Silvers Summit at CES 2012 Las Vegas - Sessions Summary, times, speaker bios

Here from the Silvers Summit website are the sessions, times, and speakers for the Silvers Summit at CES Las Vegas.   We'll try to live blog the first session in our next blog post here at Retire USA where getting you valuable retirement information fast is our top goal. 


[ Update - flight delayed and arrival will be after this session]


The focus of the Silvers Summit is the intersection of seniors, defined as those age "50+",  and technology, but there's generally a lot of overlap with broader retirement themes.    Seniors remains one of the fastest growing groups of technology adopters and recent innovations in computing and health care make it imperative that retirees and "soon to be retired" folks stay abreast of the latest developments that might make their life easier. 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 Las Vegas Convention Center "LVCC" Room N250
Time	Session Title	Session Description
9:00–9:45am	Silvers Summit Welcome and Morning Keynote:“Conversation with the Change Agent on Aging”	How can you capture the $2.3 trillion in purchasing power of the boomers and beyond? In the first “Conversation with the Change Agents,” our intrepid journalist goes one-on-one with Emilio Pardo of AARP – advocacy group for 40 million Americans age 50+ – to answer that question.
	Moderator:	Alex Witt, Anchor, MSNBC Sherri Snelling, CEO, Caregiving Club
	Keynote:	Emilio Pardo, EVP & Chief Brand Officer, AARP
9:50–10:35am	Rise of the Silver Surfers: How to Use Non-Traditional Marketing to Reach a Traditional Audience	Boomers spend $7 billion online annually, they are the fastest growing group on Facebook and 55 percent of those age 55-64 watch online videos. Silvers are dating, shopping, traveling, caregiving, reconnecting – all online. Panelists will discuss how to tap into this huge boomer customer segment using online and social media marketing techniques.
	Moderator:	Lori Bitter, President & CEO, Continuum Crew
	Panelist:	Peter Greene, Senior Vice President – Durables Strategies, Nielsen Pete rDeMaris, VP Marketing & Ecommerce, UnitedHealthcare Karen Klein, CEO, Silver Planet
10:35–10:40am	On the Road, On the Go: Mobilizing Your Product Development Efforts to Keep Up with the Fastest Growing Population Group	Consider this: 7 of the 13 cars you will buy in your lifetime will be purchased after age 50 and more “alpha” boomers (age 55-64) own an iPad or smartphone than any other age group. Panelists show how to grow your market share in competitive industries by keeping up with the independent, age-defiant Silvers audience.
	Panelist:	Stephen Reily, Founder & CEO, Vibrant Nation
10:40–11:25am	On the Road, On the Go: Mobilizing Your Product Development Efforts to Keep Up with the Fastest Growing Population Group	Consider this: 7 of the 13 cars you will buy in your lifetime will be purchased after age 50 and more “alpha” boomers (age 55-64) own an iPad or smartphone than any other age group. Panelists show how to grow your market share in competitive industries by keeping up with the independent, age-defiant Silvers audience.
	Moderator:	Jim Osborn, Executive Director, Quality of Life Technology
	Panelist:	Jake Sigal, founder and CEO, Livio Radio Chris Holbert, CEO, SecuraTrac Nick Pudar, Vice President of Planning and Business Development, OnStar
11:30–12:15pm	All for One, One for All: Showcase of the Best “Design for All” Products and Services	Strategy or serendipity? “Universal design” means products that are “ageless” – good for consumers whether age 18 or 80. Panelists showcase companies that reaped rewards of a “design for all” approach (whether they planned it or not) and how you can apply these lessons to your product development and marketing plans.
	Moderator:	Jody Holtzman, SVP, Thought Leadership, AARP
	Panelist:	Curtis Stone, Director, QoLT Foundry – CMU Michael Lee, Senior Advisor, Digital Strategy, AARP Susan Ayres-Walker, Managing Director, SmartSilvers Alliance
12:20–1:00pm	Silvers Summit Lunch	Networking and Meet the Authors
1:00–1:30pm	Afternoon Keynote: “Conversation with the Change Agent on Technology”	He saw a future no one else did and created the first cell phone while at Motorola. In our second “Conversation with the Change Agents” session, visionary Martin Cooper goes one-one-one with respected cable TV news anchor and host, Alex Witt of MSNBC, to discuss a future where technology changes our lives helping us live longer, healthier and happier.
	Keynote:	Martin Cooper, Chairman, Dyna LLC
	Moderator:	Alex Witt, Anchor, MSNBC
1:30 – 2:00pm	Sterling Award Presentations	The Sterling Awards honor the top products that have enhanced and empowered the lives of older Americans. We will also present our first Sterling Innovator Award to Martin Cooper. Sponsored by AARP.
2:00–2:45pm	The Power of Connecting: Creating Longevity and Good Health for Silvers and the Businesses That Serve Them	Studies and books like The Blue Zones show us we will live longer if we stay connected to family, friends, community. The same goes for good business relationships. Panelists will discuss successful partnerships for intergenerational learning, accessibility and safety that can create new revenue streams.
	Moderator:	Neal Cutler, PhD, Executive Director, Center on Aging, Motion Picture & Television Fund
	Panelist:	Richard Lobovsky, Vice President, Business Development, Lifecomm Mike Starling, Vice President, Executive Director, NPR Labs Brooks Kenny, Chief Marketing Officer, Lotsa Helping Hands Dan Siewiorek, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
2:50 – 3:40pm	Field of Dreams 2020: Home & Community – Plan for Aging, Benefit for All	Today, 35 million Americans are over age 65 – a number that will double in 10 years. An older population’s lifestyle presents endless opportunities. Panelists will discuss the trends in “smart homes and towns,” how builders and community designers are using technology to meet the needs of its aging citizens and where the opportunities are for your business.
	Moderator:	Louis Tenenbaum, President, The Aging in Place Institute
	Panelist:	Chuck Parker, Executive Director, Continua Alex Go, CEO and Co-Founder, Virtual Health Adam Vollmer, Senior Engineer, IDEO Fred Allegrezza, CEO, Telikin
3:45-4:30pm	Games Silvers Play: Using Entertainment to Improve Health & Wellness	From Farmville to cognitive brain health games and social gaming – more Silvers are finding online gaming both a source for entertainment, improving health and doing good in the world. Panelists discuss how fun and games for boomers and beyond can mean serious profits.
	Moderator:	Asi Burak, Co-PresidentGames for Change
	Panelist:	Fred Howard, VP of Marketing, KingsIsle Entertainment Randy Paynter, Founder & CEO, Care2 Nancy Padberg, CEO, Navigate Boomer Media
4:30-5:15pm	From “Me” to “We” Generation: Acquisition & Retention Through Serving Older Customers	Today there are 100 million Americans over age 47. An aging population produces a windfall for companies, but are you ready to serve them? Panelists will discuss the trends in customer service for an older audience – how to acquire, retain and drive revenue with an aging customer base.
	Moderator:	Peter Radsliff, CEO, Presto Services Inc.
	Panelist:	Denise Fletcher, PMPChief Innnovation Officer & Vice President Healthcare Payer & Insurance, ACS, a XEROX Company John Marick, CEO, Consumer Cellular Bill Lyon, Director, LifeStation

Silvers Summit at CES 2012 - Where retirement and technology merge

Tomorrow we'll be reporting live from the Silvers Summit and other venues at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  The Silvers Summit is a growing movement of technology companies working to provide seniors with helpful information and technologies in the areas of health, entertainment, home management, and more.   We'll have reports coming this week live from Las Vegas.  Check out the Silvers Summit official website for more: Silverssummit.com

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Moving When You Are "Older"

More on the move of Karen, 66 years old, and Ruth, 99 years old. We moved from Ashland, Oregon to Portland, Oregon and I for one (Karen) learned lots about myself, about the logistics of moving and much more. I want to share with you some of the ways that I was able to make the actual process of packing and moving a little easier.

First rule; get rid of everything you possible can. I really mean that from bottom of my toes! Have a yard sale, donate to shelters, churches, organizations like Goodwill, and my personal favorite, the "FREE" sign in front of my house. My discards were like a treasure to many people and the smiles and gratitude were really worth so much. Often times I would put a listing on Craig's List for the free things I had in front of the house and not long after it hit the Internet, people would appear to take the things with them.

Another helpful reminder is to accept the offer to help pack your things. Many friends will step up and say, "what can I do to help?" so let them know, don't be shy. My rowing club friends came over one afternoon, brought some take out food, and a bottle of wine( well, a couple of bottles) and we packed my entire kitchen! We had so much fun, and it was such a huge help to me. By the way, if you are a rower, and ever find yourself in Ashland Oregon, look up the club and they will be happy to have you join them for a row. www.ashlandrowingclub.org

Then hire some pros to help you pack your truck, van, POD or whatever mode of transportation you are using. Save your back! They also know how to do it perfectly so that your possessions are safe, and you can use much less space that by trying to do it yourself, no matter how good you think you are. I know this can get to be a little expensive, but if you can possibly do it, it is money well spent. Siskiyou Movers in Ashland are brilliant, and can pack like putting together a puzzle. 2 Brothers Moving in Portland unpacked us, and they are fast, efficient and went the extra mile by setting up beds for us.

You have choices depending on your moving situation as to what kind of transportation you will use. I chose to use PODS, because I was not sure if I would have to store things before my new house would be available. This is a great feature, as you can store the container as long as you need and don't have to rush to get it unloaded and back before another day's charge is added on. PODS was pretty efficient, not perfect, but all in all they were the right choice. I would just suggest keeping in touch with the main call center to confirm the arrival, pick up, etc.
And if you have pets, ( have a dog and two cats) remember this is a stressful time for them as well. I moved my sweeties in my car on the day I left Ashland. Several days before our take off, I had placed their crates in the house with comfy blankets and kept the door open. The cats especially loved to wander in and out and finally started sleeping in them. So, by the time I was ready to travel the 5 hours up the freeway, they were used to their traveling crates. Keep in mind if it is at all warm outside, even 68 to 70, you cant leave them in the car for more than a couple of minutes when you stop to get something to eat or use the restroom. I had packed some lunch for myself and so when I stopped to get gas mid way, I gave Max, my dog, a potty break and some water and off we went to our new home.

Planning, accepting the help offered, taking care of your back,all will help you have a positive experience moving.

Hoarding and Seniors

I have mentioned that when it was time for my 99 year old aunt Ruth to face moving to Portland, well, just let me say the hoarding personality came out loud and strong! I admit that it was a challenging process to let go of things that had been in my life for many years. And so when I got so much resistance from my auntie, I tried to be sensitive about it and let her stay in charge as much as possible.

Of course if you are one of those people who get to live to this ripe old age of 99, you can imagine the the amount of "collectibles" you would accumulate. One of my aunts hobbies is photography and creating albums and scrapbooks. A very honorable hobby, and one that all of her family has benefited from. But, she will tell you that she started taking photos when she was thirteen years old and had a little Brownie box camera. Well, she has saved every single photo, and negative from that day on! Plus, she has created many albums of her travels and the family, enough for a room of their own.

She is also a very sentimental person and if you gave her a plant from the florist in 1963, you can be sure she has saved the vase it came in.............because "you" gave it to her. so, when it was time to pack, we talked about priorities and our goal in moving and the great benefit of getting to live closer to all the people we love. So, I will say she got very brave and gave away her couch (a huge thing) and she felt very proud of that. She realized that going to an assisted living facility, she wouldn't be needing many kitchen things so she gave those to my cousin who could use them. But, really that is where it stopped and all I could say to her is "we will get what we can in the POD (more about PODS later) and when it is full, then that will be that. We cant afford another POD." Well fortunately, our movers were brilliant and able to get everything in the POD. If you are moving to or from Ashland, Oregon , Siskiyou Movers are fantastic!

I have read about the hoarding personality and I do know that it is more prevalent with seniors, but there is help available. Two organizations that can assist you are; National Association of Professional Organizers www.napo.net and Nation Association of Senior Move Managers www.nasmm.org One thing I believe has helped my family keep my aunt's hoarding in control is that we hired a very competent house keeper to come in weekly to clean and clear her house.

I have many more tales of moving in retirement years, so tune in later.

Karen

The Art of Letting Go

When my 99 year old aunt and I decided to move from Ashland, Oregon to Portland, Oregon, I had no idea I would learn so much about myself. I learned the value of letting go. Letting go of material stuff is what I mean. I have always loved garage sales, and old things that I knew I could do something with at some time. I have subscribed to sentimental reasons for hanging on to something pretty useless, like a rock or a thread bare skirt. But faced with packing and moving (not to mention the cost involved) all these prize possessions, I started to ask myself why? I learned that it is truly a process, not something that one can come to overnight. When i put my house on the market, I went through my house and "de-cluttered", as requested by my real estate broker. I rented a storage unit, and thought I was doing a great job by stashing things that I really liked and/or needed, while giving away loads and loads of other things.

I started to put a "free" pile in front of my house, and made my way to Goodwill many times. I really was proud of myself. Well, as I have whined about several times in this blog, it took 14 long months for my house to sell. When it did, the buyer wanted a 30 day closing and so I had to hustle to get myself packed up. So, I went to the storage unit to retrieve those "necessities" I had stored all those months. When I started to unpack it all, I was amazed that most of the things I had felt unwilling to let go of, suddenly didn't mean anything to me. Something had definitely shifted and I will tell you that about 85% of the contents in the storage unit found new homes.

I had been paying $45 a month for 14 months rent, that is $630! And I really did not have to do that. But, during those long months, I had been searching my soul for more understanding of myself and what my priorities in life are, and I think that had more to do with the letting go than anything. the material items were simply a symbol of my unresolved "life questions". So, in retrospect, I guess you could say that the $630 was spent on my own therapy.

I believe that Seniors, and retired people are more vulnerable to hanging on to things,and there is research to back that up. I will share more with you on this issue later. And wait till you hear about the "Queen of Keeping Everything"..............my Aunt Ruth!

The Perfect Senior Residence

As I have mentioned, upon moving to Portland, Oregon, our family had the task of finding the right assisted living situation for our 99 year old auntie. With the amazing women of Golden Placements we found the perfect place. The Heights At Columbia Knoll was our choice. Many factors went into deciding upon this particular place. First was the level of professionalism and care that Aunt Ruth would get. Services, cost, cleanliness, and location were all important as well. The location was perfect as it is less than 10 minutes from my home and about the same for my daughter. So this insured that Auntie would have visits from us frequently. It is also a beautiful facility. It is situated on 9 acres, with soaring Doug Fir trees and a view of Mt. St. Helens, and the Cascade Range. My aunts apartment has a view of the "dog play" area, so she can enjoy the antics of the resident pooches. The food is incredibly good, in fact Auntie says that the clam chowder is the best she has ever had! A big plus for us that she can get her meals "to go" or even order them delivered to her room. There are so many amenities that have made it the perfect place for us as a family and also our dear aunt. The website is www.TheHeightsatCK.com There are many things to consider when choosing a facility such as this, and especially for a member of the family that is frail, or quite elderly, as moving is a huge stress, so avoid the need to do that and make sure you do your homework before making the final choice. I just want to say one more thing about The Heights, and that is the professionalism and kindness of the staff. they truly go out of their way to accommodate the resident.

Finding the Right Assisted Living Facility

After finding out that we could afford an assisted living facility for my aunt (thanks to the veterans widow benefits) I faced the problem of how to find and select one. Since we were moving from Ashland, Oregon to Portland, Oregon, I was not familiar with our new destination. The wonderful women at Care Options Resources (who did the paper work for our veterans application) suggested I call Golden Placements. They explained that they are two women who have a business that specializes in helping families find an appropriate placement for their loved one. They offer their services free of charge to the family and receive a payment from the facility that the family chooses. A real win, win for everyone. Well, these two delightful people are really angels dressed up like ordinary women. Cherie became our go to person and she started the process by interviewing me thoroughly about my aunt. Asking what things she like, disliked, her body size, her personality traits, her interests, and on and on. It was so impressive to me that they were really interested in a good match. So, I traveled to Portland when they had lined up 4 facilities for me and my daughter to look at. As Cherie accompanied us through the apartments, dining rooms, beauty shops and all the various services that were offered, she asked very good questions of the staff, and pointed out things to us that we may have overlooked. After a long day, we finally chose a place for Aunt Ruth, and made the deposit. You will have to wait until tomorrow to find out where Auntie is living now, but I want to emphasize the fantastic service we received from Golden Placements. Go to www.goldenplacement.com to learn more about this respectful, helpful, nearly life saving business.