Disabled and Elderly Assistive Technologies

Report Highlights

The U.S. market for assistive technologies is projected to grow from nearly $43.4 billion (including eyeglasses and contact lenses) in 2012 to $45.9 billion in 2013 and nearly $60.5 billion in 2018, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% between 2013 and 2018.

Report Includes

• An overview of the U.S. market for disabled and elderly assistive technologies, which encompasses a broad range of devices, from "low-tech" products such as eyeglasses and large-print books to technologically sophisticated products such as voice synthesizers, Braille readers, and wireless monitoring devices.
• Analyses of market trends, with data from 2012, estimates for 2013, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2018.
• Discussion of market drivers and constraints.
• Examination of the industry structure, competition, and market shares.
• Comprehensive company profiles of major players.

Report Scope

The report focuses on the U.S. market for the various types of devices and products that are on the market or under development to enable disabled and elderly persons to move about, see, hear, speak, dress themselves and perform many other everyday activities as “normally” as possible.  Where practical, market developments on the global level are also addressed, although in less detail than domestic market developments.

In the past few years, BCC has published a number of other reports in related areas, such as prosthetics and orthotics, microelectronic medical implants, drugs for the elderly, and antiaging products.  The findings and conclusions of these other reports will be cited in this report, where appropriate, for the sake of completeness.  However, it is not the author’s intention to duplicate their coverage and analysis; attention will be focused instead on the following:

• Mobility- and dexterity-enhancing products.
• Products for the vision-, hearing-, and speech-impaired.
• Toileting and incontinence products.
• Medical/personal monitoring products.
• Other products such as environmental controls and daily living aids.

This report does not cover physical therapy and exercise equipment designed for the elderly and disabled.  The scope of this report also does not include therapeutic treatments such as surgery that are intended to mitigate or eliminate the underlying causes of a particular disability. 

In terms of format, the report is divided into the following major sections:

• Technologies used in disabled and elderly care products.
• Conditions and applications addressed.
• Product types.
• Legal, regulatory and insurance issues.
• Patent and intellectual property issues.
• Market size and segmentation.
• Market drivers.
• Market projections from 2012 through 2018.
• Industry size and structure.
• Competition and market shares.

Analyst Credentials

Andrew McWilliams spent more than 25 years as a consultant with Ernst & Young, McKinsey & Company and A.T. Kearny focused on manufacturing before segueing into research analysis. He has been covering myriad technology categories for BCC Research for more than 15 years. McWilliams has a BA from Princeton University and an MA from Harvard University. He has worked in more than 40 countries and he resides in the greater Boston area.