Senior Care Technology Review: Status Solutions, Qualcomm, AOD, & More

Partnerships between senior care technology developers and others in the industry are the name of the game for this round-up, with key players such as Status Solutions, HealthDynamix, Care Technology Systems, Qualcomm Life Inc., Answers on Demand, and the University of North Texas. Meanwhile, LeadingAge has written about some different technologies that can help senior care providers create safer environments for residents and improve the transition process, while tech expert Laurie Orlov has penned a study about calibrated care and its technology-fueled role in in-home care.

Status Solutions: New Partnership With Healthcare IT Company HealthDynamix

Status Solutions is partnering with HealthDynamix, a division of PC Mall Inc. that specializes in IT solutions for the healthcare marketplace, to host demonstrations that will boost recognition for Status Solutions’ CATIE technology.

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“We’re excited to work with Status Solutions and the senior living customers who adopt the CATIE technology for improving their business processes and delivering rich media experiences to their residents,” explains Dan Schneider, HealthDynamix’s vice president. “Communities that deploy CATIE will realize tremendous ROI from the Wi-Fi backbone that powers CATIE as well as other applications they have now or decide to add later for continued improvements. Together, we’re preparing senior living communities to compete for the Boomers who have high expectations for technology and other amenities.”

“Amenities are the transformative elements senior living communities need to carefully consider, design and then deliver to differentiate themselves,” explains Mike MacLeod, Status Solutions’ president. “The key amenity for life quality is communication and access to information to prevent isolation and encourage activity and engagement. Thus with CATIE, a senior living community can transform how it operates while helping residents stay connected to the world around them.”

Care Technology Systems & Qualcomm Life: Partnership Creates Aging-in-Place Platform

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Aging-in-place company Care Technology Systems’ monitoring suite is now available on the 2net Platform operated by Qualcomm Life Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, the company recently announced. 

CTS’ Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) and activities of daily living (ADLs) monitoring, as well as biometrics monitoring can now be accessed on 2net Platform’s cloud-based system, which enables companies, providers, and users to capture data from any wireless medical device and deliver it to integrated portals or databases while storing it in a secure system. 

LeadingAge: How Nursing Homes Could Use Technology to Prevent Falls & Wandering

There are several kinds of technologies that nursing homes can use to help prevent falls and wandering and keep residents safe, writes LeadingAge.

One way is to install carpeting that can map peoples’ walking patterns, which can then be analyzed to help caregivers identify gradual walking changes. Plastic optical fibers are embedded into the padding of an ordinary carpet to create a “smart carpet” and these fibers could eventually be used to track all sorts of data.

Another senior care technology development is a bracelet or anklet using real-time location to help employees at senior care communities to keep track of residents. The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system uses Wi-Fi based wrist/ankle monitors and infrared beacons and Wi-Fi nodes to transmit data on location of each resident to caregivers, sending alerts if necessary. 

LeadingAge: Using Technology to Improve Meds Management During Care Transitions

University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy researchers implemented a program last year in partnership with Healthcentric Advisors, the state’s Medicare Quality Improvement Organization, the state’s Division of Elderly Affairs, and local hospitals targeting state residents with certain conditions who were receiving care at the local community hospital to reduce the occurrence of readmission.

The program included conducting home visits upon discharge and using electronic personal health records (ePHRs) with a goal of reducing rehospitalizations from recently discharged patients relating to medication, reports LeadingAge.

Out of 300 patients invited to participate in the program, 68 agreed, and 30 of those completed the pharmacist home visit. Twenty patients agreed to use the ePHRs, and 19 ended up with a medication-related problems that the pharmacists were able to address.

Ultimately, three patients (16%) were rehospitalized within 30 days, although readmission data wasn’t available for 11 of the patients, the researchers note. This compares to a 2001 study when readmissions for the state’s broader care transitions initiative were 11.8% for coached patients, and 23.5% for patients who didn’t fully participate on the intervention. 

Read more at LeadingAge.

Study: Calibrated Care at Home—2012 Aging and Health Technology

Here’s a sneak peek at the study, which was written by principal analyst Laurie Orlov about how aging care is being brought to people’s homes through technology:

“Today home monitoring and telehealth technology markets, self-care technologies, retail clinics, and use of online websites help individuals and caregivers to manage chronic disease. The key to managing health and disease as well as the cost of care is matching the right level of care, including use of technology, at the right time and right place. This is called Calibrated Care. By 2020, we believe providers and patients will willingly participate in a process of calibrated care through lower-cost, technology-enabled and closer-to home interactions.” Read more

AOD Contributes Software Education to UNT Gerontology Students 

Answers on Demand, a software designed for continuing care retirement communities, is getting added to the curriculum for students in the University of North Texas’s Applied Gerontology program. Those taking the “Case Management for the Elderly” course will be able to gain familiarity with new technology to learn about developing care plans, conducting geriatric assessments, and educating patients and family members.

Students at UNT with access to a working electronic health record will have an advantage over students in other medical programs without these sorts of partnerships, says AOD.

“At AOD we see the partnership with UNT as a win-win-win,” says Doc DeVore, the director of clinical informatics and industry relations at the software company. “Students have hands-on experience with an EHR. Faculty has cutting edge tools to enhance the curriculum. AOD’s clients benefit from the academic feedback. UNT’s Applied Gerontology Program is one of the oldest and best-known programs in the country. Their alumni have become leaders in long-term care throughout the nation. It is an honor for AOD to be involved in the continuing success of this fine program.”

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