The Long Term Care Score: Genworth 12,134; Conseco -1

From Dan Taylor's Parent Care Solution Blog
[this week author Dan Taylor is our guest blogger; these are some of his past writings]

Tuesday, March 27, 2007
The Long Term Care Score: Genworth 12,134-------Conseco -1

If the article in yesterday's New York Times is true and Conseco's long term care claims paying strategy is as described by the writer, it looks like Genworth may have a whole new future. No matter what the outcome, it shows you what not doing what you're supposed to do creates. How much money would it take to have bought a front stage story in the New York Times for something your were doing right? Not 1,000,000th as much as what doing something wrong on the front page will cost . In any event, here's a warning shot across the bow for long term care policy owners and perspective purchasers: MAKE SURE THE COMPANY INTENDS TO PAY THE CLAIM!!!!!!

Hiding behind bureaucratic procedures and practices plus the usual organizational incompetencies will not get you mentioned in the Senior's Hall of Fame when it comes to long term care payment practices. My belief is that there should be legislation that would create the equivalent of the Felony Murder rule in long term care. It could be called the Felony Fraud Rule: if an older person suffers a death or disabling injury or extention of an existing infirmity during the time the company is dawdling over claims payment unnecessarily, then the company would be charged criminally with negligence or manslaughter. The employees perpetuating the delay on the part of their superiors and executives would be charged as accessories to Felony Fraud. That way everyone gets their day in court.

Delay, obfuscation, tactics intended to intimidate, confuse, and frustrate the owners of these policies in their attempted settlement should be dealt with the harshest of penalties both civil and criminal. Write your state and federal legislators today. Tell them you're mad as hell and you're not going to take it any more. Tell them I told you to write. Tell them also that Genworth is doing just the opposite of what it appears Conseco is doing: Honoring their obligations and satisfying their customers. What a novel business concept.

Hats off to you Genworth. Shame on you Conseco.

Posted by Dan Taylor

SimplyHome Website

Spotlight on SimplyHome sensors: Supports up to 23

This week, each day, we will shine our spotlight on one of the wireless sensor types for the SimplyHome system.

The SimplyHome system comes with six (6) sensors, as shown below in the picture, and you can add up to a total of seventeen (17) more.

All the sensors are wireless.

Click on the "Buy Now" button at our website to see all the available sensors in our eStore.

SimplyHome website

Spotlight on SimplyHome sensors: Panic Pendant ("PERS")

This week, each day, we will shine our spotlight on one of the wireless sensor types for the SimplyHome system.

Panic Pendant ("PERS")
$49.95

Note one (1) of these come with the SimplyHome Base Kit. Like all the sensors, it is wireless.

Designed to go just about anywhere, this sensor allows you to activate a 24-hour emergency alarm whether your at home, in the yard, or in the shower. With SimplyHome, you can have the pressing of the panic pendant call (automated voice), email and/or send a cell phone text message to one or more caregivers, instantly.

The Panic Pendant also is called a "PERS"-- a Personal Emergency Response System.

Features:

• Water and shock resistant.
• Recessed panic button prevents false alarms.
• Can be worn around neck.
• Built-in belt clip allows sensor to be attached to belt or purse.
• Can be supervised.
• Wall mounting option.

Specifications:

• Necklace cord and belt clip included
• Color: White
• Dimensions: 1.75" wide, 2.25" high, 0.75" deep
• Batteries: 3.5 VDC 1/2 AA Lithium Battery
• Battery life: 5-8 years

SimplyHome website

Spotlight on SimplyHome sensors: Indoor Motion Sensor (pet immune)

This week, each day, we will shine our spotlight on one of the wireless sensor types for the SimplyHome system.

Indoor Motion Sensor (Pet Immune)
$79.95

Note one (1) of these come with the SimplyHome Base Kit. Like all the sensors, it is wireless.

The Pet-Immune Indoor Motion Sensor detects movement inside an enclosed structure.

When your SimplyHome system is armed in "Away" mode (the mode that should be used when no one is at the location), motion sensors will trip alarms when they detect movement within their coverage area. Pets that are less than 40 pounds will not trip the motion sensor if installed correctly. If your system is armed in Away mode and you're entering the location through a door that has a door sensor on it, then your motion sensors will wait 30 seconds for you to disarm the system before an alarm is tripped. This is called an "entry delay" and helps to prevent false alarms.

When your SimplyHome system is disarmed, or when it is armed in "Stay" mode (the mode that should be used when someone is at the home), motion sensors will report activity but will not sound the siren or trip an alarm. This unique feature is called "Normal Activity Monitoring."

You can use Normal Activity monitoring to see when there is activity in certain areas of the home, like bedrooms, hallways, basements, bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms.

With Normal Activity monitoring, you can keep track of what's happening when you're not there, 24 hours a day, even if you never arm your system.

Better, you can utilize the "Up & About" feature-- set a rule in the web dashboard saying that (as an example) "If the motion sensor in the kitchen does not detect activity in the morning by 9 am, send me and my brother an email and a cell phone text message, each." This way you can see if your elderly parent or disabled sibling has arisen in the morning to begin their day.

Features:

• Passive infrared detection.
• Detects movement inside an enclosed structure.
• Use in large rooms, narrow corridors, and stairwells.
• 35 feet by 40 feet coverage area
• 3-minute motion lockout to conserve battery life.
• Two sensitivity settings.
• Small and unobtrusive.
• Pet immunity up to 40 pounds.

Specifications:

• Battery: Two 1.5 VDC AA Alkaline
• Battery Life: 3-4 years
• Operating Temp: 32º - 120ºF
• Tamper Switch
• Supervisory report every 64 minutes
• Dimensions: 2.5"W x 3"H x 2"D

Note: Motion sensors should not be installed directly facing windows or heat sources.

SimplyHome website

Spotlight on SimplyHome sensors: Door/Window (micro size)

This week, each day, we will shine our spotlight on one of the wireless sensor types for the SimplyHome system.

Door/Window Sensor
Micro Size
$39.95

Note two (2) of these come with the SimplyHome Base Kit. They can attach with the strong two-sided tape that ships with the sensor, or can be screwed in.

The wireless Micro Door/Window Sensor is a supervised, wireless sensor that detects the opening and closing of doors, windows, cabinets, drawers, or just about anything that opens and closes.

The sensor's small size and low profile makes it less conspicuous and makes for a cleaner-looking installation.

The sensor is powered by a 3-volt, lithium coin-cell battery with an estimated life of 5 years (actual battery life depends on how often the sensor is activated), which can be replaced by an end user.

When your SimplyHome system is disarmed, door/window sensors will report all open/close activity but will not sound the siren or trip an alarm. This unique feature is called "Normal Activity Monitoring." You can use Normal Activity monitoring to see when specific doors, windows, cabinets, closets and safes are opened and closed. With Normal Activity monitoring, you can keep track of what's happening when you're not there, 24 hours a day, even if you never arm your system. Better, you can set rules so you can get exception data-- for example, send you and your sister an email if your elderly mother's front door is open say after 8 pm and before 6 am, seven days per week.

Features:

• Small size, low profile is inconspicuous and fits many different applications
• A user-replaceable lithium, coin-cell battery
• Advanced technology that helps extend battery life
• Supervisory reports of battery and transmitter condition
• All activity is reported, not just alarms.

Specifications

• 3.0 volt, lithium coin-cell (CR2032)
• Typical Battery Life: ~5 years
• Operating Temp: 10º - 120ºF
• Supervisory report every 64 minutes
• Dimensions: 1.75"L x .80"W x .50"H

SimplyHome website

Spotlight on SimplyHome sensors: Door/Window (regular size)

This week, each day, we will shine our spotlight on one of the wireless sensor types for the SimplyHome system.

Regular Door/Window Contact Sensor
Regular Size
$36.95

Note two (2) of these come with the SimplyHome Base Kit. They can attach with the strong two-sided tape that ships with the sensor, or can be screwed in.

The SimplyHome system supports up to twenty-three (23) wireless sensors.

Use door/window sensors to protect anything that opens and closes, such as doors, windows, closets and cabinets. The sensor detects an opening with a magnet and reed-switch mechanism that can signal an audible alarm, or send an alert to a caregiver, or both.

Whether your SimplyHome system is in an armed state or not, door/window sensors continuously report all open and close activity, in real time. This unique feature is called "Normal Activity Monitoring." And you can apply rules to cause exception data to send alerts and notifications to one or more caregivers via email and/or cell phone text messages-- for example, if a back door at the residence is open ever, or a front door is open after 7 pm and before 7 am.

Door/Window Contact Features:

* Installs on anything that opens or closes.
* For low and average traffic areas.

Specifications:

* Magnet included
* Dimensions: 1.13" wide, 4.25" high, .88" deep
* Batteries: 2 AAA alkaline
* Battery life: 4-6 years.

SimplyHome website

This Week: Q & A on SimplyHome (part 5 of 5)

This week, each day, we answer a common question about SimplyHome.

Q: How "mobile" is the SimplyHome system-- that is, if my elderly mother moves, can it easily be relocated?

A: The sensors are all wireless, and the base unit itself sits on a table or is mounted to the wall, so it is very easy to move all parts of SimplyHome.

Further, we're a rare company in the Independent Living space that does NOT require long-term contracts from customers, relating to the recurring monthly charge. It is a month-to-month obligation only. So if your elderly mother, as an example, goes to live for three months at your sister's house and you don't need the SimplyHome system during this time-- thus you can save the cost of the recurring monthly charge during that period.

Alternatively, perhaps during that period you want to try the system at the home of your in-laws, to help them "age in place." In that case, you simply move the system to the new location, and continue on, re-setting the right elements with a few mouseclicks in the web dashboard.

SimplyHome website

This Week: Q & A on SimplyHome (part 4 of 5)

This week, each day, we answer a common question about SimplyHome.

Q: How does the "rule setting" work with SimplyHome?

A: We know that caregivers need "exception data"-- that is, alerts and notifications when something appears awry-- and they need this data INSTANTLY.

Here's how it works: The Lead Caregiver logs-in to the SimplyHome web dashboard with a valid login ID and password. Under the NOTIFICATIONS tab, it is then a simple three step process to set-up a notification.

Say, as an example, that the resident should not be leaving (opening the front or back door) after 6 pm and before 5 am. If either door is open after 6 pm or before 5 am any day of the week, an alert is sent. In the web dashboard it is easy to select these two sensors (a wireless contact sensor that is affixed to each door), indicate the time period where if opened, an alert is sent, and then to whom the alert is sent, and how.

As an example, the Lead Caregiver might choose to receive this alert via email and cell phone text message himself, and via say just email to say two other caregivers.

And say that one week the Lead Caregiver is on travel-- he can go into the web dashboard and add another caregiver to back him, inputting say both email and cell phone text message addresses for this temporary replacement, and deleting them upon his return.

SimplyHome website

This Week: Q & A on SimplyHome (part 3 of 5)

This week, each day, we answer a common question about SimplyHome.

Q: Other Independent Living systems seem to need a phone line, or a broadband connection at the residence-- how about SimplyHome?

A: SimplyHome needs neither. It makes use of a 2-way radio network. Each SimplyHome unit has an antenna (see picture below), that at all times is sending data about the residence's sensor activity through the sky to the Network Operating Center, where the data is processed and made available to Caregivers in real-time via the web and via PDA, and alerts & notifications are sent based on rules that have been set by the Lead Caregiver.

The system can be placed virtually anywhere in the residence, on a table or mounted on the wall. The antenna does NOT need a line-of-sight to the sky.



SimplyHome website

This week: Q & A on SimplyHome (part 2 of 5)

This week, each day, we answer a common question about SimplyHome.

Q: We have looked at systems that include a Central Station-- what is that, and how is SimplyHome different?

A: We believe "It Takes a Family." SimplyHome allows you a high degree of connectedness between what's happening at the residence, and one or more caregivers.

In the SimplyHome web dashboard, with a few mouseclicks you set up rules-- such as if the resident presses the panic pendant button, a call/email/cell phone text message (one, two or all three) instantly goes out to you, your sister, the neighbor (one or more).

Similarly, if the resident is not "Up & About," again-- messaging is sent in real-time to key contact-- people who know the resident, and can decide what to do. Often the reaction is to call the resident, go over to the residence-- or in rare cases, vector in Emergency Medical help.

The fact is that no one knows your mother or your sister, as an example, better than the child or the sibling. Rather than a remote call center (aka "Central Station") staffed by service representatives who know virtually nothing about the resident, we believe the powerful connectivity of SimplyHome should loop in family and friends, first and foremost.

SimplyHome website

This week: Q & A on SimplyHome (part 1 of 5)

This week, each day, we answer a common question about SimplyHome.

Q: Does the system in include a Panic Pendant ("PERS")?

A: Yes-- but don't over-rate this device. The fact is, folks don't always have them handy, and in a case where say your elderly mother or handicapped brother can press the Panic Pendant button, on some level she or he is OK. The SimplyHome system is far more watchful-- you place one or more of our motion detectors (the system ships with one) around the residence.

Then using the SimplyHome web dashboard, you set a simple rule-- if mom or brother is not "Up & About" in the morning (as an example) say by 9 am, you and your wife get an email...and a cell phone text message.

This feature-- "Up & About"-- is one of many that makes SimplyHome far different-- we would say far better-- than traditional systems. The unblinking eye(s) of the motion detectors connected to you and your fellow caregivers vie email and cell phone text messaging helps deliver a high-confidence level of care, beyond that given by the resident pushing the panic pendant button-- if she or he can find it...and indeed is able to push it.

SimplyHome website

Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist

This recent article from The Fairfield County Business Journal (Connecticut) talks about a new certification from the august NAHB, and it spotlights a forward-thinking careerist named Mary Jo Peterson:

McLoughlin went on to become a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, a certification from the National Association of Homebuilders that Peterson helped create, just part of the legacy she had built over the past 15 or so years.

More on the NAHB program is here, described as:

The Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation program teaches the technical, business management, and customer service skills essential to competing in the fastest growing segment of the residential remodeling industry: home modifications for the aging-in-place.

It's easy to believe that a Tipping Point has been reached in helping the elderly and disabled live independently or semi-independently at home when homebuilders are recognizing design issues.


SimplyHome website

Gerontology [Part 4 of 4]

There are many universities that have Gerontology programs, and USC is among the best-known:

Gerontology is the study of aging in the context of the entire life span. The USC Davis Schoolthe USC Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, are improving the quality of life for older persons through research and education. and its research and services component,

As the oldest and largest school of gerontology in the world, the Davis School has a long tradition of forging new pathways in the field of aging. A multidisciplinary institution from its inception in 1975, the Davis School was built on the bedrock of excellence in aging research. Research in molecular biology, neuroscience, demography, psychology, sociology and public policy is conducted under the auspices of the Andrus Gerontology Center, founded in 1964.

Expect continued growth from the academic side of Gerontology, as our society requires a large number of smart, committed professionals relating to aging.

SimplyHome website

Gerontology [Part 3 of 4]

The beauty of growth in the field of Gerontology is discoveries like this, reported in The Cincinnati Enquirer:

The Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University studied the cost of long-term care for older Ohioans and reached a familiar conclusion: The state spends too many Medicaid dollars on nursing homes and too few on in-home and community-based care.

Ohio ranks 47th in the percentage of its long-term-care budget spent on helping seniors remain in their own homes. This hurts the state, because national studies show that states with their spending weighed in favor of in-home care spend less per capita than others.

If seniors who are healthy enough for in-home care or assisted living are forced to choose a nursing home because no funds are available for the less-intensive care, they are gravely ill-served by the state.

Thanks in no small part to continued expansion in the army of smart Gerontologists across that nation, reimbursement rules are under review in every statehouse-- significant savings can be garnered, and major improvements in quality of life can be achieved, by enabling seniors and the disabled to stay at home using modern, assistive technology.

SimplyHome website

Gerontology [Part 2 of 4]

The fast-growing Gerontological Society of America has an informative website, and is an important participant in understanding aging issues:

The Gerontological Society of America is a non-profit professional organization with more than 5,000 members in the field of aging. GSA provides researchers, educators, practitioners, and policy makers with opportunities to understand, advance, integrate, and use basic and applied research on aging to improve the quality of life as one ages.

And this DC-based organization is in its 50th year:

The evolution of the Society began in 1939 when a group of 24 scientists and physicians, some of them participants at a 1937 Woods Hole conference, formed the Club for Research on Ageing.

On May 18, 1945, with World War II coming to a close, Earl T. Engle, Lawrence K. Frank, Jean Oliver, Oscar Riddle and Henry S. Simms met in New York City to sign the certificate to incorporate the Gerontological Society, to "promote the scientific study of aging."

Their mission is as follows:

• to promote the conduct of multi- and interdisciplinary research in aging by expanding the quantity of and improving the quality of gerontological research, and by increasing its funding resources; and
• to disseminate gerontological research knowledge to researchers, to practitioners, and to decision and opinion makers.

Reflecting their academic bent, the "GSA" also publishes journals.

[continued tomorrow, this is Part 2 of a four-part series on Gerontology]

SimplyHome website

What is Gerontology? [Part 1 of 4]

Today we start a four-part series on a nascent field: Gerontology. Wikipedia defines it like this:

Gerontology is the study of aging. It is to be distinguished from geriatrics, which is the study of the diseases of the aging (medical studies).

Gerontology covers the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.

Gerontology includes these and other endeavors:

• studying physical, mental, and social changes in people as they age.
  
• investigating the effects of our aging population on society.
• applying this knowledge to policies and programs.
  

Per Wikipedia:

A gerontological education can be lucrative. Many industries already recognize that the nearly 80 million boomers, born between 1946 and 1965, are the dominant market force. The 50+ population currently commands $2 trillion in consumer spending. Referred to as "silver industries," many business communities are targeting their brands to older consumers. Now in middle age and in their prime earning years, baby boomers' wealth and influence is at a high, and the group continues to change the paradigms followed by earlier generations.

More to come tomorrow and next Monday and Tuesday....

SimplyHome website

Aging in Place

In all corners of the USA-- including Alaska-- the interest in helping the elderly live independently or semi-independently at home longer. This article in the Homer News says it this way:

“Aging in place is a very national phenomenon and I’m committed to having people remain in their homes,” Horazdovsky said.

Pam Horazdovsky is a geriatric care manager, and she assesses clients’ needs and abilities and makes recommendations for care that will maximize their independence in the least restrictive manner.

The entire field of gerontology is blooming, and if you tune back in to our blog tomorrow we'll be talking about the growing army of certified workers in this discipline and how they're helping keep folks in their home, sweet homes.

SimplyHome website

Elderly Woman Denied Insurance

The august NY Times is covering the challenges the elderly face better than any periodical in the USA. In this article they explore how an insurance firm denied long-term-care payments for Mary Derks, who has early-stage dementia, hypertension and diabetes. She bought the policy to avoid burdening her family, but it was forced to sell part of its farm-equipment dealership to pay for her care.

Mary Rose Derks was a 65-year-old widow in 1990, when she began preparing for the day she could no longer care for herself. Every month, out of her grocery fund, she scrimped together about $100 for an insurance policy that promised to pay eventually for a room in an assisted living home.

On a May afternoon in 2002, after bouts of hypertension and diabetes had hospitalized her dozens of times, Mrs. Derks reluctantly agreed that it was time. She shed a few tears, watched her family pack her favorite blankets and rode to Beehive Homes, five blocks from her daughter’s farm equipment dealership.

At least, Mrs. Derks said at the time, she would not be a financial burden on her family.

But when she filed a claim with her insurer, Conseco, it said she had waited too long. Then it said Beehive Homes was not an approved facility, despite its state license. Eventually, Conseco argued that Mrs. Derks was not sufficiently infirm, despite her early-stage dementia and the 37 pills she takes each day.

Hopefully, Mrs. Derks and others like her can be helped by the emerging array of Assistive Technology products....and with the help of family, stay at home.

IBM AT Offering

Even IBM is working in the world of AT, per this recent posting, which starts like this:

Caring for patients with chronic illnesses is costly—nearly $1.27 trillion today and predicted to grow much larger. To address this trend, we have designed and built a platform, called Personal Care Connect (PCC), to facilitate the remote monitoring of patients. By providing caregivers with timely access to a patient's health status, they can provide patients with appropriate preventive interventions, helping to avoid hospitalization and to improve the patient's quality of care and quality of life.

Here's the datasheet on Personal Care Connect, and their approach:

This solution was developed to improve a patient’s quality of life by helping to:

• Limit a patient's health risk
• Increase their comfort level
• Reduce the number of primary care visits as well as reducing emergency care and hospital admissions.

In the burgeoning AT business, having big brands like IBM dive in with one or both feet is a market accelerator.