With post-acute care getting increased focus as hospitals seek to prevent readmissions, cloud-based senior care platforms that help monitor patients and facilitate care coordination are gaining attention. eCaring has introduced some new features to its cloud-based care management system, while a UK-based nonprofit senior housing and care provider recently moved to a new cloud-based platform to help meet its evolving business and customer demands.
In other news, a senior-oriented website launched after a redesign, while University of Toronto researchers have created an app that lets seniors rate the “age-friendliness” of restaurants, libraries, crosswalks, shopping centers, and public transit, and share those ratings with others. Additionally, a LiveScience article takes a look at a non-invasive monitoring system for seniors developed by researchers at the University of Missouri with funding from the National Science Foundation that seeks to support independent living. Read on:
1. eCaring 2.0: New Features Include Customizable Text & Email Alerts
eCaring recently debuted a new set of features for its cloud-based care management system, with upgrades that include customizable text and email alerts, a comprehensive dashboard to view reports, free text notes, and easy-to-use vital sign entry. eCaring is currently working with Morningside House Long Term Home Health Care to improve care coordination and reduce hospital readmissions for older New Yorkers and will soon launch programs with Beth Israel Hospital to manage post-dicharge congestive heart failure patients, and with the Geriatric Faculty Practice of Maimonides Medical Center, both in NYC.
2. Anchor: New Cloud-Based Platform for Senior Care Provider
Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care to older people, has moved to BT’s managed Infrastructure-as-a Service (IaaS) platform, BT Managed Compute.
The platform gives Anchor a flexible, scalable and resilient platform allowing it to ‘flex’ services to meet evolving business and customer demands. Developed, operated and managed by BT Engage IT, a service arm of BT Business, BT Managed Compute gives customers the ability to rationalize their infrastructure and move some or all of their IT estate over to the managed service.
Once the systems are set up, because they are provided as a service, customers have the flexibility to switch on extra capacity as they need it. This means that businesses can be more agile in responding to changing market conditions, whether structural or seasonal.
3. Senior Planet: OATS Re-Launches Tech-Focused Digital Community
Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), a New York-based nonprofit that seeks through the use of technology to positively change the way Americans age, has relaunched Senior Planet, now with a new design. The website seeks to be a resource to older Americans and helps them stay fully engaged in the country’s political, social and cultural life.
Features of the site include a toolbar that includes a video of the week, which can be both entertaining and educational, along with a weekly roundup of curated content.
Developed for older Americans who are eager to use technology to age well, Senior Planet says it’s the only website “that approaches news, lifestyle, health and wellness, technology, and financial topics relevant to seniors through a technology lens.”
4. Independa: CONNECT Award for “Most Innovative New Product” in Software
Independa was recently awarded CONNECT’s Most Innovative New Product Award in the Software category for software that “augments traditional caregiving with cloud-based telecare solutions,” including its Caregiver Web Application, social engagement tools, and health, environmental, and activity monitoring delivered through the telephone, a tablet application, or an application embedded with televisions.
The senior care tech provider was among nine winners selected from more than 100 products nominated for the awards.
Related Articles
Futurity: App Lets Seniors Rate “Age-Friendly” Places
“With a new app, seniors can rate the “age-friendliness” of restaurants, libraries, crosswalks, shopping centers, and public transit—and share their ratings with others. Users rate locations on things like general accessibility, availability of seating, lighting levels, staff attitudes, and background music levels. Age-CAP (Age-friendly Communities Assessment ApP) then produces an overall rating, based on the World Health Organization’s age-friendly cities guidelines,” reports Futurity about an app created by University of Toronto researchers. “The app uses GPS to pinpoint the user’s location, no matter which city they live in worldwide and is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. People can simply browse the database to see which locations and services in a neighborhood are considered “age-friendly” and why.” Read more…
LiveScience: Technology Promises to Extend Independent Living for Elderly
“As they grow into old age, these 71.5 million Americans [aged 65 and older] could one day benefit from remote-monitoring technology designed to support longer independent living. NSF-funded researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a non-invasive monitoring system for older adults that can detect acute illness in early stages and help manage chronic illness,” writes LiveScience.com. “The work of professors Marilyn Rantz, Marjorie Skubic and their research team could eventually lead to a network of remote monitoring systems for older adults living on their own. The researchers agree that the key to managing chronic and acute illness among the elderly is to detect it early, before hospitalization and other costly methods become necessary.” Read more…
