COLLAGE, The Art & Science of Healthy Aging, a consortium of aging service organizations using an automated assessment system to advance healthy aging, has announced an exclusive agreement with The Center for Information Management, Inc. (CIM), an Ann Arbor, MI-based company. CIM will create, deploy and support web-based tools, a second-generation software package, for COLLAGE members, consisting of an integrated assessment tool and person-centered process to advance healthy aging and improve wellness outcomes. The new platform will allow COLLAGE to better meet demand for its services and expand its membership from the current 90 sites to over 400 sites in the next five years.
COLLAGE was created in 2005 as a joint venture between Kendal Outreach, LLC, a not-for-profit subsidiary of The Kendal Corporation, and the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, a not-for-profit organization affiliated with
Harvard Medical School. It offers a customized suite of standardized and systematic assessment instruments that evaluate health and wellness in areas such as memory loss, nutrition, balance, mental well-being and social connectedness. The system is used by a consortium network consisting of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), congregate senior housing sites (both market rate and subsidized), and senior service agencies. The information is forwarded to a national repository and reports are disseminated to members allowing analysis of specific locations and comparisons with peers
Neil Beresin, COLLAGE Program Manager at Kendal Outreach, added, "We have been delighted with the professionalism and depth of experience that CIM brings to the table. In a very short time working with CIM, our members can hardly wait
to see their new system. Everyone is confident that the new software will greatly enhance the satisfaction of our current users, as well as rapidly accelerate our growth to many more facilities. Interest in our approach to promoting healthy aging is growing and that is particularly satisfying.”
