I was reading Ecnomic Times the other day and came across a good article. The article was by Garima Manon and I'll summarise it here:

In recent times, more and more Indian elders are starting to use wearable tech like smartwatches, mostly because their children push them to try it out. Initially, many seniors are hesitant, but once they see how these devices help them track things like blood pressure, heart rate, and sleep, they actually become regular users. This is a big change because earlier, such gadgets were considered only for young, tech-friendly people.

This shift is important since India’s elderly population is growing fast. There are already over 15 crore people above 60, and this will double by 2050. Many of them deal with health issues like diabetes and high BP, but most wearable devices were not really designed keeping them in mind. Now, Indian brands like Antara Senior Care and boAt are making products specially for elders, with features like fall detection, medicine reminders, and simple interfaces.

Even though the wearable market in India dropped for the first time last year, experts feel that focusing on senior citizens can actually revive the industry. Instead of just counting steps or calories, the new focus is on helping elders live independently and making it easier for families to care for them from a distance. Some platforms, like KITES Senior Care, are also adding features for social interaction, remote medical help, and overall lifestyle improvement, not just health tracking.

But one big challenge remains, affordability. Most seniors and their families won’t buy expensive gadgets, so companies need to make devices that are both useful and reasonably priced. If wearable brands really want to grow in India, they should build tech that solves real problems for elders, fits into Indian family life, and is simple to use. The future of wearable tech here may depend more on our parents and grandparents than on us or GenZ.

Here is the link if anyone wants to give it a full read: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/prime/technology-and-startups/indias-elders-are-turning-to-vitals-tracking-enough-to-boost-wearable-techs-health/primearticleshow/121006558.cms