By Phillip Marshma, CEO Sentai
In the next ten years, it is estimated that the number of over 65’s in the UK will rise to 13 million; that’s 22% of the population. While the population is living longer, the number of years we can expect to spend in good health continues to decline. These two things in combination set a clear precedent for growing care needs as we move forward. Enter age-tech; digital tech that’s built around the needs and wants of older adults, while including them in the design process.
In the broader sense, age-tech could be any type of technology that improves the lives of ageing adults but ultimately it is something that has the potential to aid with the challenge of delivering care to our ageing population and bridging the gap between independence and more formal care.
Sentai, founded in 2020, is an age-tech innovator, pioneering smart companionship and an AI driven helping-hand that links users with the loved ones who care for them. Designed to function as a 24/7 companion, Sentai provides friendly and intelligent company that gives carers peace of mind and helps to combat loneliness in those living alone.
Using AI technology, Sentai is an engaging helper that reminds and supports through conversational prompts to help those in need while learning and adapting automatically to their user’s daily routine. It keeps the user’s loved ones informed and alerted with real-time updates should there be any difference in their regular routine, while remaining easy to use through its conversational interface.
Working alongside Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, Sentai is operated through a mix of push button and voice interactions, routed through a simple app meaning there’s no complicated technology to learn. Ultimately, Sentai wants to promote independent living for the loved one while giving family and friends reassurance that they are enjoying the quality of life they deserve.
The company’s founder and CEO, Philip Marshman, was moved to create the first-of-its-kind age-tech solution after his own experience of being an informal carer for his 87-year-old father. Deeply affected by the loss of his wife, as many older people are when they lose their life partner, his ability to remain wholly independent was shaken and Philip found himself bridging the gap to help his father remain in the home he loved.
Challenges faced while balancing both being his father’s informal carer and working a full-time job gave Philip a clear direction as to where a little extra help might be needed, leading to the ethos and thinking behind how Sentai works. Centred around the daily routines we all have, Sentai learns its users daily habits and provides conversational prompts and reminders for everything from the time they usually start their day to medication and bin day. As the day passes, updates are sent to the user’s loved ones letting them know that everything is on track, or more critically, when things aren’t.
The company has made major strides in the last 12 months including securing £1million in investment to support the next evolution of the smart companion. In October 2022, Sentai was also accepted into the Birdhouse ‘Start-up to Scale-up Age-tech Accelerator’ programme. Offering focussed mentoring and guidance from industry experts, the accelerator aims to deliver explosive growth, meaning 2023 could be a year of big things for Sentai.
Beyond the next 12-months, the innovative outfit has an ambitious five-year plan that sees them helping more than just English speaking natives in the UK and US. With ageing populations a concern globally, the vision is for Sentai to help millions of older people maintain their independence while helping loved ones provide the best levels of care as they are needed, without the feeling of juggling conflicting roles.
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