Finalists in the National Impact Challenge 2023 – Bold Innovations for Living, powered by AGE-WELL and SE Health

To view videos from our finalists and vote on your favourite for the People’s Choice Award, click here.

Startup category:

Axtion Independence Mobility designs devices to help people live independently and with dignity. Our revolutionary, patent pending device, called the Ibex Lift, is a Class I Medical Device and helps people both prevent and recover from falls. It is a rollator walker with a battery-powered elevating seat that descends to floor level, raises to 24” and stops anywhere in between. https://theibexlift.com/

Chirp develops passive health monitoring solutions for seniors aging in place. Chirp’s AI algorithms continuously monitor sleep patterns, walking speeds, sedentary behaviors, ADLs and more using privacy-preserving radar sensors. Changes in baseline behavior are flagged as predictors of health problems. This enables home health providers, payers, and families to intervene earlier and improve health outcomes. www.mychirp.com

ElderPRIME: Miscommunication in medical appointments is the root cause of most diagnostic errors for seniors. ElderPRIME is a digital health co-management platform that streamlines healthcare for aging adults and family caregivers by preparing for appointments, aiding in communication with doctors, retaining medical information, and securely sharing it. All this leads to quicker diagnoses, improved senior wellbeing, and reduced caregiver burnout. https://www.elderprime.com/

UVX helps senior homes reduce infection risk and cleaning cost. They use a form of UV light that, unlike conventional UV, is safe for humans but deadly for pathogens. UVX’s technology has proven to make indoor air as safe as the outdoors while being 180,000-times safer than sunlight, inactivating pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, C. diff, and Norovirus within minutes. https://uvxinc.com/

Community category:

Aging proActively, a non-profit Community-Based Seniors Serving Organisation (CBSSO), has launched and is scaling the Certified Age Friendly Employer (CAFE) program in Canada. Mature adults will be positioned to extend their health-span, enhance their financial security, engage in meaningful work, thereby, improving their ability to age in place. Employers improve their bottom line by recruiting and retaining experienced older adults. https://www.agingproactively.com/

Amintro’s mission is to help families age well together and improve their lives through connection. We fulfill our mission through two independent yet complementary tech-solutions: Amintro, a free online friendship-making platform for adults 50+, and our newly launched online community for those caring for aging parents, family, or friends called Amintro Family. https://amintro.com/

Root & Seed: By facilitating meaningful intergenerational conversations, Root & Seed makes storytelling and documenting an experience that builds relationships and gives purpose and meaning to the whole family. Physical and digital tools help with collecting, storing and celebrating stories, traditions, and rituals for generations to come. Find Root & Seed anywhere multiple generations exist: households, schools, long-term care and the workplace. www.rootandseed.com

Social Services Network in collaboration with Next Generation Arts supports Arts for Inter-Generational Engagement to foster community identity, wellness, and connectivity through art. Both youth and seniors come together to partake in community consultations and arts workshops, culminating in a mural painting and community celebration. Breaking ageist barriers, this project will explore cultural transitions, shared values, and narratives. https://ssnon.com/