Cathy Cress

Expert in Aging Life and Geriatric Care Management

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6 Tech Ideas For Long Distance Care Providers During Covid on Holidays

December 12, 2020

Long-Distance Family Stocking Brimming with Coal

Christmas and Hanukkah are upon us, and many long-distance families will be celebrating remotely with elderly parents due to the nationwide COVID onslaught. Long Distance adult children will make the dangerous journey anyway. Those that do travel may call an Aging Life Care Manager after coming across piles of junk mail, consistently dirty clothes, or a house and/or aging parent that looks like lumpy turkey gravy. Those adult children who stay safely home in the pandemic will need their aging parents to have some technology to communicate with them. Both groups should consider technology as a gift to seniors

 Technology Pushes Coal Out of Stocking

Before you get that call, you should read Laurie Orlov’s blog, a fellow Geriatric Care Manager now very well known in the field of aging for her expertise in aging technology. This is what Orlov has to say about long-distance technology in the pandemic. When they call you you might suggest one of the high-tech items Orlov suggests a part of an older family member’s life. Especially during the pandemic. These gero-technologies can help an older parent or relative shelter safely in place, avoid loneliness and isolation through connecting with others, age in place, and improve communicating with loved ones.

Videoconferencing

Videoconferencing is a great way to keep elderly parents connected and less lonely and isolated. It can also be a good tool for adult siblings who live apart to have chats or meetings about Mom or Dad.  Free programs like Skype or another parent-friendly plus easy choice Facetime and the built-in webcams on many computers, make this easy on elders. Zoom has become the number one way that families communicate, during the pandemic. . For the holidays, birthdays or even a crisis, it is how we virtually gather now and has a free version.

Amazon Echo Show uses Alexa, by activating Amazon’s voice and can make calls to adult children or anyone, making it easy for seniors to talk to anyone including family. An older standard telephone conference service is still highly rated and still free, as well. Freeconferencecall.com

Med Dispensers

Here is a review of several med dispensers on the market

A device that is very appropriate for elders who have medication abuse problems is Hero Electronic Pill Dispenser   

Alexa has a new pill reminder feature

A more modest choice is Electronic Pill Box with Flasing Reminders 

Caregiver Video Cameras

Cameras like Google Nest can monitor an individual’s activities of daily living and provide caregivers with direct video feed on a smartphone, tablet app, or the Web to check on the status of a family member. 

Monitoring sensors

Wireless systems. Cameras can be viewed remotely from a smartphone or computer. You may be able to get video motion alerts and the ability to pan and zoom

GCM Laurie Orlov at Aging Tech suggests many new 2020 sensor programs among them. Caregiver Smart Solutions 

Canary Care. lets you place wireless sensors around the house to monitor the activity of an elderly parent who is declining, while the family is long distance. The information is sent to your Canary Care portal. The sensors are battery powered and the hub uses mobile data to send the information, so no need for a landline or broadband.

TruSense  – can alert long distance or even local adult children if a probable fall occurs. An alert is triggered when TruSense detects that your loved one has not moved from high-risk fall areas (such as a stairwell or restroom) in an unusually long time. Other alerts include doors where the older person could wander.

 

 Other Sensor Products

Sensor products can check a number of items within a house: motion patterns, stove on/off status, carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide levels, air quality, and presence of smoke or fire. They can also lock doors and control other items in the home remotely.

Daily activity monitoring. Activity sensors can be placed on the refrigerator, stove, door, and other objects around the home. Your relative may also wear a watch that monitors activity. You can allow caregivers and physicians to access the data. Set up notifications to be delivered by e-mail, text, or mobile app.: Live!y is a good choice

 GCM Technology Guide

Technology moves in nano-seconds and changes almost as fast. Give clients and their families the updated information. For a totally overhauled technology chapter,” Technologies That Support Aging in Place “, by GCM Julie Menack and Berkeley’s head of the Center for Aging and Technology, David Lindeman Ph.D. Get the new Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition 

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Filed Under: Adult children, Aging, Aging Family, aging family and COVID, aging life business, Aging Life Care, Aging Life Care Assocaition, aging life care manager, Geriatric Care Managers value, geriatric social worker, Holiday Meltdown in Aging Family, Holiday season, HolidaySeason and COVID, Laurie Orlov, Loneliness, Long Distance Care & COVID-19, Long Distance Care technology, Long distance caregiver, Long Distance Safety Travel COVID, Long Distance travel Holidays, Videoconferencing Tagged With: aging in place technology, care manager, care manager technology, caregiver assessment, COVID-19& LONG DISTANCE CARE, elder technology, Family Caregivers using technology, geriatric care management technology, geriatric care management technology Center for, geriatric care manager, geritaric care manager, gero technology, Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition, Holiday visits to family, Home Monitoring Systems, long distance care provider, Long Distance Family Holiday Visit, Long Distance Technology, med dispensers, My Geriatric Care Management Operations Manual, Safe Travel to elder, technology for caregivers, travel to elder, Virtual Holiday Visits

What are Long Distance Technology — How &What Way to Evaluate?

November 19, 2019

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The Challange For The Right Technology

Aging life and geriatric Care managers must challenge themselves to think about a new paradigm of caregiving for elders that includes technology-based tools. especially with long-distance care providers  In order to be able to recommend products for a client, the care manager should be aware of and be willing to experiment with currently available products. It is also important for the care manager to have a process based on specific criteria to “evaluate the technology.  GCM Julie Menack co-author of the new chapter Technologies That Support Aging in Place, in the Handbook of Geriatric Care Management  suggest you use these benchmarks

Benchmarks for Technology Tools for Long-Distance Care Providers

·      Efficacy—Does the technology perform substantially according to expectations?

·      Return on investment and cost-effectiveness—Does the end result justify the means?

·      Ease of use—Do the care providers, family members, or elders using the technology day to day find it intuitive and user-friendly?

·      Low maintenance—Does the solution require significant time and resources to maintain?

·      Improved accountability—Does the solution help the care provider to improve accountability and quality of care?

·      Connection, Contribution, or Legacy? – Does the technology support the client’s feeling of contribution and connection to their family, community, or society?  Does the technology allow the client to transmit their experiences to future generations?

Monitoring sensors

Sensor products can check a number of items within a house: motion patterns, stove on/off status, carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide levels, air quality, and presence of smoke or fire. They can also lock doors and control other items in the home remotely.

Daily activity monitoring. Activity sensors can be placed on the refrigerator, stove, door, and other objects around the home. Your relative may also wear a watch that monitors activity. You can allow caregivers and physicians to access the data. Set up notifications to be delivered by e-mail, text, or mobile app.

Example: Live!y, $50 plus $28 per month.

Video monitoring

Cameras can monitor an individual’s activities of daily living and provide caregivers with direct video feed on a smartphone, tablet app, or the Web to check on the status of a family member.

Wireless systems. Cameras can be viewed remotely from a smartphone or computer. You may be able to get video motion alerts and the ability to pan and zoom.

Example: Netgear VueZone, $130 and more plus service that costs up to $100 monthly.

Last Day to Sign Up For Free Webinar on Long Distance Care Providers Challenge Answers on Holidays

SIGN UP FOR MY NEWEST WEBINAR. 

5 Ways to Tame the Turbulence of Holiday Meltdown in Aging Families

 Learn how!

  • How to work with both dysfunctional and long-distance families who call during the holidays
  • How to give hope to frantic children who call, after seeing their aging parent struggling with the rituals
  • How to sell services to desperate adult child callers   
  • How to use GCM tools to contain Holiday chaos
  • How to use financial forecasting to prepare for growth during the holidays
  • Sidestep the Many Care Managers Who Do not know how to work with Dysfunctional Aging Families so the  client chooses you

THIS FREE  WEBINAR IS NOVEMBER 21, 2019 FROM 2 PM – 3 PM PST

 

SIGN-UP NOW

Filed Under: Aging, Aging Life Care, aging life care manager, Geriatric Care Management Business, Geriatric Care Manager, geriatric social worker, nurse advocate, nurse care manager Tagged With: aging family, aging in place technology, aging life GCM technology, aging parent care, aging parent crisis, aging technology, Center for Aging and Technology, Family Caregivers using technology, geriatric care management technology, technology for caregivers

How Do You Find the Best Care Management Billing Data Base?

July 19, 2019

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You Need a Fully Loaded Billing Data Base to be Profitable

Some care managers still function on paper instead of using a care management database That is a bad business decision. You need to give clients gold standard service to retain them and arming your care managers with the most user-friendly fully loaded client database makes their concierge care so much easier to deliver. This gives your business a more profitable bottom line in running a business. So spending money on a client database makes you more  money

What are Your Choices?

There are only f significant aging life geriatric care management client databases?  So the choices for client software are slim. Jewel Code and  Care Manager Pro more have been around for many years  A more recent addition is Care Tree. A recent addition is I Health Home Geriatric care managers  But the very newest is My Junna.ALCA managers, who employ their own caregivers are fans of  Clear Care, which offers staffing. if you also have private duty home care but is not really as user-friendly for care management needs.If you are a geriatric or aging life care manager or a private duty home care agency doing geriatric care management- which one should you use and why. Find what you need in your client database and check out each product to see if it has what you want.

Here is a list of what a care management database should do for you

  • Track all client information
  • Create and update a care plan
  • Create a client activity log
  • Tracks billable hours
  • Document client activities
  • Interface with a calendar for client and care manager appointments
  • Track client referrals
  • Track guardianship information
  • Track medications
  • Reconcile medications
  • Create a client face sheet with all demographics
  • Creates a care community
  • Upload document and pictures
  • Do real-time updates
  • Be HIPPA compliant
  • Store historical client records
  • Create reports and export data
  • Create medication and text message reminders
  • Add custom patient field
  • digitalize patient paper records
  • go paperless
  • interface with care providers in the home via phone
  • Increase billing by making it easy to bill in the field
  • Patient portal
  • Have a calendar

Learn more about Aging Life and Care Management Billing

 

FREE WEBINAR-

Break Through Barriers to Billing & Profit: Financial Management for GCM &Aging Life Care Managers

 

 THIS WEBINAR BEGINS: Wednesday August 21 2 PM PST Ends 3:15PM PST

 

DURING THIS FREE WEBINAR YOU WILL LEARN

How to Give Your Customers Have a Commitment to Pay You 

To maintain Cash Flow 

To choose the Right Billing Software  

To develop Financial Literacy  

Why You Must Bill 85%  

Understand How To Hire Care Managers Who Can Bill 85% 

Understand How to train your Staff 85%

How to Thrive financially at ALCA or GCM

 

Sign Up Here     

 

Filed Under: Aging, Aging Life Care, Aging Life Care Assocaition, aging life care manager, ALCA sales, billing, Blog, brand, care manager, case manager, cash flow, Geriatric Care Manager, geriatric care manager, geriatric social worker, nurse advocate, nurse care manager Tagged With: aging life geriatric care billing data base, Billing 85%, billing for geriatric care management, billing in the field, care management, elder patient advocate, GCM billing, geriatric care management technology, profitable Geriatric Care Manager Business, time and billing data base

Uber Technology Transforms Senior Transportation

June 18, 2015

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      According to Julie Menack  and  Dr. David Lindeman in their new chapter on GCM Technology ,in Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition ,senior transportation  has been revolutionized by technology. 

New technology-enabled services and programs are emerging that are creating significant new opportunities for older adults and their family caregivers.  Ride sharing services such as Lyft and Uber are reducing the cost and increasing accessibility for individuals to improve socialization and improve access to care and services. 

Variations of these programs have begun in California through Lift Hero and  Silverride, that provide scheduled pickups and specially trained drivers.  In the foreseeable future, the greatest game changer that care managers should monitor will be self-driving cars.  This technology breakthrough will result in significant independence for older adults and greater support for family caregivers.

Filed Under: Aging Tagged With: aging in place technology, aging technology, geriatric care management technology, senior transportation

Technology # 5 Success Factor Aging Life or Geriatric Care Management

May 27, 2015

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Filed Under: Aging Tagged With: business plan for aging life or geraitric care management, critical success factor For GCM or Aging Life business, geriatric care management technology, technology

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