Senior Housing and Assisted Living

Looking for an advanced and affordable personal monitoring solution for yourself or a loved one?   Wellcore Corporation, which unveiled its Mobile Personal Emergency Response System product at CES in January, recently spent time with Senior Housing News providing a demonstration and talking about the rollout of its new Personal Activity Monitor (PAM) system.  Unlike other Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS), Wellcore’s technology automatically detects falls through its patent-pending technology and sends help immediately without the need to press a button but also maintains the same push-button notification system found in other PERS products.  Upon notification of a fall, Wellcore’s service contacts the wearer to assess the level of emergency and can send emergency services or other care givers dependent upon the contact with the system’s user.  The base station has a range of several hundred feet and the monitoring device has a fall detection accuracy detection of almost 98% according to Wellcore once the system learns a user’s activity profile.

In order to remind users to wear the product, the Wellcore system sends friendly reminders through the base unit, asking to be worn, and a notification that appears on the online dashboard. If the sensor is left unworn for an extended period of time, an email message is sent to a designated caregiver or family member.  The waterproof, brushed aluminum device is small enough to be worn on a belt and has the shape and feel of an IPod Shuffle and was designed to be functional and discreet.  The battery is designed to operate for 2-3 days on a full charge and notifies the user when the battery life is running low.  The device also has the ability to be paired via Bluetooth technology to compatible cell phones that will allow monitoring outside the range of the base station.  When a fall is detected, the cell phone summons emergency responders to the exact location of the fall using the cell phone’s GPS, and caregivers are alerted. Alerts from the system can be live phone calls, based station messages, emails and text messages to all interested parties required to be notified as part of the system’s configuration.

The system incorporates use of a web-portal to track motion, learn patterns and provide statistic and analytical data to help users and caregivers by providing a means to see & setup notifications and alerts.  The customizable alerts can be emails or text message to multiple caregivers and a text to speech interface allows portal users to send message to the base station for reminders and other notifications.  The portal allows users and caregivers to monitor daily activities and track statistics for various analytical purposes.

Wellcore, based in Silicon Valley-based company, recently received a new round of venture capital funding to continue developing and market the product and service.  The company is currently selling the system from its website and select retail e-commerce stores in April 2010.  The PAM is set to ship in April with pricing for the base package and one monitoring device for $199 and additional devices are sold separately for $99.  The monthly service’s introductory pricing has been set at $49.99.  For those looking for a PERS product, Wellcore’s entry is a sophisticated product with a reasonable price point with many uniqure features compared to other PERS products in the market.

Fidelity Investments’ annual survey for Retiree Health Care Costs Estimate’s for 2010 found a 65-year-old couple retiring this year will need a quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) to pay for medical expenses throughout retirement, not including nursing-home care. The Fidelity 2010 retiree health care costs estimate is 4.2 percent higher than last year’s estimate of $240,000 and 56 percent higher than in 2002, when Fidelity first calculated retiree health care costs at $160,000.  One of the more surprising numbers was that 35% of the retirees surveyed said that they had no financial worries.

Fidelity also surveyed 376 married individuals, 65 years or older and not working full-time, to better understand their experiences in financing health care needs in retirement. This effort revealed that almost half (47%) are paying more each month for insurance premiums and out-of-pocket health care costs than they had anticipated in retirement. Only three out of 10 of these retirees saved specifically for health care needs in retirement during their working years.

The nationwide study found that health care costs average $535 a month, or about one-fifth of an average couple’s total monthly expenses of $2,842. Among those surveyed, 11 percent said their health care costs are $1,000 a month or higher. Average health care costs ranked second to the largest expense, food, which averaged $659 a month and slightly higher than housing-related costs, which averaged $494.

"It’s crucial that workers begin to incorporate future medical expenses into today’s retirement plans," said Brad Kimler, executive vice president of Fidelity’s Consulting Services business. "In the past, retirees relied on their former employers to provide health care coverage, but this is no longer something to which most of today’s retirees have access."

For more information on the survey, visit Fidelity Investments.

Summit Hills, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Spartanburg, South Carolina, was recently recognized by the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) for its role in piloting an innovative, aquatics-based therapy program called WAVES to members suffering from memory loss.   WAVES program, developed by Summit Hills’ parent company Senior Living Communities, combines low-impact aerobics with the therapeutic benefits of warm water to reduce agitation, increase appetite and improve sleeping patterns for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. 

“Tonya Ray, our wellness coordinator and Kelly Ivey, our director of member services, have worked diligently to train staff and implement this program for our members,” Summit Hills Executive Director Amy Thomas said.  “This award aligns our name and the larger Senior Living Communities’ brand with industry leaders who are working to change the landscape of health care across the nation … it’s a huge honor.”

When we see strange headlines like “Developers Plan to Erect Assisted Living Site Next to Nude Gay Resort”, it definitely warrants a click.  The NBC Los Angeles quotes The Desert Sun article that discusses the decision of the Palm Springs Architectural Advisory Committee to recommend approving the development plan that includes an assisted living facility and retail development next to a clothing-optional hotel.  Looks like the first issues the neighbors will have are the tree lines…too high or not thick enough to block some views.  Think there will be reciprocal access to the pool and fitness area?

Elderly people (over 65 year olds) are the age group that is most affected by falls, with one third of the over 65 year olds falling at least once a year and 5 to 6% of these falls resulting in fractures. A vast majority of these fractures accure whilst losing balance going down the stairs. The main factors that put the elderly at risk of falling down the stairs are impaired vision, reduced strength and poor balance.

However, contrary to popular belief, falling is not a normal part of ageing and it can be prevented. Most falls are due to medical conditions such as osteoporosis, lack of physical activity, impaired vision and environmental hazards.

Osteoporosis is a condition wherein bones become porus, less resistant to stress and more prone to fractures. Osteoporosis is caused by hormonal changes as well as calcium and vitamin D defficiency. It is the main cause of fractures in older adults. Ways to prevent osteoporosis include consumming calcium rich food (postmenopausal women need 1,500 mg of calcium/day), get sufficient intake of vitamin D to enhance the absorption of calcium in the bloodstream, and regularly carry out weight-bearing exercises.

Lack of physical activity can lead to poor muscle tone, decreased muscle strength and loss of bone mass and flexibility. All these factors contribute to increasing the risk of a fall along with the seriousness of the injury that will result from the fall. It is therefore recommended to undertake regular physical exercise (at least 15 minutes a day) and wear proper fitting supportive soles.

Impaired vision such as glaucoma and cataracts alter older people’s vision and increase their suspectibility to glare. These limitations hinder their ability to evolve in a safe environment and may lead to falls down the stairs. It is advised to have regular eye-checks and use contrasting colours to define balancing objects.

At least one third of falls in the elderly involve environmental hazards in the home. The most common hazard is tripping over an object that was lying on the floor. Other factors include the lack of grab bars along staircases and loose rugs. The risk of falling because of an environmental hazard in the home can be reduced by installing handrails on stairs and steps and keeping staircases clutter free. In this case having a stairlift fitted will also contribute to reduce the risk of falling down the stairs, as it will effortless bring you up and down the stairs.

Visit the Acorn Stairlift site to find out more about fitting a stairlift and other ways of preventing falls. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory