You Can Use a Medical Alert Device without a Land Line!

Medical Alert devices are an essential part of keeping seniors safe and independent in their own homes. The peace of mind that senior and their family caregivers experience is well worth the price of the device and service.

While it is recommended that individuals use a standard line phone to connect the system to the call center many households see an advantage in using a mobile phone as a primary means of contact. Mobile phones give seniors greater freedom and cost savings in that they can use a single phone number for all calling. A Harris Interactive poll report shows that 1 in 5 adults don’t have a land line and 1 in 7 adults only use a cell phone.

Caryl Technologies has developed technology that enables you to:

- Use any mobile or Smartphone to connect to a Medial Alert base station*
- Use remote alert button pendants or watches
- Custom one button contact to family and friends
- Connect your mobile phone to regular home phone units which enable you to use features like speakerphone, large button dialing, etc.
- Never worry about your mobile phone running out of battery power when using it at home
- Receive proactive reminder calls to check on your status
- Schedule medication reminders
- Track medical readings and wellness electronically

We are able to offer all these additional services for the same monthly price you are probably paying for your Medial Alert devices alone!

This solution now opens up this valuable homecare option for an underserved and growing market of not only seniors but all individuals who want to stay safe, healthy, and connected.

Contact us for more information.

* Bluetooth enabled

New Funding For Home Care Approved

Nationally, $4.3 Billion in New Funds Announced to Help Establish and Expand Community-based Alternatives to Institutional Long Term Care

Some States will see significant new federal support in their efforts to help move Medicaid beneficiaries out of institutions and into their own homes or other community settings now and in the near future, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Feb. 22, 2011.

The MFP program provides individuals living in a nursing home or other institution new opportunities to live in the community with the services and supports they need. Groups benefiting from these home-and-community based programs include the elderly, persons with intellectual, developmental and/or physical disabilities, mental illness or those diagnosed with several of these conditions. To date, these programs have helped 12,000 individuals move out of institutions and back into their communities. Today’s grants are expected to help an additional 13,000 people.

To see full press release and list of participating States click here.

IT’S NOT “THEM” IT’S “US” – THE COMING AGE TSUNAMI!

There was a great, PBS special report called “Real Housewives of Roseville: A Blueprint America Special Report”, as part of their popular Need to Know series. This was reported on by the Seniors For Living web site.

This report highlighted the issues faced by a quiet Northern town, which is just one of many across the country who are as yet unprepared for the “age tsunami”.
According to the report, 1 in 5 suburbanites will be a senior by 2030, just 19 years from now. Schoolchildren are soon to be outnumbered by this elder population, and without major changes to transportation, housing, and infrastructure, many of these 65+ers may find themselves trapped in the suburbs.

With more people moving to/settling in the suburbs, fewer families having children, and federal/state/local funding streams drying up, we truly have a crisis on our hands, considering the massive numbers of folks needing services in the immediate future, not to mention the increasing complexity of care required by these older adults (i.e. Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, disability, etc.).

This underscores the need for services like My Buddy Check to help senior and their families deal with this coming current “age tsunami”.

You can find the video link on Seniors For Living and PBS web sites:

Seniors For Living
PBS

BCN Working With "At Risk Infants"

Imagine that you are a parent of one of the approximately 32,000 babies are born with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) each year in the United States. And after heroic work by a leading Children’s Hospital, teams of dedicated doctors, and caring nurses your child is finally able to come home.

There are few more stressful times for parents than during the home recovery period of children diagnosed with complex CHD. The stress of caring for these infants is unrelenting, and the anxiety often peaks in the days and weeks after intensive care discharge as families do not have immediate access to nursing and medical staff. This is especially true for families from rural areas or living long distances from the treating cardiac center.

Dr. Barbara Medoff-Cooper PhD, RN, FAAN of the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Nursing is heading a study that will create a supportive, Transitional TeleHealth Home Care: REACH program that will pioneer a new approach to home monitoring. It integrates an evidence-based APN Transitional Care model with the innovative use of the Buddy Check Network’s voice, SMS, email, and internet monitoring technology.

REACH partners with parents to individualize care and assist them in recognizing early changes in infant health status before an infant is in crisis.

Check back often to stay updated on the study’s progress.

Losing Options

One of the subjects that often comes up when talking to family members that have loved ones with declining health is how hard it is to get them to accept some help. Even after a fall or serious health episode many seniors will decline to accept even the smallest device, professional help, or a consider a move to a supportive residence.

Often they do not want to be a burden or are concerned about cost, but many have expressed that even when cost is not an issue they still resist admitting to need or accepting any help with the ubiquitous “I’m fine”.

It may be that seniors feel that once they start down that path of accepting help it will never end, short of a nursing home or hospital. While this may be true for some cases most would greatly improve their quality of life by exploring options while they have the opportunity. Many family caregivers fear that an unexpected medical emergency will force them to pick from a reduced option list if they have choices at all.

I would love to hear from you as to how you have or would deal with these situations.

Cell Phone 'Telemonitoring' May Help Control Blood Pressure

There was a great article that reported on a study done by Dr. Alexander G. Logan, from the University of Toronto, and is slated to discuss the experimental monitoring system Wednesday at the American Heart Association annual meeting in Chicago.

One expert said the technology can provide a valuable service.

"Telemonitoring provides information regarding a patient's progress and condition between physician visits, and assists clinicians in identifying patients who have early symptoms of a more serious condition that, if left untreated, may require acute care, like hospitalization," explained Dr. Peter Rutherford, medical director at Wenatchee Valley Medical Center in Wenatchee, Wash.

"In the end," he said, "the patient's engagement in the program, coupled with the case manager's involvement in the patient's care and the physician's practice, is a vital piece of the disease management puzzle."

In the preliminary study, Logan and his colleagues have found that after using the cell phone-based device for a year, patients with uncontrolled systolic hypertension dramatically improved their ability to control their blood pressure. In that time frame, systolic blood pressure readings among patients using the system dropped by 9.1 mm Hg, compared with just a 1.6 mm Hg decrease observed among their counterparts with uncontrolled systolic hypertension who relied on standard blood pressure monitoring equipment.

More than a third of the patients (37 percent) using the cell phone system were able to get their blood pressure under control, compared with just 14.2 percent of those using standard equipment.

"This study shows how simple interactive technology may help revolutionize preventive care, which relies on the synergy of the physician and the patient," added another expert, Dr. Tara Narula, a clinical cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

She believes the research, "highlights the future of medicine by a dual approach whereby physicians can reach beyond the confines of the clinic setting and patients are empowered to take control of their own health."

Link to article:

Radio Interview With President of My Buddy Check

I recently had the chance to be on a great radio program the Executive Leaders Radio (www.executiveleadersradio.com) with on-air host, Herb Cohen. The thing that most impressed me about the show is that, unlike most business shows, they focused on the personal aspect of companies and their owners. I had the opportunity to listen to other CEO's, Presidents or Chairmen of companies talk about how they got started in business and the influence their families and experiences in their life that help mold them into the individuals they became.

My segment will air on...
Saturday, November 6th on WHAT/1340AM at 11am (www.am1340what.com to hear it streamed live from their website)
Sunday, November 7th on WCHE/1520AM at 2pm (www.wche1520.com for a live stream) &
Tuesday, November 9th on WFYL/1180AM at 11am.....

I think you will enjoy the various interviews.