Innovations for an Aging Society through the Lens of Patent Data

The Gerontologist · 2 authors, 3 centres

AI SUMMARY

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This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

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TL;DR

A qualitative content analysis of 120 patents issued in 2021 targeted at older adults found three thematic categories of innovation: preventive health, safety, and independence (49.2%); anti-aging products (38.3%); and patents that pathologize old age (12.5%).

Full summary

424 CHARS

From 326 patents issued in 2021, 120 were retained after removing irrelevant entries. Using both inductive and deductive reasoning, the authors identified three themes. About 38.3% related to anti-aging products, predominantly beauty and cosmetic interventions aimed at reversing visual signs of aging. This is a descriptive, non-clinical study with a single-year patent snapshot and no longitudinal or comparative analysis.

STUDY TYPE

other

SPECIALTY

geriatrics

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10825844

Innovations for an Aging Society through the Lens of Patent Data

The Gerontologist

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ABSTRACT

Abstract Background and Objectives An aging population creates fertile ground for devising innovations for older adults. By using patents as a proxy for inventive activity, this study sets the stage for understanding the latest innovations being designed for the older population. Insights will pave the way for a better understanding of inventions that could render society more age-friendly on the innovation front. Research Design and Methods To identify the latest innovations targeted at the older population, we collected all patents ( N = 326) issued in 2021, specifically those issued between January 5th and December 28th. Upon removing irrelevant data, 120 patents were retained in the data set. Both inductive and deductive modes of reasoning informed our content analysis of the data. Results Three themes surfaced. About half (49.2%) of the patents focused on “Preventive Health, Safety, and Independence” (Theme 1). About 38.3% pertained to “Anti-Aging” (Theme 2) and 12.5% were about the “Pathologization of Old Age” (Theme 3). Discussion and Implications This is the first study that evaluates the state of innovations for an aging population. While there are inventions aimed at optimizing the well-being of older adults, there are also those designed due to beliefs that see old age as a problem to solve. As the world experiences a demographic shift, it is imperative that collective ingenuity be harnessed to build a society conducive to all facets of the aging experience.

CITATION EXPORT

Reuben Ng, Nicole Indran. Innovations for an Aging Society through the Lens of Patent Data. The Gerontologist. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad015

AUTHORS

2 · 3 CENTRES

Reuben Ng, Nicole Indran

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Barbara J Bowers