Almost exactly one year ago, we spoke with Stephen Samuels, Vice President for Innovation and Impact Investing at Volunteers of America (VOA), an AgeTech Collaborative™ (ATC) participant and one of the largest housing, health and human services organizations in the country dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. In that interview, Samuels talked about VOA’s plans to build 110 units of affordable housing in the Washington, D.C., area as a model to demonstrate effective ways of integrating housing, health and technology to enhance quality of life for a diverse population of low-income older adults.
In order to plan which tech solutions to include in the D.C. housing project, VOA began an extensive study to explore how technology touches the lives of older adults — and low-income older adults in particular. VOA has now published their findings in Residents First: Technology for Connection and Healthy Living in Affordable Senior Housing.
What sets this effort apart is how those insights were gathered. Rather than evaluating technology in the abstract, VOA brought together residents, housing operators and startups — including several AgeTech Collaborative portfolio startups — to engage directly with solutions in a hands-on setting.
This collaborative approach created a more dynamic exchange: Older adults were able to see, test and react to technologies in real time, while founders gained direct feedback on how their products fit into everyday life. The result is not just a set of findings, but a clearer picture of what it takes for technology to be understood, trusted and ultimately adopted. It also offers a clear example of what’s possible when enterprises, testbeds and innovators are connected through an ecosystem designed to bring solutions into real-world environments.
From Abstract Ideas to Real-World Insight
One of the most important insights from VOA’s approach is this: Older adults can’t meaningfully evaluate technology they haven’t experienced.
That shift — from abstract understanding to direct interaction — made a measurable difference. Technologies that were initially met with skepticism were often viewed more favorably once participants understood how they worked and how they might fit into their daily lives. Just as importantly, the experience helped build trust — an essential factor in whether technology is actually adopted.
The showcase also created a valuable feedback loop for the participating startups. By observing how residents interacted with their products, founders gained direct insight into what felt intuitive, what created friction and what sparked interest — or hesitation.
These interactions helped clarify what older adults actually value in technology. Across the board, participants gravitated toward solutions that supported connection, independence and a sense of community. For example, platforms like LOOP Village and Vermut resonated for their ability to bring people together through shared activities and social engagement, while companion devices from Ageless Innovation sparked joy and emotional connection.
Participants also responded strongly to solutions that support health, wellness and lifelong learning — especially when those tools felt engaging rather than clinical. Programs like Vivo stood out by combining physical activity with cognitive stimulation and social interaction, while platforms like Discover Live offered immersive experiences that help users stay curious and connected to meaningful places and memories.
At a practical level, relevance and ease of use consistently outweighed complexity. Many of the most well-received solutions were not the most advanced — they were the ones that fit naturally into daily routines. For example, ONSCREEN integrates communication, telehealth and medication reminders into a familiar TV interface, making it easier for users to engage without needing to adopt entirely new behaviors.
Taken together, these insights reinforce a clear takeaway: Technologies that foster connection, reduce friction and align with how older adults already live are far more likely to resonate than those that feel overly complex or disconnected from everyday life.
The Real Barrier: Trust, Not Technology
If there was one theme that cut across everything, it was this: The biggest barrier to tech adoption isn’t a lack of awareness or even a willingness to try it — it’s whether people trust it.
Older adults expressed real interest in tools that support safety, independence, well-being and connection. But that interest was often tempered by concerns about privacy, data use and loss of control. Many were open to solutions like remote monitoring or medication reminders — but only when those tools were transparent, optional and easy to understand.
In other words, adoption isn’t about convincing people to use technology — it’s about earning their confidence. And as VOA’s approach demonstrated, that confidence is far more likely to develop when users have the opportunity to engage with technology directly and provide feedback in real-world settings.
Collaboration Is What Makes It Work
The real story here isn’t just about one housing development or one report. It’s about what becomes possible when collaboration is treated as a core part of innovation, not an afterthought.
By bringing together a housing provider, a group of startups and their target audience — and grounding all of it in the lived experiences of older adults — VOA created something more than a set of findings. They created a replicable model where technology is shaped with users, not just delivered to them; where startups gain invaluable, direct feedback from real-world use; where solutions can be evaluated not just by what they can do, but by how well they fit into everyday life; and where co-designing along with users is baked into the process to keep everyone on track, every step of the way.
For those working across the AgeTech space, this report offers a useful model: Start with the people you’re designing for, create opportunities to test and learn in real environments, and treat technology as a core part of supporting how people live and age.
To explore the full findings and recommendations, read VOA’s complete report, Residents First: Technology for Connection and Healthy Living in Affordable Senior Housing.
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