Families turn to digital tools to help seniors age at home

BELLEVILLE — Linda and Don Buck of Belleville, Ont., use a synced calendar app to organize the care needs of Don's 90-year-old father, a stroke survivor determined to age in his own apartment.

"It means everything," Don Sr. said of his independence. "I can just pick up a phone and call people to help me if I need it."

His lifestyle requires a rotating roster of personal support workers and community helpers, a coordination challenge his daughter-in-law Linda knows well. "When you have to hand over care to someone new, the hardest thing is communicating those tiny routines," she said.

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As Canada's population ages rapidly, more families are turning to technology to manage similar caregiving loads. More than 8.3 million Canadians are over 65, and the population aged 85 and older is projected to triple by 2046, according to Statistics Canada.

A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence found 73 per cent of caregivers reported negative impacts on their wellbeing, including stress and burnout.

One new tool is the MORO app, a digital care coordination platform that functions as a centralized "user manual" for individuals with conditions requiring a rotating care team.

Toronto engineer Mohamed Ali co-founded MORO after developing it to support his nonverbal autistic brother. "I literally saw his care become guesswork, even though we filled out 15 pages of intake forms," Ali recalled.

While it began for the autism community, caregivers began adapting it for aging parents with dementia or recovering from strokes. Ali is now expanding MORO's scope, preparing to launch an official pilot program with a nursing and elderly care centre.

Another device, called Idem, is a smart clock designed for people with mild memory loss or early-stage dementia who struggle with time blindness. It shows the "moment of the day" and can be synced with a pill dispenser and a companion app for remote reminders.

Both MORO and Idem were named finalists in the 2026 AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge. AGE-WELL is a national technology and aging network hosted by University Health Network that serves as a resource and incubator for such startups.

"We try to nurture them, give them insights from end users and those who could benefit from technology so that it's more likely to succeed afterwards," said Michael Chrostowski, chief partnerships officer at AGE-WELL.

Chrostowski said developers face a steep learning curve in understanding what the aging population actually wants to use. "I want to convey to developers and innovators [the] need for engagement and co-creation with who they're trying to serve," he said.

He noted a major misconception is that seniors are willing to trade privacy for safety, and that adoption can be stymied by marketing an app as tech for "old people."

Chrostowski added that the goal of such technology should not be to replace the human element. "It's for [older people] to have that autonomy, but also to allow those caring for them... to be able to give them that direct connection with them," he said.

With files from The Globe and Mail