GRIT - Ed.05 - Magazine - Page 17
OH CANADA
EDMONTON, AB
HEALTHCARE
SAGE ADVICE AND WISDOM FROM
ACROSS CANADA
solution consisted of a reusable sensor that attached to
the outer surface of an adult diaper and wirelessly alerted nursing staff when residents needed to be changed.
In less than two decades, 1 in every 4 Canadians is
going to be over the age of 65. While this is commonly
portrayed as a “problem” (healthcare and pension burdens being commonly cited issues that will emerge), I’d
reframe it as an opportunity—an opportunity to benefit
from the wisdom elders bring, break down the divides
of our age-segregated society and foster a multi-generational world.
As part of the journey, our team physically lived out of
three different senior living communities across North
America for twelve months. Witnessing elders sitting
silently by the nursing station in wheelchairs often without visitors for months on end viscerally awakened me
to the pervasive loneliness in our culture. But interacting with residents, whether sharing wine and laughs
with them at their regular Tuesday night poker games
or smoking cigars and chatting with them on the patio, also awakened me to the magic that can happen
when generations come together. It is this insight that
I’m most excited about working on for my next life
adventure.
Sameer Dhar (pictured centre)
Co-founder & CEO, Sensassure;
Next 36, 2014
[TO CONFIRM PREFERRED
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n 2014 I came into the Next 36 program knowing I wanted to make a
meaningful impact through entrepreneurship. I had no specific idea in
mind so I started by looking at problems to solve in healthcare and focused on eldercare given our globally aging population. Funnily enough, I
didn’t even know what incontinence meant when I started the journey but
discovered the problem through talking to stakeholders in the space—nurses, geriatricians, care administrators, etc. From our research we ended up
developing an incontinence management sensing solution for elders. Our
In 2016 we were acquired by Essity. Since then, I’ve
thought a lot about what freedom means. When I was
fresh out of undergrad, freedom was this abstract concept, an end state that I aspired towards with no burdens or limits. Post-acquisition, I indulged in this type
of freedom, traveling widely and living with minimal
structure to my days. I found that exciting yet unfulfilling. Today, I find freedom in discipline, through committing to the routines, people and principles that I choose.
“Witnessing elders sitting
silently by the nursing station
in wheelchairs often without
visitors for months on end
viscerally awakened me to the
pervasive loneliness in our culture.”
The idea I’m currently trying to bring to life, Moais,
is still a work in process. It represents my attempt to
create a virtual meeting place where participants of
all ages, occupations, genders, ethnicities, life stages,
political stripes, etc., can come together to engage in
meaningful conversations on topics that interest them.
The thinking behind the idea is that if you create a space
where meaningful conversations can flourish, eventually those conversations will lead to a lot more.
One of the principles I also choose to embrace is giving back to the entrepreneurship community, volunteering as an advisor for Toi Labs and elovee. But if I
was to give a piece of advice to younger entrepreneurs
it would be, ironically, to be wary of advice. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been fortunate to have great relationships
with interesting people. Seeking advice can be helpful
but it can also be paralyzing dealing with a cacophony of competing opinions from smart people. Defining
your own belief system, thinking for yourself and trusting yourself is something that I’m still working on.
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