Telehealth cuts readmission rates, earns system a speedy return on investment
Telehealth cuts readmission rates, earns system a speedy return on investment
May 23, 2012 | By Ken Terry (FierceHealthIT)
“Saint Vincent Health System in Erie, Pa., reports that using telemedicine technology has reduced readmissions in its 26 Pennsylvania facilities–and also netted a 100 percent return on investment in just two months.
St. Vincent’s success story echoes the findings of Geisinger Health Plan’s two-year study of home telemonitoring. That trial showed a 44 percent drop in readmissions among the monitored patients compared to a control group.
The Geisinger study looked at the use of an interactive voice response system for monitoring patients with congestive heart failure. The IVR system enabled the patients to report their weight and answer a series of questions about their symptoms.”
Read more HERE >>
Online resources for the elderly and their caregivers
This is a very complete list of resources published in the Health section of The New York Times. Included are:
- Government Sites
- Housing and Services
- Caregiving
- Legal and Financial
- End of Life
- Miscellany
- Advocacy
- Emotional Support
- Magazines
- Blogs
Look through the resource links HERE >>
Families of frail seniors call sensors a godsend
Families of frail seniors call sensors a godsend
Article by: WARREN WOLFE , Star Tribune
“Senior care technology, including monitoring systems such as motion and activity sensors, are a “godsend” to some older adults (and their families) who want to remain in a senior living community’s independent living section for as long as possible, reports Minneapolis’ Star Tribune.
At Kingsway Senior Living complex, located in Belle Plaine, Minn., nine sensors track one particular resident’s activity, dispatching data to the system’s developer, Healthsense of Mendota Heights, and allowing family members to remain aware of his status.”
Above commentary by Alyssa Gerace of Senior Housing News
The importance of sensors, digital home health solutions, and various technologies has been all over the news for years now. But what has been missing is real life examples and case studies. This article describes how these solutions increase safety and increase the older adult’s quality of life, all while saving BIG MONEY!
If you haven’t jumped into providing home health technology solutions for your clients yet – now would be a good time! Take a look at the solutions available on our website here: Home Health Tech Store
For two years, it has helped keep him in his lower-cost apartment at the Kingsway Senior Living complex and out of the adjacent assisted-living unit. That $900 annual service saves him $22,000 a year.
Across Minnesota, thousands of elders are able to stay healthier, and delay or avoid institutional care, under the 24-hour-a-day attention of pressure sensors, motion detectors, pill dispensers, personal-alert pendants and other devices….
…At Kingsway, each of the 22 assisted-living units has the full array of sensors included in its monthly fee.
They pay the full cost: one-time fees of $1,500 to rent and $550 to install and program the system, and a monthly monitoring fee of $150.
“That sounds expensive, but it’s about the same as two weeks in a nursing home,” said Sharon Blume, director of family services and technology at Kingsway. “The savings start pretty quick.”
Prevent Kitchen Fires with CookStop
Unattended cooking is a top cause of fires in managed complexes, dorms, care centers and family residences. CookStop, a stovetop fire prevention system available at Home Health Tech, can stop your property, tenants and loved ones from being part of the statistics. CookStop continuously checks for movement in the kitchen. If the resident leaves the room, falls asleep, becomes distracted, or leaves the stove unattended for any reason, CookStop shuts the stove off.
CookStop can be watching for you – and shut down that fire risk! Multi-family complexes, especially retirement and independent living facilities, have magnified risk from kitchen fires. CookStop is a proactive solution, stopping the cause of the fire. Smoke detectors, alarms and sprinklers are reactive solutions – by the time they activate, smoke, flames, and risk are already present.
Peace of mind and reduced risk for residents, property managers, and owners.
- Independent living residences
- Multi-family retirement communities
- Continuing care retirement communities
- Student dorms and residence halls
The only solution with programmable cooking permissions plus motion sensing. Set the stove for use during only certain hours or days (e.g. no after midnight cooking). Set the stove so student must push a button to cook longer than a set time (ensuring student is attentive to the cooking). Read more »
Interested in selling and installing the CookStop? Ask about our CookStop Dealer Program! Email Service@homehealthtechstore.com for more information.
Why ‘Transitions’ In Health Care Are Dangerous And How To Avoid Them
This is an interesting article found on CommonHealth. I’ve come across a few articles with the same theme. We’re fortunate that there are now so many technology products out there that can help an older adult stay in their home while a loved one or care provider monitors their health. It’s just a matter of awareness!
“With more than 1.6 million Americans now living in nursing homes, many of us are all too familiar with the debilitating cycle of a nursing home admission followed by repeated hospitalizations, a spiraling into decline, and ultimately death.
I know for my 87-year old father, now living in an assisted living facility, the prospect of a nursing home leaves him hoping he will just drift off one night in his sleep.
A new study released this week by Brown University and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, confirms what many of us have observed: health care transitions, such as moves in and out of the hospital from a nursing home, do not lead to positive outcomes.”
mHealth Technologies: Applications to Benefit Older Adults
This is an excellent paper written last year by the Center for Technology and Aging. Mobile technologies are here to stay, and have already begun playing a major role in our healthcare. Definitely worth the read.
Many of the solutions listed can be found on the Home Health Tech website HERE.
“This paper includes an overview of mHealth and mobile technologies that are beneficial to older adults, along with representative samples. The paper further discusses five healthcare areas that are particularly relevant to mHealth applications:
- chronic disease management
- medication adherence
- safety monitoring
- access to health information
- wellness
The table below presents an overview of the relevant mHealth technology applications described in this report; these should be viewed as a limited sample and not an exhaustive list, nor as an endorsement of the representative technologies.”
Smoke Alarms Safety for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
It amazed me to learn that one of the first tone frequencies to go as you age is the tone of the Smoke Alarm. What?!? Well, luckily, Lifetone Technology has developed a product to take care of this problem – and save a life.
Lifetone HL Bedside Fire Alarm & Clock
“An estimated 70 million Americans have high-frequency hearing loss. This is more than simply an inconvenience – in many cases, it can be a true safety issue. Almost 44 percent of people with hearing loss do not wake to the sound of standard fire alarms . And, with roughly half of all home fire deaths resulting from incidents reported between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., that’s cause for concern.” - Lifetone HL™ Bedside Fire Alarm and Clock Product Fact Sheet
Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Fire Notification Signals in Sleeping Older Adults
Smoke Alarms Disability Safety Tips
Community Based Research on the Effectiveness of the Home Smoke Alarm in Waking up Children
Technological advances help ensure health, safety of older adults
Hummm… Home Health Tech carries just about every tech gadget mentioned in this article!
Take a look at this U-T article by Beth Wood. It’s up to each of us to help educate the population on the technology available to assist.
“The burgeoning population of Americans 65 or older is becoming increasingly more connected. In the quest for safety, independence and convenience, many seniors, their loved ones and caregivers are looking to technological innovations.
Often called assistive technology, this growing industry offers help to people with diminishing mental and physical abilities. Among many such aids are alert systems for people with dementia, blood pressure monitors and automatic medications managers.
By 2030, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Aging, about 72.1 million Americans will be 65 or older — more than twice the number in 2000.”
Number of seniors 65+ at record high in 2010
And that was two years ago!!
This article was written by Elizabeth Aguilera and published in The San Diego Union-Tribune just a few months ago. This is exactly why technology solutions are so important. We need a way to care for these older adults.
“The United States had 40.3 million people 65 or older last year — the highest number of seniors since the Census Bureau began keeping records more than a century ago, the agency said Wednesday. The percentage of Americans who were seniors last year — 13.4 percent — also reached a record high.
Experts on aging have been predicting the swell for years, and that’s before taking into account the future graying of baby boomers. They said the new figures accentuate their concerns about…”
Presto, Computerless Email Service
Aging in one’s own home is a highly desired goal, but one that can breed social isolation which is prevalent among older Americans. And since 62% of Americans over age 65 don’t use a computer, it’s more important than ever to find a solution that provides a rich connection between family members of all ages. By selling Presto as a home health tech solution for aging-in-place, you make it possible for whole families to communicate with elder loved ones by sending email, digital photos and documents. The seniors don’t need a computer or Internet service, just the Presto Mail service and Printing Mailbox available from Home Health Tech. By installing this new service it will provide a renewed link between elders and their family that can significantly improve their quality of life and ability to age-in-place.
Help relieve family stress
Many children live far away from their aging parents. Presto allows them to help from a distance, making it much easier to spread some of the responsibility for caring for Mom and Dad to other family members.
Make your business more efficient
You can also use Presto to communicate with clients. Whether you send reminders that a caregiver is coming, one of Presto’s automatically delivered crossword puzzles, or in-home instructions for one of your care providers, Presto can help make your business more efficient.
Presto is an economical solution
With an inexpensive Presto Printing Mailbox and low monthly service fee, your clients get a personalized, spam-free email address to share with family and friends. You get a service loved by tens of thousands of Presto users to help differentiate your offerings. Read more »
Interested in the Presto Dealer Program? We have tools to help you be successful selling Presto! Email DealerPrograms@homehealthtechstore.com and ask for the “Presto Dealer Packet”
