Europe’s ‘Silver Economy’: A potential source for economic growth?

‘Silver Economy’ is the umbrella concept put on the policy agenda by economists and senior markets experts as a new path for growth, because of the increasing needs of a growing population of old consumers. It aims at capturing old persons’ buying power to support the flourishing technology innovation market for healthcare and autonomy services in IADL, including fun and social integration. But most of the technology-push projects (still) fail to reach the great diversity in mass market segments. Main obstacles remain lagging sales in order to support innovation technology development and valid business models for the wellbeing of older adults. In spite of applying theoretical technology acceptance models in product design, innovative technologies do not match a realistic approach of users’ need priorities or choice motivations. The Lazy theory enlightens this situation and might pave the way to reach the gerontechnology aim.