Silver Tsunami Explained - Christopher Kunney | Ep. 13
Christopher Kunney — Healthcare Technology Strategist
Christopher Kunney on the silver tsunami: what an ageing population will do to healthcare, the technology being built for it, and why none of it works without trust.
Key Takeaways
The wave is already here
Every day 10,000 people turn 65, and there are too few younger workers to care for them or to fill the jobs they leave. 11:22
Age tech is an industry
Wearables, home sensors, telehealth and care robots aim to let people grow old at home rather than in hospital. 12:42
Build with older people, not for them
Tools designed by digital natives alone miss their users. Seniors belong on the advisory, development and testing teams. 20:14
No trust, no adoption
The best technology is a smart object on a shelf if the communities it is for do not believe it will help them. 27:42
IT is a tool, not the strategy
Technology decisions should follow the organisation's goals through governance, not be left to the IT department alone. 45:30
“I call us the Ronins of healthcare or health tech. We are samurais, people who are seasoned, experienced healthcare leaders, but we don't have masters.”
Chapters
- 0:00Intro1 min
- 0:11Thirty years in health technology4 min
- 4:25What he is working on now4 min
- 8:09What the silver tsunami is7 min
- 14:40A global problem2 min
- 16:18How countries are responding3 min
- 19:09Designing for older users2 min
- 21:33The three-legged stool4 min
- 25:03Health equity and distrust4 min
- 29:23The system he hopes for3 min
- 32:09Surviving two brain tumours4 min
- 35:53Why diagnosis took six months3 min
- 38:27Mind, spirit and body3 min
- 41:12Trust and technology2 min
- 43:00What IOTech does2 min
- 44:55What executives get wrong2 min
- 47:12Who belongs on an IT team4 min
- 51:18Where healthcare goes next3 min
Mentioned in This Episode
About this Guest
Christopher Kunney
Healthcare Technology Strategist
Managing Partner at IOTech Consulting, TEDx speaker, and host of the Straight Outta Health IT podcast. His work centres on digital transformation, governance, and health equity.