Our first consumer products focused on unifying entertainment for home theater enthusiasts. With our newest solution, we’re excited to serve another important, and often overlooked, audience: senior living communities. 

It turns out the TV technology we’ve spent the past 7+ years developing represents a unique new opportunity for senior living operators.

Different From the Opening Credits

In 2018 we launched our first consumer product—an HDMI hub and smart remote—to an outpouring of press accolades. 

The technology was hailed as a new category of home theater device. 

A simple, elegant solution for unifying that horrifying mess of cable/satellite boxes, streamers, and gaming consoles, all running different apps on different interfaces using different remotes. 

Some called it “a clever hack,” but however you slice it, our approach to cracking the “problem of TV,” was new. We were doing something no one had done before: Processing video over HDMI, then using a proprietary AI engine to control connected devices and overlay content on the screen.

Technical-speak aside, the result of this new, different approach was a new, better experience for consumers. 

For Ages 5 to 95

We’ve always been obsessively focused on making our technology simple for everyone to use. Customers called our remote a “marriage savior.” They raved about their kids finally being able to turn on their own Saturday morning cartoons (and YouTube videos) on the big screen. 

It was also thanks to our dedicated customers that we began to see the potential of our technology to enrich the lives of more people. 

There was one group in particular that we kept coming back to. You guessed it: seniors.

Customers also kept telling us about putting Caavo units in the homes of their aging parents. They said our technology was intuitive and easy, and they loved the Caavo mobile app to control their parents’ TV remotely. 

TV to the Rescue?

TV is quite possibly the ideal place to engage seniors. It’s the technology they’re already most comfortable using. It’s their go-to for news, entertainment, and background noise. 

Case in point: the average senior spends 7.5+ hours a day with their TV! 

As we began talking to more people about the concept of a TV-based platform for seniors, we kept coming back to the idea of a solution specifically for senior living communities. 

From staff shortages and census pressures to senior isolation and growing pressure from families, operators are facing unprecedented challenges. A TV-based platform could help address all these issues, and more, helping communities engage seniors more efficiently and effectively. Plus, there are TVs already installed in every room! 

So Much Potential

But if TV is so great, why aren’t more communities already using it?

Unfortunately, today’s TV-based solutions don’t reflect technology’s full potential. 

When we began to investigate other TV-based solutions, we discovered an unfortunate status quo:

• Residents are required to switch to a certain input or channel 
• Systems don’t work with, or control, existing cable/satellite providers
• No ability to control TV remotely or automatically start video calls
• System doesn’t know if TV is on and can’t control power
• TV-based interfaces aren’t intuitive for seniors
• Solutions rely on third-party technology (Amazon or Google) causing privacy concerns

Yes, there are other tablet and smartphone-based options, but they’re generally poor substitutes because there’s a steep learning curve. Seniors often become frustrated with the unfamiliar technology and unwilling to adopt it.   

We realized that so-called “clever hack” we‘ve spent the past 7 years developing, patenting and refining could actually address many of the shortcomings of existing TV-based solutions and finally unlock TV’s full potential for senior living communities. 

The Result: Caavo for Senior Living

Caavo for Senior Living is the first and only TV-connected platform for reliable communication and complete remote control of the TV and anything a senior is watching. Caavo brings video calls, wellness checks and assistance requests to any TV (even if the screen is off) and allows staff and families to remotely take control, from anywhere.

By applying our patented technology to create a TV-based engagement and control platform for senior living communities, Caavo for Senior Living offers a new kind of experience for seniors, families, and community staff that was never before possible. 

The addition of Caavo for Senior Living to our lineup is a perfect complement to our existing consumer product, and we’re excited to continue simplifying, enriching, and connecting people’s lives through technology.