New York Times

The New York Times takes notice of the current independent living trend in the Sunday edition.





"First thing every morning, Lynn Pitet, of Cody, Wyo., checks her computer to see whether her mother, Helen Trost, has gotten out of bed, taken her medication and whether she is moving around inside her house hundreds of miles away in Minnesota."

The full article can be found here.


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SimplyHome Website

Aging in Place -- Hawai Style

Just like their counterparts on the mainland, Hawaiians are striving for independence:


"'There is a definite movement,' said Wes Lum, of the University of Hawai'i's Center on Aging. 'People do want to remain in their homes to age in place. '"

Read the whole article here:

Boomers Embrace 'Forever Homes'


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SimplyHome website

Financial Planning and Aging in Place

Informative article on financial planning and retirement.

There a several interesting sections:


"A recent PBS program asked people in the street what their greatest fear was about aging. A frequent answer was 'ending up in a nursing home.'"

"Currently, most seniors live in their own homes. Unfortunately those homes aren't designed to accommodate disabilities"

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SimplyHome website

Geriatrics and Aging Information

U.S. News & World Report has an excellent "channel" for seniors.

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SimplyHome website

Young Caregivers for Alzheimer's Patients

Riveting CBS piece called "When Youth is Shadowed by Alzheimer's"--

It starts like this:

Every step of Lindsey Jordan's childhood has been overshadowed by her father's Alzheimer's disease, CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports.

She's 14 now, but was just 8 years old when her dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

"She's just everything to me right now, forever, forever," said her father, Charles Jordan.

Diagnosed at 51, Jordan was cared for at home by Lindsey and her mom, Darlene.

Here's the video:

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SimplyHome website

From CNN: Great Web sites when aging parents need help

March 20, 2008

Empowered Patient, a regular feature from CNN Medical News correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, helps put you in the driver's seat when it comes to health care.

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- There are a lot of Marys in Mary Jane McGill's extended family, so each one gets a special name. Mary who lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts, is "Mary Rozy." Mary from Everett, Massachusetts, is called "Mary Everett." And McGill? She's "Mary Google."

When Mary Nee, back second from left. needed an in-home caregiver, her daughter turned to the Internet.

"I use it for everything," McGill says of the search engine. "My family kids me about it."

One day last week, McGill used Google in a way even she never dreamed of: to find care for her mother, who has Alzheimer's disease and suddenly needed someone living at her house 24/7. Her search quickly turned up a number of the many resources that can help you connect with in-home help for a parent who's aging, ill or both. And this week, Empowered Patient will save you some searching time.

[rest of article]

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SimplyHome website

NBC Nightly News clip on Caregiving for Parents with Alzheimer's

"There was never any question in my mind whether I was going to do it," says a California woman who is taking care of her mother with Alzheimer's on "NBC Nightly News."

Watch the whole clip (4 minutes).

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SimplyHome website

CARF-accredited

We now have CARF-accreditation at CMI, behind our SimplyHome product line.

From their website at www.carf.org: Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of human service providers in the areas of aging services, behavioral health, child and youth services, DMEPOS, employment and community services, medical rehabilitation, and opioid treatment programs. The CARF family of organizations currently accredits more than 5,000 providers at more than 18,000 locations in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and South America. More than 6.5 million persons of all ages are served annually by CARF-accredited providers.

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SimplyHome website

12 People Who Are Changing Your Retirement

Good WSJ article on 12 People Who Are Changing Your Retirement ("These pioneers are shaping the way Americans will live, work and play later in life").

For example:

Charles Feeney
A Life of Purpose

If you find yourself, in your 60s and 70s, immersed in a new career and a new passion -- teaching children to read, for instance, or helping an environmental organization -- you may have Charles Feeney to thank.

Mr. Feeney, 76, is the founding chairman of Atlantic Philanthropies, an international foundation that is committed to disbursing its entire $4 billion endowment by 2020. A large chunk will go to help older adults "live healthier, independent lives with dignity, purpose and meaning," says Brian Hofland, director of Atlantic's international aging program.

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SimplyHome website

Compu-KISS by Sandy Berger

Here's a website we like, Compu-KISS, for helping seniors compute.

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SimplyHome Website

WashPost Article: A Hidden Crime

This Post article from last month is a good read. An excerpt:

Science has extended our lives dramatically: In 1900, Americans' average life expectancy was 47. By 2000, it was 77, and it's still rising. But our energy and resources have been disproportionately focused on living longer rather than living better -- a phenomenon called " the longevity paradox."

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SimplyHome website

Comment on new DDRS Standards in Indiana

We read the news item below from the State of Indiana with interest.

Our comment:

Indiana, while finally getting in the game, is missing the point … their version of Assistive Technology ("AT") does not allow for caregivers to be a part of solution, but rather is almost wholly based on non-family providers supplying support. This is bound to be more expensive, and not including family caregivers to be at least a portion of the supports plan seems wrongheaded, for obvious reasons.

Our view is thanks to the power of the web, email, cell phone text messaging, two-way voice and cameras, both personal AND professional caregivers can be profoundly tethered to the residents they serve with today's AT, such that the residents can live safely and with dignity, with a high degree of independence.

Indiana DDRS Issues Standards for Electronic Monitoring/ Surveillance Systems & On-Site Response Service

On January 3, 2008, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) issued standards relating to electronic monitoring or surveillance systems and on-site response services. The services provide individuals with virtual “real-time” overnight supervision through the use of computer vision in public areas of the residence and strategically placed sensors in private areas. The systems are combination of remote real-time monitoring with rapid local response to allow individuals with disabilities to live independently while still receiving high levels of supervision and support. The new standards clarify issues related to oversight, informed consent, documentation, staffing, training, record retention, and incident response.

The standards were published in a DDRS Quarterly Policy Bulletin for the Third Quarter, 2007. The new standards do not apply to Intermediate Care Facilities for people with mental retardation. The following standards started January 2, 2008:

* Oversight
After the initial installation of an electronic monitoring or surveillance system, case managers and the individual’s Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) service coordinator will review the use of the system at seven days and again at 14 days. Continued appropriateness of the system services will be assessed every 90 days. The 90-day reviews must be documented in the consumer’s Individual Service Plan and filed with DDRS. Reimbursement for services is subject to oversight and approval from the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning.

* Informed consent
Adult consumers, guardians, and Individual Support Team members must sign an informed consent to acknowledge understanding of the benefits and risks of electronic monitoring and the operating parameters and limitations. A copy of the signed consent must be kept by the local BDDS office, the case manager, the guardian, and in the home file.

* System design
Monitoring systems must be designed and implemented to ensure the health and welfare of the consumer in his/her own home or apartment.

* Monitoring staff
Monitoring must be done by a staff person who has been trained and oriented to the specific needs of each consumer served, as outlined by each consumer’s Individual Support Plan. Base staff may not be located in a consumer living site, nor may base staff have duties other than oversight and support of consumers at the remote living sites. Video oversight must be done in real-time by an awake-staff member at a monitoring base using a telecommunications/broadband connection or better connection.

* Emergency drills
Emergency response drills must take place once per quarter per shift in each home equipped with and capable of utilizing the electronic monitoring service. Documentation of drills must be available for review.

* Incident response
Monitoring staff noticing an urgent situation shall call 911 first, and then a floating staff person employed by the residential habilitation provider. The floating staff person must arrive within 10 minutes. Incident reports and all data related to the incident must be kept for seven years; other monitoring data (computer vision, audio, sensor, and written information) must be kept for 365 days. Each time an emergency response is generated, an incident report must be submitted to FSSA.

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SimplyHome website

The Technology of the Future Is Available Today with SimplyHome

In the home of the future, innovation will abound, say forecasters. Highly energy-efficient houses, voice-activated sound systems and windows that darken on their own will be commonplace. If you are on medication, your medicine cabinet will identify you through face recognition and remind you to take your pills.

Want to check in on mom, who lives by herself? You’ll be able to see that she’s up and about, and your personal communicator will tell you whether she’s taken her heart medicine.

Sound unrealistic? The future is here with CMI’s SimplyHome system of care support. The traditional model for the care of aging or disabled family members is to move them into an institutional setting or in with a family member. If finances permit, there is the option of paying a caregiver for the necessary hours of in-home care.

SimplyHome offers another alternative. Following completion of a brief needs analysis, SimplyHome will customize a system that connects you with your loved one through state-of-the-art technology using your choice of sensors on doors, windows, medicine cabinets, even stoves and microwaves. No phone lines are needed, and everything can be installed with a screwdriver. Sensors send information and alerts to your choice of computer, cell phone and/or PDA.

If you want to learn more about how CMI’s SimplyHome system can work for you in today’s home, go here. Subscribers to The Kiplinger Letter may read more about the home of the future in the Dec. 28, 2007, letter by going here.

CMI and Mr. Handyman Partner to Help the Elderly and Disabled Remain at Home

CMI’s SimplyHome system of powerful, yet easy-to-implement tools can be installed with ease in the homes of elderly or disabled individuals who desire to live independently. Because some clients prefer to hire a professional installer for the job, CMI has partnered with Mr. Handyman, a network of independently owned and operated franchises offering maintenance and repair services in 37 states.

Mr. Handyman's service technicians are insured, wear uniforms and drive clearly marked vans. In addition to installing SimplyHome support systems, they can install shower grab bars, wheelchair ramps, and other products designed to help the elderly and disabled live safely.

To learn more about CMI’s partnership with Mr. Handyman, please go here.

SimplyHome

Blind, Wheelchair-Bound Student Doesn't Fail to Inspire

Take a look at the video below, and here is an article with this lead:

When I met 18-year old Patrick Henry Hughes, I knew he was musically talented. I had been told so, had read that he was very able for someone his age and who had been blind and crippled since birth.





SimplyHome website