of a persona tailored to Certified Aging in Place Specialists (CAPS) and the custom hotspot feature underscores its futuristic vision as a trailblazing frontrunner blending 3DAR with AI-enablement to drive better health outcomes and reduce risk. By catering to the specific needs and expertise of CAPS professionals, the platform enhances its credibility and holistic utility for aging-in-place initiatives.    

The heuristic evaluation conducted by HITLAB highlights the importance of user-centric design and usability studies in optimizing platform performance. This evaluation adhered to well-established usability standards and industry best practices, encompassing factors such as learnability, memorability, efficiency, errors during system use, and overall user satisfaction.⁶,⁷ Recommendations stemming from the evaluation focus on enhancing task completion and user experience, addressing issues such as scrolling functionality, data organization, and terminology consistency. By aligning platform improvements with user needs and preferences, RENOVAHEALTH® aims to further enhance its impact in reshaping aging-in-place experiences for the better. HITLAB provided valuable insights into the performance of RENOVAHEALTH®’s platform. Overall, RENOVAHEALTH® excelled in several areas, including 3DAR visualization of spaces and embedded recommendations, personalized accessibility design and educational resources. However, areas for improvement were also identified to enhance user experience and functionality. Some recommendations included improving ease of webpage navigation on different browsers, streamlining user interactions, and adding documentation and resources for help and support. RENOVAHEALTH® openly welcomed the feedback and promptly initiated efforts to implement these enhancements, aiming to improve user experience and streamline platform usage.   

In conclusion, the RENOVAHEALTH® platform exhibits significant promise in reshaping the landscape of aging-in-place experiences, whether in seniors housing or community-at-large. With its innovative approach, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like 3D visualization and Augmented Reality, RENOVAHEALTH® aspires to redefine healthcare delivery for older adults. The platform’s commitment to injury prevention and mobility enhancement, combined with its vision of seamlessly integrating personalized AI-enabled, assistive technology recommendations, demonstrates a forward-looking, compassionate ethos. Although currently in the MVP stage, RENOVAHEALTH® is actively addressing identified drawbacks and recommendations, indicating its dedication to continuous improvement. Even in its current iteration, RENOVAHEALTH® is poised to fulfill its potential, offering a unique and immersive experience through 3D Augmented Reality visualization technology. The commendable features noted by HITLAB, coupled with ongoing enhancements, underscore the foresight, promise and potential that the RENOVAHEALTH® platform holds in transforming the aging-in-place landscape for the better.