Season 1 · Episode 26 AI & technology 38 min

Aging in place depends on three connected needs: health, safety with independence, and freedom from isolation and depression. Point solutions that address one need at a time shift the coordination work onto family caregivers. Zemplee’s platform combines passive ambient sensing, a health kit for vitals and chronic conditions, and an Alexa integration so the signals can be read together.

For care teams, one combined system can bring close to nursing-home-level supervision into a person’s own home. In the Nursing Home Without Walls study, about 110 frail older adults in rural Kansas used it for 18 months. According to Zemplee’s white paper on the study, skilled nursing facility bed days fell 50%, geriatric depression scores fell 42%, and loneliness scores fell 37%.

00:00Zemplee wins two golds at the 2026 McKnight’s Tech Awards 01:12Aparna on hearing the news, and the two winning categories 05:16How one platform covers health, safety and isolation 10:18Inside the Nursing Home Without Walls study in rural Kansas 14:48A father’s fall, a camera experiment, and a privacy-first decision 18:25Getting ahead of falls instead of waiting for them 20:41How mood, movement and vitals signal each other, and why wearables didn’t make it 22:57Why point solutions push the work onto caregivers 27:03AI’s unknowns, and the two-step conversation with families 32:36Aparna’s advice to family caregivers: take care of yourself first 35:25Aging in place in five to ten years, from longevity to care bots 39:07Food as medicine, and Aparna’s thanks to her team

Article2026 McKnight’s Tech AwardsZemplee won gold in Creative Use of AI and in Resident and Patient Safety, and was a finalist in Falls Prevention, Management or Detection CompanyWindsor PlaceThe Kansas provider that brought Zemplee in to keep frail older adults out of nursing homes CompanyZempleeAparna’s AI remote monitoring company for older adults EpisodeS1 E13 — Creating a nursing home without wallsThe Windsor Place side of the story, with Monte Coffman

Shaun Chavis: Tech around making life better for older adults doesn't often get celebrated in Silicon Valley or in the media. But keeping older adults safe at home is increasingly relevant, and people are starting to recognize both the challenges and the innovative solutions. I'm Shaun Chavis, I'm the marketing lead for Zemplee, and in this episode of AI-powered caregiving, we're celebrating some big news. Zemplee just won two gold awards in the 2026.

McKnight's Tech Awards and was named a finalist in a third category. So today I'm sitting down with Zemplee's CEO, Aparna Pujar, and we're going to talk about what that recognition actually means, not just for our company, more importantly, what it says about where senior care technology is headed. And we're going to get into the story behind Zemplee's product, where the industry is headed and what is getting wrong about aging in place.

And how AI can help us all live better as we age. so let's get into it. Aparna, I'm really glad that we can have this conversation.

Aparna Pujar: Yeah, glad to be here. Exciting times.

Shaun Chavis: Definitely, definitely. First of all, congratulations on the win. This is really fabulous. I want to start with more about the news. We've got two gold awards in the tech awards, McKnight's Tech Awards. Can you tell us what those awards were for and tell us a little bit about how you felt when you when you found out?

Aparna Pujar: Okay. So I think let's start with the second question. at first I was I was pleasantly surprised, I would say. I I didn't believe that we would win it, but hey, this was great. Great to have had that recognition, not just for Zemplee as a company, but for us as a company that's trying to create a category in the industry where a lot of people

Shaun Chavis: Mm-hmm.

Aparna Pujar: Are opting and want to age in place and are looking for all kinds of means and supports that enable them to age in place. So I feel like the avo I share this award with everyone who has been instrumental and has worked with us over the last four and a half years to help define, you know, take this idea and you know really put it out in

In the in the market out there and you know test it out. it's been a fantastic learning experience for us. I think it's it sort of solidifies and always it validates what we believe were always true about what it takes to bring a successful aging in place solution for the market. I'm really super thankful to all the partners who work with us in making this happen.

So the categories, the two categories in in which for which we were awarded was one was creative use of AI. and I think I think I I strongly believe that in an industry that is or in a sector that is so in need of innovation, so in need of support, and especially across the category, you know, whether it's a family caregiver who's in the home, who's caring for her aging.

Loved one or even, you know, the caregivers in in the in the facilities, in home care agencies who are going out of their way to support the elderly in the market. I think we I think it gives us a chance to help them. It gives us a chance to help people who are involved in this sector to to see see this problem in a different way, see this problem in a or a challenge in a way that makes it sustainable, makes it makes it a

Achievable. Because I I think we've spoken to so many caregivers through this journey and one of the things that I'm constantly amazed by is the sheer dedication and commitment they have to their jobs. And I think as a technology company we want to be able to come and support them in whatever we can. And the good news is, you know, the AI has always proven out to be a perfect tool for solving complex

Challenges and I feel like working with our elderly, not the just the way the ecosystem works is fairly complex. There's regulation, there's technology, there's you know, serv service providers, there's clinical, there is non-clinical. And so how do we take these multi multi-dimensional you know multi multi-dimensional inputs that drive how this industry works and then you know bring some really

I wouldn't say powerful, but mindful ways of applying technology to help solve the problem. And I think I think we started with an idea, we started with an experiment, and that experiment I think has paid off and it got the recognition. and I'm I'm sort of happy that, you know, we we tried to solve the right problem the right way.

Shaun Chavis: That it it one of the things that impresses me is that the three categories that Zemplee was finalist for and then won two and finalist for one, those three categories are different. And so to me, the fact that Zemplee was recognized by all three for the all three of those categories indicates that Zemplee's platform and product does a lot. Can you kind of walk us through

What Zemplee does and like how do we, how does the product kind of touch on all of those categories?

Aparna Pujar: Yeah, so I think that's a great question. And one of the things that when when we entered this space, and for most of you who know my background, you know, I I I was in the tech industry, I built a lot of technology solutions. So we always looked at this from a from a platform viewpoint. and when we looked at this industry, we sort of saw that a lot of technology was trying to solve point.

Solutions and my own experience being a caregiver for my aging parents you know sort of threw light on that and you know at at any given point of time I was using 15 different apps to do some little little different things and I said you know why can't this be packaged into one solution and it really sort of came down to you know how do we create this holistic solution for someone to you know to have them age in place right and that that sort of

Sat on three principles. One was of course the health, you know, that is paramount. And then the safety, and then combined with the safety, there was, you know, their ability to be independent as well, right? Because safety and independence are sort I see them as you know two sides of the same coin, right? So in in how do we create a system that will address both.

And then of course, you know, the third angle was isolation and depression, which tends to be the outcome of just the aging population and and what they're experiencing. And when they're in home, that is the missing part that we saw that and and that was a gap we wanted to address because one and and they're all interconnected, right? So if you know they they say

If you're if you're healthy, you're happy. If you're happy, you know, you you feel less depressed and less isolated. So we sort of put all these things, the three things together into you know what we were trying to think and thought about the solution that way. What does what does an aging adult in the home want today? And at some point I we are also looking at longevity as part of that. So increasing the wellspan, which again sort of you know.

Acts as this binding glue across the three pillars that we call and necessary for someone to s age in place. So that was the basis of how we started this. and I think I'm really happy that the the study, the nursing home without wall study that came out touched upon all these elements, right? So as you saw, the first one was how we helped keep people out of nursing homes, which was the biggest achievement of that

Of that research or the study, and we were able to demonstrate that you know we would we could reduce skilled nursing facility bed days by 50% on that, and then we improved geriatric depression scores by 40%, and then loneliness scores by by 29%. [Editor’s note: Zemplee’s white paper on the study reports a 42% reduction in depression scores and a 37% reduction in loneliness scores.] So a combined solution like that was able to achieve what it what it tried to achieve or what it attempted to try to achieve.

And really I think our product sort of has three components to it. one part of it is one part is the activity monitoring, which is a passive monitoring system, ambient sensing passive monitoring system, which is powered by a proprietary patented platform called Attentive AI™. And then the second part of it is a health kit, which essentially is helping them with collecting some of their biometrics and vitals. But but putting and then

Helping them with managing their chronic conditions because as in the study of course, you know, the the population was nursing home eligible with comorbidity greater than two. so we all the people that we were working with had chronic conditions they were managing. And then we also brought an Alexa integration into the kit.

Which essentially became this attendant inside the home. So this was, you know, a communication device, an entertainment tool. And that's how we rounded out the three aspects of you know, providing a total solution for aging in place. And then the results speak for themselves. So we are happy about that.

Shaun Chavis: Absolutely. and so the two gold awards were for the work with nursing homes without walls. I wonder if you could just share a little bit about that. I know we do have an episode where we were talking with people from Windsor Place, so we can definitely link that in the show notes. But if you could just give us like an overview of what that study was, I think that would help people really understand why Zemplee won these two awards.

Aparna Pujar: Yeah. So the two categories under which Zemplee won the award, one was creative use of AI, but it was for this nursing home without walls project. And then the second was also resident and patient safety, which was also for nursing home without walls project. But technically, you know, these people were residents in their own homes. and the fact that we were trying to build this virtual nursing home was was the was the essence of how that study was structured. So

Shaun Chavis: Mm-hmm.

Aparna Pujar: The backstory on this is you know, our client, Windsor Place, was looking to deploy something to help help a repatriate people back from nursing homes into the community or defer nursing home admissions into long-term care placements. they were dealing with a frail elderly population, which was you know home and community based services.

Population that was under the 1915 C waivers. And they were simply looking to have a solution that would bring that would enable to them to offer something that was almost the same as a nursing home level of care. So the difference being, you know, when you're in your home, there's no person who's 10 feet away from you to s to observe or supervise you, but what can be done to bring almost the same level of supervision into the homes?

Given that it was a rural community spread across the state of Kansas, and these were frail elderly, average age was 76, I believe. so we took that upon us as a challenge. We says, well, you know, we know our technology works. We just have to prove that it works in the field. And so we the pilot started back in 2024, it was an 18-month study, about a hundred and

10 people were enrolled in the in the project. and I think we have we still have about sixty percent of them still enrolled in the study. even even though the official study has completed, this this cohort wanted to continue to be in the program and you know they got the state to support it, which was nice. and then we continue to collect the data and and continue to produce results. And you know, we're slowly starting to show that after being on the program for almost

Shaun Chavis: That's amazing.

Aparna Pujar: More than two years now. we are now starting to show decrease in utilization. So the hospitalizations have reduced by almost sixteen percent or 10 to 16% depending on the case. So everything that we set out to achieve, you know, can we keep these people in home? Yes. Can we keep these people safe? Can we reduce their nursing home visits or ER visits or hospital utility? So check, check, check on all these elements. And it did require a very

Very tight collaboration with our provider partners there. So we, you know, conceptualize, envision how this model would work because it was when we started this back in 2019, it was really futuristic. I mean, no one thought that something like this could be done. And then we survived COVID. we started with a small pilot, survived COVID, and then it officially became a you know state sponsored study. we were lucky to have United Healthcare

Community plan of Kansas as our partners there. And then of course Kansas University Medical Center who came in as an independent review board. So I think it all felt you know came together really well. and that's what it takes, you know, like-minded people who are visionaries who want to think about a better way, a futuristic way of and generally looking at this problem from you know a very long-term perspective, right? So

I think it it sort of worked fantastically. So we're super happy about that. And the fact that, you know, all the outcomes were positive was very encouraging.

Shaun Chavis: Absolutely. And I wanna kind of dive into what you've been talking about more that Zemplee is not just a product for families and older adults, but the fact that the state was looking at it and you had Kansas University Medical Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, involved and Windsor Place, there's just tremendous potential.

To address some of the growing challenges around senior care. So, can you talk a little bit more about what role AI is playing in professional care settings? Because you've you've brought this innovative, you know, something that just five, six years ago people didn't think could be done, is now people are realizing that this can solve some pretty major problems.

Aparna Pujar: Yeah, I sort of go back to my belief in technology. Being a technologist, I believe fundamentally believe that, you know, technology has the power of solving some really complex problems. And when I looked at this based on my own personal experience caring for my parents, I knew that, you know, the only way to to sustainably you know, solve this is by bringing technology into it.

Most of the product that I built came from my own ex my own lived experience of being a remote caregiver from my aging parents and it actually started with the first fall my dad had and you know I kind of went in and said, okay, how do I prevent the next fall from happening? and then what it took to go on to the preventive side of things so that he he could he could extend his lifespan. he was chronic diabetic and you know, he had all kinds of other complications. But

It we took it upon as a challenge, right? I mean, I said there has to be a better way. and even though we had caregivers who would watch him, there was often a time when, you know, there wasn't a caregiver, the the the churn was very high and you know, we had to kind of find solutions to fit in between. And it got to a point where I said, you know, I want something that's just gonna be not dependent on people. as in, you know, I

I l I loved the fact that people would come in and take care of my dad, but when they were not in the house, who was gonna watch him? and being nine thousand, ten thousand miles away, I that was the only thing I could think of. we didn't want to go with with camera. obviously, you know, my my dad had a huge objection to it. but we also challenged ourselves into thinking, you know, why cameras, right? I mean, it it seemed like simple solution, but

I also tried to put a camera in my own home to emotionally understand what is it that a person has to go through to have a camera watching you all the time. And it was miserable. I was miserable. I said, you know, I couldn't even like look wha I had to watch every step, what everything that I was doing. And I said, Well, this I mean this this is not come this is putting someone under discomfort and you definitely don't want you know, an aging adult to be worried about someone

Watching them all the time. So we got rid of the camera. there was a lot of you know, camera technology that were coming into the market. We tested every one of them and, you know, at at the end we had to make a decision saying, no, privacy first, dignity first, everything else is secondary. And you know, there is enough technology and tools available in the market to challenge you know, the camera way of looking at things. and we decided to stay with that principle.

Shaun Chavis: Mm-hmm.

Aparna Pujar: My background, I mean, I had previously worked with on a lot of AI projects and I knew what their capabilities were. So I wasn't you know, I wasn't at all doubtful that, you know, by using some smart motion sensors and a good you know AI layer can achieve the same or almost the same effect of what a camera could do.

And the other problem that we do know is, you know, falls are not something that happen every day. They're so sporadic. They're so you know, it's not like people get up in the morning and fall every day. That's unlike you're having breakfast. It's so sudden, you can't predict when it happens. So the only way to do it is, you know, get on the preventive side of things. It prevents someone from having a fall. So the initially, you know, when we rolled out, we we got really good at detecting what events were leading to the fall. So we focused on that.

Right. What lifestyle patterns, what habits, what was what about their homes was causing the fall incidents to happen. And over time, as the system kind of got smarter, we built rules to, you know, address every scenario and then tried to make try to get it better and better. Right. So like I said, no two people are the same. Everybody has their own lifestyle, habits, patterns, and so.

Where an AI tool can help is to, you know, digest all of that, right? And then synthesize it and simplify it for for someone. so that's the crux of what what the system does. And so it started with fall, and fall was not the only thing. you know, like I said, many people were managing chronic conditions, so we kind of extended that to include some biometric monitoring as well. So everything from

Blood glucose to blood pressure, because most people are diabetic, you know, in that cohort. So we try to do everything as part of one solution. So for for anyone who's out there evaluating, I think y y there are multiple options available, but to think about this in a f you know, what I call as a holistic way is how you get the get better outcomes. you know, there is it so they all connect with each other, which is, you know,

Your activity is sort of connected to your biometrics, you know, and then and your mental he mental well being also is influencing that a lot. So they're in some all in in some ways they're all sort of interdependent on each other, right? So if I'm feeling sad, I may not be walking today. I may be, you know, lying on my bed or sitting on my chair for a very long time. So that gives me an instant signal to know, okay, there's something going on.

You know she's sad, maybe happy, you know, the other way. I mean all these blend into the into the system. So we we feel like connecting those three was critical for how we would we would bring a full solution to to the home. So our goal I mean and it's not the end. I mean we're seeing new technology coming to the market. There's a lot more innovation coming at this space. So we're gonna keep an eye out and you know continue to to test

Other very technologies that are coming in and then eventually find something that will fit the the requirement. So even earlier on when we were testing products out, you know, we had to go away from wearables because w wearables were work only when people wear them. and oftentimes that was a challenge with the with the with the cohort of the people we were dealing with, you know, and it just was

Not a reliable source of signal for us. and our system operates on signals, right? So did someone wake up on time? Did they go to bed on time? Were they watching Netflix all night yesterday? And what was the reason they were doing that, right? So all that feeds into how the AI is processing all that information and coming up with insights on, you know, what what does this person need and how best to mindfully address it for them?

Shaun Chavis: Absolutely. I I have to wonder if you know you had more people staying up late when the new Bridgerton season came and they were binge watching. I I'm curious. so you in the in the process of developing Zemplee, you tried so many different products. I wonder from your perspective and that experience.

Aparna Pujar: Yeah.

Shaun Chavis: What do you think the industry is still getting wrong when it comes to designing for older adults and for aging at home and aging in place?

Aparna Pujar: I I think the in so my view on the industry is you know, I don't think they're doing anything wrong. I think they are trying to so the industry is kind of

Shaun Chavis: Mm-hmm.

Aparna Pujar: Overcrowded, I would say, with lot of point solutions. And nothing wrong with that, because I think as a as a company, you start with you know a pop problem and try to solve the problem. And most of that ends up being how they create their go to market or business strategies, right? But as as a as a caregiver, my needs are very different. I want everything in one because

I don't want to be in a put in a position where I have to go do a hundred different things because you know that's not solving that that you're just moving that problem from the older adult to me and then you know how to win. So I feel like A, there's an opportunity for platform companies to come in and you know solve the holistic problem, right? And and and we also know that we probably won't be able to solve everything, but in to the extent that we put a guardrail around what we feel

RR values and value proposition, we want to offer that com a complete package. so that a it makes it makes it for a for a for a person who's interested in bringing technology solutions, we offer something that we feel rounds it out completely. So they don't have to go sign up with multiple vendors again, right? So no y you know, everyone has what like forty, fifty apps on their phones these days, but we hardly use ten.

So how do we how can we be that, you know, one one app that does it all? and so and that that puts a that puts a challenge on us to make sure that you know we're investing enough thought and creativity into and and spending enough time researching on what are the you know problems so we are on the right track.

Shaun Chavis: Mm-hmm.

Aparna Pujar: Right. So because a wrong technology can make things go everything go wrong. So we have to be super careful in purveying what's out there and and stitching it together in the in in a sense that it makes sense. Right. yeah, and we we also say no to a lot of things that don't make sense. So, you know, because like I said, there's so much technology coming into this market. And oftentimes you know, we

Even though we get excited about it, we have to take a step back and say, well, let's first check. You know, this is gonna work, this is gonna work for an an elderly woman who's out there in rural part of this country and with no Wi-Fi connection or no internet connection. What does it take to you know make this work and make her feel good about it? Right. So that's a big part of it. so that those so they also have to we have to put thought into that.

And so I think and I think that's what all vendors have to do. I in my mind, it's it's hard to we have to sort of meet them, meet the customers where they are and you know, really get to the point so that whatever we offer them is well thought out, well designed, least intrusive, non invasive, does not require them to change their lifestyle, does not require them to build new habits. We do want them to build great positive habits, but not

Be able to say, charge my phone every day, remember to charge this. I lost my wearable somewhere. So it just that creates stress. And and I've seen this. It creates stress even for me. Like I I keep my phone somewhere, I'm kinda frantic trying to find out where it is. So imagine, you know, for someone who's twenty years older than us, what could be going through their head, right? So

Shaun Chavis: I remember the cloud.

Mm-hmm.

I'm curious, like if if you can share more about like you were talking about really making the person feel comfortable and home in their home. And I'm curious and and comfortable with using the tool. I'm curious, like what misperceptions have you seen around AI and senior care? And I know there's a lot, yeah, that's like a whole nother episode about, you know, what people you know, think about AI in general. But I wonder, and when it comes to senior,

Care and senior living, what misperceptions people have about AI.

Aparna Pujar: I I wouldn't call it as misperceptions. There's certainly a lot of unknowns about AI. and you know, I and I don't think it's senior you know, the people who are operators and leaders in the in that industry, but in general, you know, people have a lot of questions about AI. I have a lot of questions about AI. right. So there there is that. And and I think when you're working with an older adult, you know, y you you do want to have a very

Shaun Chavis: No matter what.

Aparna Pujar: Calculated approach on how you d solve for their care needs. it's you cannot take risks, so you naturally tend to be very conservative. I think it's better not to do things rather than do things. So we understand that. and you know where we want to be is you know we want to be that friction free, well tested, well vetted product. So we have checked all the boxes and you know picked everything that

Makes makes the solution plausible, feasible for a deployment in either a home setup or a or in a community setup. So I think once we've addressed that it's an easy easy easy decision for the for the for for the agencies or for the operators of the facilities. But there is still that two-step process of you know having to convince the families and then the families have to still convince the older adults.

Right. and in in our experiences we've we've come across you know, a good mix of people who some of them just love it. I mean, some of them like, duh, they should already have been there in my mom's room, right? But some of them are, nah, I'm good with it. I'm good with what I have. So, and I think I I think over time as people start appreciating the value of what, you know, I wouldn't say AI in general, but just what the technology

Technology in general can create in terms of efficiency, in terms of quality of life improvement. the up as they start to appreciate it more, they'll see how they'll they'll see where we are coming from. and I think I think all of us will be in that boat at some day, right? Like I I feel like even us like who are who are sort of in that going to be in that market in 10, 15 years from now, we're we're digitally native. So we understand the

Importance of technology. I mean it's technology woven in every aspect of our lives, not so in the lives of the current aging population. But when we are appreciating it, you know, we also have to we also are starting to say, you know, why can't my mom or dad have the same benefit of having this technology, right? So I feel like that's where the conversations have to start happening.

It it's I think there are a lot of great products in in in the market. A lot of people are trying to solve the problem many different ways. It's having an open mind that really helps. And ultimately, you know, we are here to help. So, you know, a technology company starts with a mission to solve a problem. So they are trying to do something which is which is which which they're passionate about.

Right. And so is us. I mean, we're passionate about it. My passion came from solving a problem for my own dad and that bec that idea became a business. But the intention is right. I think the approach is right. Most of them are mission oriented. So the leap of faith is is good. Having trust in somebody's ability to solve this for the humanity is is a great great philosophy to have, I think, in terms of moving forward.

Shaun Chavis: Absolutely. I think the fact that you're bringing that lived experience, your own lived experience with your family, and you you have that empathy. and you've been in that role of giving care to a family member is so important and that's like an important lens to bring. Plus you have the experience of being an engineer and being able to think about what tools, you know, can I pull together to solve this in a better way.

Aparna Pujar: Yeah. I mean, like I said, right? the the goal of technology to is make life easy for you. and and you sort of have to believe in it to make that happen. And it and it will do it. I mean, you know, we we are experiencing that in our lives today. The amount of productivity we have seen improve, the amount of access to information, content, enriching our knowledge, you know, all that has come through this huge proliferation of technology.

So I'm a firm believer in that principle and I feel like use the right way it has it it will benefit the mankind.

Shaun Chavis: So if somebody is in those shoes right now of being a family caregiver and they're really struggling and feeling, you know, just all the things like the worry and trying to juggle at, you know, their own lives and trying to find solutions, what would you tell them? What's one thing that you would want them to know?

Aparna Pujar: I think the first one I would tell them is, you know, take care of yourselves first. I sort of believe in that because I think every caregiver has to be strong enough to care for someone. So it's it's a physical the physical and emotional demands of being a caregiver are significant. and no one is prepared for what you sign up for. You don't go into schools to learn these skills. It's just happening on the job. And so you l every every day is different.

Every moment in a day is different. So I think they have to and then, you know, take all the help that they can get, whether it's technology, people, resources, you know, all that they get. I think depending on people is challenging because you know they all have their lives. Like, you know, I had I had my family members around, but you know, they're busy with their lives, so you they can only contribute as much as they can. but you know, having a a consistent tool to help you.

Manage this job will will give you that benefit, right? So it's it's for your own sake that you want to do it. Your your aging parent will benefit from it automatically. So there is no doubt about that. But it's really how you want to think about yourselves. And because you have to have the you are in a marathon there. Yeah, you know, so you have to be available for them, whether it's 1 a.m. in the night, 4 a.m. in the morning

Two PM in the afternoon, visits to doctors, visit to dialysis centers. So you're you are there with them all the time. So how do you how do you try to manage this, make this more manageable for yourself? I think that's what and the tools help. The tools definitely help. You know, even even before I built the product, I was reliabl relying on WhatsApp for a lot of things. you know, and I sort of knew that having this c the communication is a big part of

Caregiving, so you know, having communication tools at the press of a button became critical. and then one thing leads to another and then you know there's an EHR record, there's an X ray, there is you know, call someone, contact someone, and soon it kind of explodes, right? where it and then it starts into, you know, food plan, nutrition plan, medication plan. All of that comes through. So so you're really like, you know, trying to do the best.

With with everything that you have on your plate.

Shaun Chavis: Yeah, absolutely. It is and it's it's a struggle to do that and it's a day by day effort. Yeah. so I'm gonna ask the engineer and you, when you think about AI powered caregiving for older adults, where do you see things being in five or ten years from now?

Aparna Pujar: Yeah. Yeah.

Great question. I think I think aging aging my my

Sort of bet is that you know aging in place is gonna become common. So it won't be an option. I think a lot of people will if if the infrastructure was made available would opt to age in place. So I would I see a lot of innovation coming in that space. And we're we're sort of keeping an eye on, you know, what's coming out there. I mean it it makes sense, you know, you want to live in your home. This is where, you know, your entire life has been spent.

Your memories associated with it. It's an asset you own. So, you know, unless of course you are in a condition where you cannot live by yourselves, then, you know, there's always options available. But I feel like, you know, with modern technology and how you know the evolution of internet, access to connectivity, all that is changing how we perceive aging, you know play right, aging in general.

Lot of research that's happening in longevity space, which I'm s I think is very positive. you know, especially this whole effort to increase the wellspan of your life, is is very I think that is where I see the next five, ten years, you know. I from I read one study where I say I think this generation is probably gonna live out longer. Like, you know, average age will hit like ninety or something in the next twenty, thirty years. So

We should all expect to live beyond hundred, right. So then how do you maximize that wellspan? Ideally, you want to be mobile, right? You want to be moving as much as possible. So research that's going into helping with, you know, your musculoskeletal functions is is very encouraging. So I see that that is an area we are looking into as well, very closely. And then of course, you know.

Advances in genomics and medicine. So that I think is another trend where I'm seeing I'm I'm being very positive about it. So I feel like, you know, addressing dementia and Alzheimer's hopefully, you know, there will be solutions for them. And so not only your physical wellspan is increasing, your mental wellspan is also keeping up with it. So you as a person you can sustainably live longer, you know, and enjoy a good life.

Shaun Chavis: Yeah.

Aparna Pujar: Listen, purely on the technology side, I'm very I'm I'm interested in what robotics is gonna how robotics are going to come into the market. I think all of us are thinking about having a dishwasher robot anyway in the house. So yeah, everybody wants a dishwasher robot, right? So but I feel like there's I see that that could be an area where we would have

Shaun Chavis: Right? That's the tech I want.

Aparna Pujar: Care bots in the homes, companion bots as they're called. So I'm seeing that. and we are we are also exploring some of the spaces there where we feel like, you know, they have to tie in with our whole vision for what aging in place has to look like.

Shaun Chavis: That's amazing. I'm I'm curious to see where we will be in five to ten years. And it's good to know that Zemplee is one of the innovative companies that's helping to shape the future. It's really impressive what you've done. and I'm glad to be along for the journey.

Aparna Pujar: Thank you. Yeah, great to have you on the journey. I think in in just your background, you know, food, food as a medicine is a big part of this. So I'm kind of curious as to how that would that can become an integral part of what Zemplee is offering to its to its, you know, we call them Zemplites. So people who are on the Zemplee. Yeah.

Shaun Chavis: Yeah.

Yeah. Definitely. Yeah, you know, that's a it's it is a very interesting area. I you know, I certainly cooked for my parents as they got older and then I helped a friend take care of his aunt as she got older and her health changed the way that she needed to eat and then but she still had, you know, tastes and cravings for certain things and

It you know, solving problems like, you know, how do you give someone the sensation of eating something salty when they're very restricted on salt? you know, and that's and then keep it culturally appropriate and all of those things. It is very interesting. So there's so much to explore in age tech and how we can make sure that we're enjoying our lives as we age.

Aparna Pujar: Absolutely. All right.

Shaun Chavis: Yeah. Thank you so much for this time, Aparna. Congratulations again on the tremendous wins. this is significant and we can't wait to see where Zemplee goes next.

Aparna Pujar: Thank you.

Yeah, thank you. This has been an exciting journey. I'm really proud of my team, you know, those everyone who has committed everything they have, you know, and built this product or this idea of a vision that we we continue to evolve. You know, we're not done yet. every new challenge c that comes to us, we go with an open mind. I think some of I have our team has been rocking it, I think.

They they step in and come up with creative ideas to solve the problem. So and we we are we we mean it. I mean, you know, we're not here just for the sake of technology. We are here to to make sure that whatever we're doing is ultimately making that end the end user, which is the aging adult in the home, happy.

Shaun Chavis: Absolutely. Absolutely. This is awesome. Thank you again for your time and good luck and congratulations.

Aparna Pujar: Thank you. Thanks.

Shaun Chavis: Take care.

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