With India’s senior population set to cross 300 million by 2031, Marzi is blending AI, IoT, and thoughtful design to create age-ready communities that are personal, preventive, and connected. Adarsh Narahari, Founder & Managing Director of Primus Senior Living, unpacks how Marzi’s digital concierge model, health partnerships, and hybrid care approach are reshaping elder lifestyles and infrastructure. From reducing emergency visits to enabling multilingual adoption, he shares why tech-enabled aging is not a luxury, but a necessary blueprint for India’s demographic shift.

1. India’s 55+ population is projected to surpass 300 million by 2031. How do you address the intersection of scale and personalization in elder care using AI and IoT?

At Primus and Marzi, scale and personalization are not opposing forces but two sides of the same strategy. Our AI-powered digital concierge system is built on a voice-first architecture, offering personalized assistance, reminders, and proactive engagement—at scale. On the IoT side, our smart home integrations, including digital health records, fall-detection sensors, adaptive fixtures, and mobility monitors, allow us to remotely and safely support seniors while tailoring each interaction to their health, behaviour, and preferences. This blend ensures that care remains highly individualized yet scalable.

2. Only 5–7% of India’s senior housing market is tech-enabled. What has been the most impactful tech integration so far, and what measurable outcomes have you observed?

One of the most impactful technologies we’ve deployed is the always-on digital concierge integrated into Marzi’s living environments. It has transformed how seniors access services—from requesting transportation to engaging in wellness check-ins. This system, when combined with IoT-enabled home safety upgrades, has led to:

• 22% reduction in avoidable ER visits
• 30% increase in proactive health consultations
• Higher satisfaction scores, especially among non-tech-savvy users, thanks to the voice-first interface.

These outcomes validate our belief that preventive technology, not complex interfaces, is the real driver of adoption among seniors.

3. With India’s geriatric healthcare market expected to grow at 18% CAGR, how is Marzi partnering with clinical or health-tech providers to integrate real-time medical interventions into its living environments?

Marzi is working on strategic partnerships with telemedicine providers, digital diagnostics platforms, and home healthcare companies to create an integrated ecosystem. In many of our communities, on premise doctors, physiotherapists, and emergency ambulances are already embedded. We are now piloting integrations where health vitals from wearables and home sensors that can directly alert medical partners in real-time. This ensures that medical interventions are not just reactive, but preventive and predictive.

4. How does the digital concierge system balance between automation and human touch, especially in scenarios involving critical lifestyle needs or medical urgency?

Our concierge system is human-augmented AI, meaning that while the system handles routine tasks and monitoring autonomously, it immediately routes complex, sensitive, or medical queries to trained human agents or in-community caregivers. For example, a missed medication reminder might trigger an automated follow-up, but repeated non-compliance would escalate to a caregiver visit. This hybrid model ensures efficiency without compromising empathy, which is core to elder care.

5. The elder dependency ratio in India is rising sharply. What scalable strategies is Marzi building to support multi-generational caregiving with minimal infrastructure strain?

Marzi’s parent, Primus, has pioneered multigenerational community models where seniors live in proximity to their families—within the same township/larger project. This design minimizes the physical and emotional distance between caregivers and elders. We're also building a full-stack AgeTech platform that allows family members, even if remote, to monitor health, schedule services, and communicate via a single dashboard. This reduces caregiving burden, avoids duplication of resources, and brings peace of mind without over-relying on physical infrastructure.

6. What insights have emerged from usage analytics or feedback loops that surprised you, especially in how India’s senior population is adapting to technology?

One surprising insight is how quickly non-English-speaking seniors have adopted to tech. We had expected language to be a barrier, but many seniors found it comfortable to use  mobile apps. Another unexpected finding was the popularity of digital learning modules and travel experiences—indicating that seniors are not just open to tech, but are eager to explore self-growth and social connection through it.

7. With growing global interest in tech-powered aging, is Marzi exploring B2B partnerships with insurers, elder care providers, or real estate players to extend its reach?

Absolutely. Marzi is actively in talks with health insurers to bundle wellness and preventive care services as part of elder-specific plans. We’re also collaborating with real estate developers to integrate Marzi’s lifestyle and health stack into new housing projects aimed at the 55+ market. These B2B partnerships are crucial to our vision of making tech-enabled aging not just a premium service, but a mainstream and accessible lifestyle across urban India.