Building
an
Online
Ramp
for
Older
Americans:
ElderVision
Launches
First
Integrated
E-Service
For
Seniors
–
Mouse
&
Keyboard-Free
Technology
Eases
Older
Computer-Phobes
Across
the
Digital
Divide
Company
Targets
Retirement,
Assisted
Living
Communities
Seeking
to
Wire
2.5
Million
Senior
Residents
Nationally
With
New
“TouchTown”
Service
Website:
www.eldervision.net
PITTSBURGH,
Oct.
18,
2000
–
Older
Americans,
largely
left
on
the
far
side
of
the
digital
divide
by
computer
phobia
and
the
challenges
of
coping
with
tiny
type
on
a
busy
screen,
now
have
an
online
ramp
to
the
New
Economy.
ElderVision,
a
software
and
e-services
company
focusing
on
the
senior
market,
has
rolled
out
its
new
interactive
TouchTown
service,
enabling
seniors
to
e-shop,
e-mail
and
access
news
and
information
on
the
Web
without
having
to
use
a
traditional
mouse
and
keyboard
computer.
The
company
is
conducting
field
trials
with
three
established
Pittsburgh
retirement
communities,
with
a
group
of
seniors
ranging
in
age
from
70
to
82.
Until
now,
seniors
have
largely
been
no-shows
to
the
digital
party
–
less
than
ten
percent
of
Americans
65
and
older
are
estimated
to
be
using
the
Internet,
especially
those
living
in
retirement
communities.
That
may
be
about
to
change
as
several
e-companies
have
announced
plans
to
target
the
large,
vastly
underserved
senior
market.
ElderVision
is
the
farthest
along
in
development,
with
a
breakthrough
Internet
appliance
and
a
basket
of
services
designed
specifically
for
the
original
E-generation.
ElderVision
is
the
brainchild
of
Jeffrey
Pepper,
founder
of
ServiceWare,
Inc.,
a
leading
customer
support
software
company
he
established
in
1991.
Mr.
Pepper
resigned
as
ServiceWare
CEO
in
1998
to
concentrate
on
finding
ways
to
improve
the
quality
of
life
for
millions
of
older
Americans.
The
result
is
ElderVision.Net,
a
company
that
is
transforming
standard
digital
technology
to
accommodate
users
unaccustomed
to
point-and-click
navigation
and
Web
surfing.
ElderVision’s
software
and
Internet
touch-screen
are
easily
understood
to
seniors
whose
physical
challenges
and
anxieties
have
kept
them
on
the
sidelines
of
an
online
world.
“The
existing
computer
model
is
simply
elder-hostile,”
said
Mr.
Pepper,
who
has
been
an
instructor
of
computer
programming
as
well
as
a
software
developer.
“Even
basic
Windows
applications
can
be
extremely
complex
and
taxing
on
short-term
memory,
while
most
PC
and
laptop
functions
place
considerable
strain
on
the
hands
and
eyes.”
As
for
the
Web,
Mr.
Pepper
notes,
“despite
its
tremendous
promise,
it’s
largely
an
environment
designed
by
20-year-olds
for
other
20-year
olds
–
cluttered,
edgy,
going
in
a
hundred
directions
at
once.
Our
aim
was
to
create
a
simple
Internet-based
product
that
can
be
intuitively
grasped
by
seniors
coping
with
age-related
challenges
to
motor
skills,
vision
or
cognitive
abilities,
and
who
may
not
be
attuned
to
the
ironic
sensibility
that
colors
so
much
of
Web
culture.
Instead
of
seniors
being
forced
to
adapt
to
Internet
technology,
our
goal
has
been
to
adapt
Internet
technology
for
seniors,
which
is
why
we’ve
thrown
out
so
much
of
our
existing
assumptions
about
the
Net..”
Touch
Screen
Gateway
to
Online
Communications
After
interviewing
hundreds
of
seniors
about
their
apprehensions
toward
computer
use,
ElderVision
created
a
touch-screen
device
that
eliminates
the
need
for
a
keyboard,
mouse,
or
hard-to-use
touchpad,
while
adding
the
ability
of
voice
tools.
The
company’s
TouchTown
service
draws
more
from
a
picture
phone
or
an
ATM
touch-screen
than
a
personal
computer.
All
of
the
product’s
features
–
from
e-mail
and
shopping
to
an
online
newsletter
and
select
access
to
Web
browsing
–
are
activated
by
touching
large
pictures
and
photographs
that
connect
subscribers
with
the
appropriate
offering
or
service.
TouchTown
e-mail
supports
text
as
well
as
voice-format
messaging.
Among
the
more
welcome
services
offered
through
TouchTown
is
a
personalized
and
patent-pending
Web-shopping
feature
–
subscribers
can
link
by
speaker
phone
with
an
ElderVision
shopping
agent
who
guides
them
through
e-commerce
sites,
delivering
select
screen
shots
of
merchandise
without
the
confusing
detours
that
characterize
the
typical
e-tail
experience.
ElderVision
agents
also
help
seniors
access
information
from
the
Web
–
pages
from
a
popular
health
site,
investment
news,
an
article
about
fitness,
even
a
medication
schedule.
The
service
also
features
a
community
newspaper
called
TouchTown
Today,
which
carries
personalized
news
and
announcements
–
daily
menus,
the
weather,
on-site
entertainment
and
other
events.
Through
a
pending
alliance
with
online
news
providers,
TouchTown
subscribers
will
have
a
link
for
obtaining
local,
national,
business
and
other
news.
Targeting
Nation’s
20,000
Retirement
Communities
Rather
than
selling
to
the
estimated
25
million
U.S.
seniors
directly,
ElderVision
is
marketing
its
services
to
retirement
and
assistant
living
communities,
where
more
than
2.5
million
Americans
over
65
live
in
an
estimated
20,000
facilities
nationwide.
Revenues
will
come
from
monthly
subscription
fees
paid
by
client
facilities,
commissions
on
e-shopping
transactions
as
well
as
affinity
e-commerce
relations,
and
selected
advertising
on
TouchTown
Today’s
news
and
information
pages.
Over
time,
the
product
could
represent
a
large
and
attractive
subscriber
base
linking
retirement
care
communities
across
the
U.S.
ElderVision
also
wires
client
facilities
so
that
all
residents
within
a
community
are
linked
with
one
another.
Subscribers
will
also
be
able
to
use
TouchTown
to
communicate
directly
with
on-site
medical
and
administrative
staff,
as
well
as
with
family
members
and
friends
elsewhere
who
have
downloaded
the
company’s
e-mail
software.
The
company’s
goal
is
to
establish
a
full-circle
network
that
can
substantially
improve
the
quality
of
communications
among
seniors
who
have
moved
to
community
or
care-based
residences.
“As
an
e-commerce
provider,
we
are
looking
to
serve
a
much-neglected
market
--
the
millions
of
elderly
Americans
who
haven’t
benefited
from
the
Internet
revolution,”
said
Mr.
Pepper.
“ElderVision
can
also
foster
community
links
and
help
seniors
avoid
the
isolation
and
depression
that
diminish
the
quality
of
life
for
too
many
retired
people.”
Early
Support
from
Senior
Communities
Field
trials
for
Touch
Town
are
nearing
completion
at
three
Pittsburgh-based
retirement
communities
–
Sherwood
Oaks,
Longwood
at
Oakmont,
and
Weinberg
Village.
Several
dozen
residents,
whose
average
age
is
77,
are
participating
in
the
trials.
TouchTown
software
has
also
been
distributed
to
family
members,
including
relatives
throughout
the
U.S.,
enabling
them
to
share
e-mail
and
other
virtual
activities
with
their
older
relatives.
“We’re
pleased
to
be
among
the
first
to
test
and
install
ElderVision’s
technology,
which
brings
seniors
a
major
step
closer
to
everyday
online
communication
now
enjoyed
by
the
rest
of
the
population,”
said
Mark
D.
Bondi,
President
of
Sherwood
Oaks.
“Right
now,
TouchTown
is
a
differentiator
for
a
provider
like
us,
but
I
suspect
it
will
not
be
long
before
ElderVision’s
model
becomes
the
standard
for
all
retirement
and
care-based
communities.”
Although
no
one
doubts
the
huge
purchasing
and
political
power
enjoyed
by
seniors,
as
a
group
they
have
been
largely
ignored
by
digital
marketers
and
information
providers.
Most
e-companies
targeting
“older”
Americans
confine
their
reach
to
those
between
50-64
years
of
age,
accepting
the
common
assumption
that
those
65-and
older
are
beyond
the
arc
of
the
New
Economy.
Mr.
Pepper
challenged
that
view
in
a
recent
commentary,
“Serving
the
Unwired
Generation,”
in
which
he
wrote:
“The
low
rate
of
Internet
connectivity
among
the
elderly
should
be
a
challenge
to
e-commerce
providers
rather
than
a
reason
to
walk
away
from
this
enormous
market
on
the
assumption
that
seniors
are
too
infirm,
too
stingy,
or
too
disinterested
to
participate
in
the
online
economy.
The
Internet
could
be
a
real
boon
to
the
elderly,
helping
to
overcome
serious
problems
of
old
age
and
providing
fast
access
to
information
on
everything
from
insurance
benefits
to
nutrition,
not
to
mention
opening
new
virtual
worlds
just
as
it
has
for
the
rest
of
us.”
The
challenge
is
beginning
to
resonate.
Other
senior-oriented
Web
sites
and
product
offerings
have
begun
to
emerge
in
the
past
year.
In
June,
Compaq
Computer
Corp.
and
PacifiCare
Health
Systems
announced
a
jointly
operated
Internet
site
to
provide
e-marketing
services
to
senior
citizens,
with
Compaq
contributing
$18
million
to
the
venture.
An
Idea
From
A
Father’s
Plight
Mr.
Pepper’s
idea
for
ElderVision
came
after
watching
his
elderly
father
struggle
with
loneliness
and
depression
after
illness
forced
him
to
enter
a
nursing
home
in
the
early
1990s.
“I
became
convinced
that
an
online
community
would
be
of
great
value
to
older
people
if
we
could
find
a
non-threatening
means
of
bringing
them
to
the
Web,”
Mr.
Pepper
says.
“The
decline
experienced
by
thousands
of
seniors
is
caused
largely
by
the
fraying
of
day-to-day
connections
with
family,
friends
and
community
once
they
retire.”
Mr.
Pepper
gathered
a
group
of
Pittsburgh-based
seniors
in
their
70s,
80s
and
even
90s
–
dubbed
the
Council
of
Elders
–
to
serve
as
a
sounding
board.
He
also
brought
together
a
professional
advisory
board
of
gerontologists,
software
designers,
human
factor
experts,
and
even
David
Bianco,
co-founder
of
Elderhostel,
the
popular
travel
and
education
group
for
seniors.
Mr.
Pepper
and
several
colleagues
surveyed
over
350
seniors
for
an
understanding
of
their
needs,
as
well
as
their
fears
concerning
computer
use.
Typical
was
Dottie
Friedman,
one
of
the
Council
of
Elders,
who
spoke
for
many
when
she
said,
“Computers
scare
the
socks
of
me.”
From
Mr.
Pepper’s
initial
concept
of
a
joy-stick
driven
ride
into
virtual
reality,
TouchTown
emerged
as
an
online
community
and
basket
of
services
easily
accessible
through
a
touch
of
the
screen
and
series
of
voice
commands.
VC
Funding
to
Follow
Initial
Angel
Financing
For
its
initial
product
development,
ElderVision
obtained
financing
from
several
private
“angel”
investors,
along
with
seed
capital
provided
by
Mr.
Pepper,
who
remains
the
largest
individual
shareholder
of
ServiceWare.
The
company,
with
25
employees,
is
nearing
a
new
round
of
venture
capital
funding
to
support
sales
and
marketing,
as
well
as
production
of
the
touch-screen
hardware
and
voicemail
system.
ElderVision
expects
to
realize
revenue
from
three
sources,
initially
relying
on
subscription
fees
paid
by
retirement
communities.
The
company
will
wire
the
communities,
installing
its
TouchTown
units
in
resident
homes
and
administrative
offices.
Fees
are
built
into
resident
charges
in
the
manner
of
cable
TV
and
other
basic
services.
Nationwide
there
are
20,000
retirement
communities
with
2.5
million
residents.
They
range
from
assisted
living
complexes
to
continuing
care
facilities,
congregate
care
housing
and
senior
apartments.
Senior-based
communities
are
projected
to
increase
dramatically
in
coming
years
as
more
and
more
Baby
Boomers
begin
to
retire.
Shopping,
Advertising
and
a
Foundation
ElderVision
will
collect
transaction
fees
on
its
e-shopping
service,
as
well
as
e-commerce
and
affinity
relationships
and
advertising
on
TouchTown
Today.
The
company’s
agents
will
act
as
personal
Internet
shoppers
for
seniors
via
speakerphone,
so
that
subscribers
won’t
have
to
master
the
ins
and
outs
of
the
Web
to
enjoy
the
benefits
of
e-commerce
or
feel
secure
about
their
purchases.
ElderVision
agents
–
who
undergo
extensive
senior
sensitivity
training
–
can
cut
and
paste
pictures
and
descriptions
of
merchandise
from
e-commerce
sites
and
present
them
on
a
subscriber’s
screen.
The
company
expects
to
expand
its
agent
model
for
delivering
other
online
services.
“If
our
customers
want
to
see
a
red
sweater
or
a
pair
of
sneakers
for
their
grandson,
we’ll
show
them
the
product
just
like
any
good
sales
clerk,”
Mr.
Pepper
said.
Advertising
is
the
third
revenue
source.
ElderVision
will
sell
advertising
space
on
its
TouchTown
Today
online
newspaper.
“We
are
creating
a
focused
online
media
channel
for
seniors,”
said
Mr.
Pepper.
“As
we
begin
to
build
a
sizable
network
of
subscribers
in
multiple
markets,
TouchTown
Today
has
the
potential
to
become
a
powerful
medium
for
reaching
a
large
and
established
market.”
Also
in
the
works
is
the
ElderVision
Foundation,
which
Mr.
Pepper
is
forming
as
a
parallel
nonprofit
organization
to
advance
quality
of
life
for
seniors
on
multiple
fronts.
The
company’s
philanthropic
arm
will
provide
goods
and
services
to
eldercare
institutions.
The
foundation,
which
will
hold
a
substantial
portion
of
the
stock
in
ElderVision,
will
also
provide
seed
money
to
fund
new
programs
and
online
initiatives
working
with
the
elderly.
Note:
For
more
detail,
including
screen
images
of
TouchTown,
visit
www.eldervision.net.
Jeff
Pepper
is
the
founder
and
CEO
of
ElderVision.
He
was
previously
CEO
of
ServiceWare,
a
company
he
founded
in
the
basement
of
his
Pittsburgh
home
in
1991
that
is
nowa
leading
provider
of
customer
service
software
and
knowledge
content.
He
was
formerly
a
software
designer
and
product
manager
with
The
Carnegie
Group.
A
native
of
Huntington,
NY,
Mr.
Pepper
holds
a
B.S.
in
mathematics
from
Carnegie
Mellon
University,
where
he
was
an
instructor
in
computer
science.
He
has
authored
two
books,
written
and
lectured
extensively
on
technology,
and
is
co-holder
of
two
U.S.
patents
