Senior, Boomer,
Elderly, 65+?
A New Platform
for the Older Adults

In November 2024, at the Garage48 hackathon, I won a spot in the incubator program with my project, Blue Koht. This is a working title, and it might change. I was inspired by the books from the Blue Zones project — the five longevity zones on the planet: Okinawa, Sardinia, California, Greece, and Costa Rica — and thought, why not extend this idea to Estonia? (Koht means "place" in Estonian.)

I had just one day to generate the idea and outline the key points of the project for the hackathon. Strangely enough, I realized that I had been thinking about this concept for a long time. In my portfolio, you'll find the website “Close People”, created for a hypothetical foundation in a new type of community. Its purpose was to thoughtfully and kindly organize life in a way that meets the needs of people with diverse requirements.

I won’t bore the reader with data and charts — they exist, and it seems there’s enough material for a small dissertation. Suffice it to say, this topic has a solid foundation.

After studying the market, international and local statistics, existing websites, standards, and requirements, the following vision emerged:

Blue Koht is a platform for digitally coordinating opportunities for healthy, independent aging. It consolidates in one place announcements of various types of events, such as:

• Workshops and practical sessions
• Courses, seminars, and lectures
• Cultural events, exhibitions, concerts, and excursions
• Locations for daily outdoor physical activities, gym workouts, yoga, wushu, tai chi, and sports competitions
• Notable destinations and specially organized trips

It also offers a collection of useful contacts and articles about methods and lifestyles that promote happy longevity filled with engaging activities, events, and connections with people.
Events can be filtered by category and explored via an interactive map or calendar.
The app includes also:

• A personal journal
• A network of useful contacts
• Brain-training puzzles and games to improve memory
• Safety alerts
• An emergency button
• Ratings for places, and more

Moderation is carried out by a trusted person elected by the community.

Each year, an award is presented to the best business for openness and age-friendliness. Naturally, the winner is chosen by the users themselves.

This entire story is for the most mature community, a group for whom it’s not easy to define either the right name or clear age boundaries.

Traditionally, we still use terms like retirees, seniors, or elderly people. I myself started by conducting a survey on the topic, “Do we need a platform… for 65+?”—for which I was immediately criticized. :) My intention, however, was simply to highlight that it is after retirement that people gain the opportunity to attend weekday events, as they are allowed to work, but no longer obligated to do so.
By the way, it's correct to say Older Adults.

The world has changed dramatically: the "middle age" bracket is shifting upwards as retirement ages increase. Life now "begins at 55", forming a family is no longer a priority, and statistics relentlessly show that if trends continue at this pace, by 2050, for example, every third person in Estonia will be over 60 years old.
I hope this won’t happen, but even so, we are already talking about either the majority or at least a significant part of the population. For this group, age will no longer be the main characteristic. Instead, it will be:

• having free time
• significant professional experience
• a wide range of multifaceted skills and knowledge "stored on their own personal drives"
• the desire to grow, pursue hobbies, and...
• financial solvency.

Yes, despite what we all know about the insufficiency of state pension funding, a survey I conducted personally shows that only 4% of respondents are interested exclusively in free events.

Right now, the hardest part is getting “into the club.” And after that, it’s about ensuring a range of activities that meet the needs of a large number of people. Therefore, it is already urgent to start changing mindsets, habits, and working on creating new types of businesses and NGOs.

It is worth reminding that one of the key global Sustainable Goals is to 'Ensure that every individual has the opportunity to realize their potential with dignity and equality in a healthy environment.'
The creation of this platform will contribute to combating age discrimination in the workplace, drawing public attention to the important trends of global population aging, conscious consumption, and the societal norm of respecting experience and age. It will promote intergenerational continuity, uphold the right to a dignified life, and help preserve cultural and historical heritage

In Conclusion of Part One
I am currently working on designing the prototype of the app and will soon be able to present it. I continue to follow the business and marketing plans.
At the same time, I am seeking funding since this is a project of great social significance. Of course, the goal is to eventually achieve self-sustainability, which is why a small fee for posting announcements is planned. However, support from interested parties is still needed to get things started.
Follow the Blue Koht on Facebook and Blue Koht Instagram to stay updated on the progress. Share your opinions about the project's relevance, design, functionality, and more.

If you would like to contribute to the project, please contact me (use the "Contact Us" button at the top). Together, we can create a future where opportunities for self-realization, joy, and health are not limited by age!