Can Technology Help You Stay Active and Independent Longer?

Growing older doesn’t automatically mean slowing down or giving in to the aches and pains that can impact your mobility. For decades, the school of thought was that we should rest achy bones, but the science reveals just the opposite. We can even take a page from Mother Nature’s playbook as an example.

Did you know that trees undergo an adaptive biological process in response to mechanical stressors like constant wind, thickening their trunks and building stronger root systems? It’s a process called thigmomorphogenesis, and it’s remarkably similar to what humans undergo in response to mechanical loading.

Human bones adapt to mechanical loading, becoming stronger in response to the forces created by activities such as resistance training, running, and walking. Bone cells called osteocytes sense these mechanical forces and send signals that help regulate the body's response. Osteoblasts then help build new bone tissue, allowing bones to adapt over time by maintaining or increasing their density and strength. This ongoing process of breaking down old bone and forming new bone is called bone remodeling.

As we begin to understand more about the biology of aging, advancements in technology are giving us new ways to support the body as it changes. Developments in assistive technology are helping redefine what it can mean to grow older by making everyday tasks easier.

Rather than submitting to the aging process, these technologies are helping us age with power. This means preserving the strength, mobility, balance, and physical confidence that allow us to enjoy those years on our own terms.

How Can Technology Help You Stay Active?

Technology can help us stay active by making it easier to maintain mobility, compensate for physical limitations, and support the systems the body relies on for movement.

Smartwatches can encourage movement and track changes in activity. Fall-detection systems and smart-home devices can support aging in place. Longevity technology is also available to support how the body functions.

This is particularly important because it puts active aging more firmly in our control. With the right mechanical stimulation, we can strengthen our bones and muscles and improve balance and circulation. This stimulation can come from movement, like walking and other exercises, or it can be in the form of simulated movement through low-magnitude mechanical stimulation (LMMS).

Why Is Mobility Important for Healthy Aging?

Maintaining mobility is important for healthy aging because our ability to move independently affects almost every aspect of everyday life, from preparing meals and running errands to socializing and participating in other activities we enjoy.

When people think about independent living for seniors, they often focus on the home and whether there’s a bedroom on the main floor, too many stairs, and whether the bathroom will eventually need grab bars.

But when we focus on the individual, maintaining senior mobility can help people remain engaged with their communities, routines, relationships, and interests outside the home. This is why some of the most promising technology for seniors isn't designed to make the environment more appropriate. It offers ways to help people maintain their own physical capabilities for as long as possible.

Where Regenerative Health Meets Longevity Technology

At Juvent, we believe in putting technology to its best use by drawing on the principles underpinning today’s advancements that can enhance the body's natural regenerative processes.

The Juvent Micro-Impact Platform® uses low-magnitude mechanical stimulation to deliver gentle, precisely calibrated mechanical signals through the body. This technology is designed to support natural biological processes such as bone remodeling, contributing to overall musculoskeletal health and physical function.

Unlike vigorous exercise equipment like vibration shakers, Juvent does not place undue stress on the joints. Simply by standing on the platform for 10 to 20 minutes per day, in your own home, you can safely give your bones the movement they need to stay strong. The Juvent platform puts another tool in your healthy-aging toolbox and is especially helpful for people who may find forms of conventional exercise challenging.

Research into low-magnitude mechanical stimulation has explored its potential role in musculoskeletal health, including bone maintenance. That's significant because maintaining the physical systems that support movement can help you age with power.

How Longevity Technology Can Support Aging in Place

Longevity technology can support aging in place by helping people maintain health, mobility, safety, and independence as they grow older.

The future of aging in place technology isn't just about homes filled with sensors or devices that are added when physical abilities decline. Increasingly, it's also about supporting health and wellness proactively, before limitations begin dictating how and where we live.

No single technology replaces exercise, good nutrition, appropriate medical care, or the other fundamentals of healthy aging. But regenerative health and longevity technologies are creating new opportunities to complement them and support the body's remarkable ability to respond and adapt throughout life.

Learn more about the Juvent Micro Impact Platform by consulting our FAQs page, or contact us directly for answers to any questions you may have.

FDA Disclosure

In the US, the Juvent device is considered investigational for the treatment of osteoporosis or improvement/maintenance of bone mineral density, and our claims have not been reviewed or cleared by the FDA to treat any disease or condition. The JUVENT® Micro-Impact Platform® is registered as a Class I medical device for exercise and rehabilitation.