The perfect programming matrix
Posted: May 2013
To achieve a higher quality of life and longer periods of stay, retirement communities should consider a robust and fully comprehensive programming strategy. To address the needs of residents, they should aim at creating avenues of engagement opportunities for anyone at any time. Think of it as simple customer service. To achieve this, the options should take into account three core elements: It should start with the personal interest of the residents, including their life stories and what they would like to stay engaged with. Secondly, it should hit all dimensions of wellness: emotional, occupational, social, spiritual, physical and educational. And finally, it should be adaptable so that it is accessible and meaningful, no matter where the resident is on their physical or cognitive journey.
How Robots Are Changing the Way We Age
Posted: May 2013
hen an elderly person needs dinner, “Herb” answers a command given on an iPad. He heads to the freezer, pulls out a frozen meal, microwaves it and brings it to the person -- just like that. What's different about this situation is that Herb is not a person. HERB actually stands for Home Exploring Robotic Butler, and is developed out of Carnegie Melon University's Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Center.
HealthMEDX Rated #1 in Post-Acute Care EMR Report by KLAS
Posted: May 2013
The “KLAS Post-Acute Care Perception 2013: High Hopes and Big Plans” report has rated HealthMEDX as the top performer in the long-term care EMR vendor category. This report highlights the growing need for technology investment in post-acute care to support accountable care organizations, avoidable admissions, and care transitions.
HealthMEDX, Front Porch, PointClickCare and Linked Senior Make News
Posted: May 2013
CAST Supporter HealthMEDX, Patron Front Porch, and Business Associates PointClickCare and Linked Senior made news recently. So did LeadingAge Members Ingleside at King Farm and Citizens Care and Rehabilitation Center.
Riverside Health System Selects HealthMEDX to Automate Riverside’s Lifelong Health & Aging Related Services Division
Posted: April 2013
As the largest provider of services for older adults in Virginia, Riverside Health System provides an expansive continuum of care to those in all stages of life.
Avoiding Hospitalizations with In-Home Care
Posted: April 2013
Trial results show that an affordable care management system can dramatically reduce the use of hospital services.
Inside Healthcare Profiles CAST Sponsor HealthMEDX
Posted: April 2013
It was personal experience with her mother’s recovery from cancer surgery, her father-in-law’s quadruple bypass surgery and her mother-in-law’s stroke rehabilitation that demonstrated to Pamela Pure, the former president of McKesson Technology Solutions -- a healthcare information technology and services provider -- how badly electronic medical records software was needed to automate and connect post-acute care facilities
The Oaks and Israel: Retirement community goes international with technological expertise in senior care
Posted: March 2013
The Oaks in Orangeburg is receiving international recognition for its work in senior technological care. The retirement community’s expertise was on display last month in an international setting at a Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) conference in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Oaks was one of six U.S. participants and the only U.S. care provider to attend the Feb. 24-27 event. CODATA is an interdisciplinary committee of the International Council for Science.
Exer-Gaming Seniors Have Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline
Posted: March 2013
Technology that can improve seniors’ physical and cognitive health has already hit the market—such as the CyberCycle—but there’s far more to come, if Microsoft’s recently-revealed IllumiRoom is any indication, and it could change the whole landscape of memory care.With dementia cases projected to number as many as 100 million by 2050, researchers are seeking interventions to curb or prevent cognitive decline that are engaging to seniors.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Announces the "Final 5" Most Influential Research Articles of 2012
Posted: March 2013
Thousands of visitors come to rwjf.org to read up on the most up-to-date and comprehensive research supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Each year [they] identify a group of 20 articles, based on their popularity on rwjf.org, and ask [readers] to trim that list to the five Most Influential Research Articles—the "Final 5."
Seniors get digital, reshaping America's wired future
Posted: February 2013
Beulah Parisi got her first computer at 100 years old. Her neighbor Louise Evans, 103, has a computer, two iPod music players, a Kindle Fire, an iPad and the newest iPhone. At their Milwaukie retirement community Willamette View, the percentage of new residents with some sort of connected device has risen from about a third to "nearly everyone," says Willamette View spokeswoman Joyce Allmon.
Seniors: A brave new world of high-tech devices helps with elder care
Posted: February 2013
Remember the scene in Woody Allen’s “Sleeper” with the Jewish robot tailors Ginsberg and Cohen (“Maybe you vould like a nice double knit?”)? Well, in the not-so-distant future, these “socially assistive” robots may not only be making suits but also preparing kosher-style meals (no cheese on that low-salt, low-fat pastrami sandwich please!). The field of gerontechnology, meaning the use of technology to support elders, is rapidly growing. Technology, usually thought to be the purview of the young, can help support our parents and eventually us Baby Boomers in ways that seemed impossible only a few years ago.
Tips for Boomers Dipping Their Toes Into the Tech Waters
Posted February: 2013
The technology world is constantly evolving, making it hard for boomers to keep up with the latest changes, gadgets and trends. However, it is never too late for older baby boomers to start learning and benefit from all of tech advancements.
Why EHRs Matter to LTC’s Future
Posted: February 2013
Hospitals began adopting electronic health records (EHR) more than 15 years ago, using them to document the care delivery inside their own walls. Back then, EHRs were viewed greatly as electronic versions of paper records, with a few juicy extras built in, like clinical decision support and medication alerts. Later, acute care marveled as the EHR shifted from being a virtual filing cabinet to becoming an interactive part of the healthcare enterprise. These days, long-term care needs EHRs to do the same for them.
Engineering Students Create Therapy Devices for Dementia Patients
Posted February: 2013
Thanks to a group of freshman engineering students at Penn State DuBois, some area dementia patients are finding comfort in spite of their illness. The students recently applied their engineering know-how to create devices that stimulate the minds of those suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia, and those devices are now being used daily at Christ the King Manor Nursing Home in DuBois.
New Touchtown Partnerships Take Senior Living Communications to Next Level
Posted February: 2013
Touchtown announces partnerships that pave the way for residents at senior living communities to order meals and request maintenance through its tablet-based ‘Touchtown Resident Apps.’ The collaboration with two major software companies also bolsters Touchtown offerings to senior living providers for dining and maintenance management. The integration with CARDWATCH and Windmill Software systems will begin with the Touchtown web portal, in-house TV channels and digital signs, followed by ‘Touchtown Resident Apps.’
High-Tech Home Help
Posted: February 2013
A new touch-screen system arriving in the U.K. this year (courtesy of Saga!) promises to revolutionise old age. It helps to keep older people in their own homes for longer by enabling family or carers to keep a loving eye on mum or dad from afar. Here’s where it all began...
Interview with Louis Burns, CEO, Intel – GE Care Innovations
Posted: January 2013
In advance of the iHT2 Health IT Summit in Phoenix, Louis Burns, CEO, Intel – GE Care Innovations joined the iHT2 Education Department to discuss Accountable Care Organizations, Remote Care Management, his upcoming keynote presentation taking place at the Summit.
LivHOME CareMonitor Powered by GrandCare Begins Nationwide Rollout
Posted: January 2013
When Howard, a 90-year-old living in Walnut Creek, CA, needs his blood pressure or oxygen level checked, the data are transmitted directly from monitors on his arm and finger and immediately made available to his geriatric care manager. His body weight is also sent from a Bluetooth-enabled scale.
Tech Driving Improvements, Workflow Changes
Posted: January 2013
Technology payoffs such as automation and electronic health records are allowing healthcare providers to better manage care and information. But these new tools are also forcing operators to reconsider how they do their day jobs, according to a top industry expert.
Pittsburgh technology center may create robots to fulfill assisted-living needs
Posted: January 2013
High-tech gadgets, many being developed in Pittsburgh, are making it a little easier to grow old. Pill dispensers wired to your doctor or pharmacist, tiny in-home motion sensors, and shoes with tracking devices are helping seniors stay in their homes and offering a bit of relief to loved ones.
LeadingAge CAST Promotes Technology Use in Care for Aging
Posted: January 2013
LeadingAge CAST shows how current technology can facilitate coordinated care and aging in place. The video follows Alma, an 83-year-old woman whose journey from home to hospital, rehabilitation and back home was assisted by technology.
Philips introduces mobile innovation to its personal emergency response system technology
Posted: January 2013
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, January 8-11, Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) announces Philips Lifeline GoSafe, a new mobile personal emergency response system (PERs), designed to help seniors get more out of life. Philips' latest innovation provides a unique combination of fall detection capabilities along with a suite of locating technologies and two-way cellular voice communication to help provide users the confidence to continue doing the activities they enjoy knowing they have access to help if they need it.
New Video from LeadingAge CAST Follows Senior Through Tech Journey
Posted: January 2013
High-Tech Aging: Improving Lives Today is a new video from the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) that was released this morning at an Institute of Medicine (IOM) workshop on assistive technologies, aging, and disability.
CAST Video Depicts How Technologies Can Facilitate Coordinated Care & Aging in Place
Posted: January 2013
A new video from the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) depicts how affordable technologies that are currently available can be integrated to help seniors and people with disabilities. The video premiered at the Institute of Medicine's Assistive Technologies, Aging, and Disability workshop on Dec. 19, 2012.
GrandCare Systems Wins 2012 Frost and Sullivan Best Practices Award
Posted: Janury 2013
GrandCare Systems has received the prestigious 2012 Frost and Sullivan, North American Elderly Health and Wellness Customer Value Enhancement Award. This award recognizes GrandCare Systems for offering an extensive, cutting-edge, elderly health and wellness solution.
MDI Achieve's Matrix Receives ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 Certification
Posted: January 2013
MDI Achieve, provider of Matrix, a market-leading Electronic Health Record solution for Long-term/Post-acute care, announced today that Matrix, Version 6.6, is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as an EHR Module on December 12, 2012, by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable hospital certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The 2011/2012 criteria support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
WoundRounds® receives ONC-ATCB 2013 certification
Posted: January 2013
Telemedicine Solutions, provider of WoundRounds, the leading electronic wound documentation and care management solution for long-term/post-acute care, announced that WoundRounds version 3.1.0 is 2013 compliant and is certified as an EHR Module. The certification criteria support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Tech devices help seniors stay in their homes
Posted: January 2013
The digital age is making aging a whole lot easier. From talking pill dispensers to tracking devices tucked inside tennis shoes to digital medical scanners that can transmit vital signs to the doctor, today's gadgets help seniors stay in their homes and can give relief to loved ones and caregivers