Today three new tools for eldercare are live! SCANS/Care Manager (V1.1), SCANS/Client Access (V1.1), and SCANS/Care Advisor (V1.5) were all released into production. Some highlighted improvements include:
SCANS/Care Manager
- Improved user interface - easier to use, improved navigation, fewer steps to complete tasks, "finger tip" utilities, and improved look-and-feel.
- Dynamic creation of assessments for increased flexibility and new programs
- Assessment printing - blank forms and completed documents
- Improved reports
- Medication look-up
- Improved provider, service, and insurance listings
- Better organization of client data
- Integrated activity and time tracking
- Activity re-assignment
- Improved calendar event scheduling
- Better branding support
- Group and sub-group support
- and many more...
SCANS/Client Access
- Dramatically improve client interface with improved look-and-feel, better ease of use, action section, more data from the personal heath record available, and more.
- Self management of passwords
- Reports now available on-line for view and print
- Direct account management by geriatric care managers for quicker turn around on access requests
- Improved communication tools
SCANS/Care Advisor
- Continuity of Care Record (CCR) Interface for improved integration
- 67 New tool revisions
Beginning Q1 2010 My Health Care Manager is deploying a major extension of its Senior Care Navigation System (SCANSTM). SCANS is now a software suite incorporating and enhancing the functions previously performed by the Navigator system. The modules and a brief description are as follows:
SCANS/Client Access provides clients and authorized care participants access to key personal health information, assessment results, reports, care plans, tools, and more.
SCANS/Care Manager provides geriatric care managers with a comprehensive system to assess, plan, implement, and track the care of seniors and their families.
SCANS/Care Advisor provides care managers with an extensive knowledgebase and decision support system bringing industry best practices, recommended actions, and real world practical tools to enhance quality, completeness, and efficiency in care planning and delivery.
This evening I'm participating in a Panel Discussion at Butler University. Nick Caldicott the President of the Management and Information Systems Technology Association at Butler has put together a discussion on careers in IT.
The event is at the Butler Pharmacy and Health Sciences Building at 7:00 in room PB156. Butler campus is located at 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208.
As I was putting my opening remarks together, I added a bullet to a slide titled "Why Love Technology?" that struck me as needing more explanation. The bullet simply said "Helping People". This is a great strength of technology and in particular creating tools for eldercare.
Most any computer system is built to help people, at least a some level; even if it's just to help do some menial task more quickly and easily. Building software that effects lives and helps families caring for aging parents with things like medication management, senior health care, following treatment plans, home safety, and overall well-being, is a special case.
What I really love about this kind of technology advance is that we can multiply ourselves way beyond our ability to help as an individual person. While we might be able to help a handful of families each day, a software system can be used by hundreds or even thousands of people everyday to make a difference in the lives of seniors. We simply can't do that by ourselves.
A friend recently sent me some information about the use of GPS technology used in eldercare services. The idea is to bring tracking devices into Alzheimer's care. Of course this applies to any dementia related care.
One such device marketed by i-Tag identity solutions and is called the "i-Tag-a-long GPS". It's about the size of a nine-volt battery and can go about a week between charges. Families caring for aging parents with dementia can use an on-line portal to see their parent's location. Even more useful, i-Tag is providing the ability to create a "geofence" that will trigger an alert when the device leaves a user defined area. Alerts can be sent via text, email, or phone. As an added benefit the device also serves as an alert button - notifying cargivers in the event of a user signaled emergency. Read more on this use at
i-Tag's site.
The Research and Development team at My Health Care Manager has rolled the latest release of our SCANS(TM) application into full production.
SCANS is a one-of-a-kind decision support and knowledge management system specifically designed for geriatric care management. The system provides families help with aging parents through comprehensive best practice information in 40 geriatric care categories. This information is made available to Health Care Managers and other advisors working as licensees or directly for My Health Care Manager. This information is support with an extensive list of practical, hands-on tools to help seniors living independently or in a senior health care setting.
Version 1.4 introduces a major productivity advance - Point and Click Care Planning. This feature improves productivity and saves money for clients. At the same time it also improves quality and consistency.
More new features include:
- Care Plan report delivered in consumer language
- 136 new tools in SCANS
- Medical Support Information database powered by Healthwise
- Automatic logo branding of SCANS tools for all affiliate and partner
- Full integration with Navigator
The holidays are upon us and that means we will be spending time with family and friends. I wanted to provide a list of possible eldercare activities to do with older adults this season to help make fun memories with family and friends.
- Play games (cards, dominoes, checkers, board games)
- Bake/cook - The purpose is to have fun with it and enjoy the final cookie, cake, etc. and not worry about making it perfect
- Read (jokes, short stores, magazine articles of interest)
- Look through old family photos - this is sure to get a good laugh! It is also a great reminiscing activity
- Watch a documentary or family movies on DVD/VHS
- Do an arts/crafts activity
- Listen to music
- Work a puzzle
Most importantly, have fun with whatever activity you choose to do!
I just returned from a wonderful weekend spent with four friends from college. We have been friends ever since we pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma in the mid seventies, some 30 years ago. We live in four different states and cherish our yearly “girl’s” weekend. Throughout the year, we keep in touch by cell phone and e-mail. However, there is nothing like being together, sipping wine and sharing family news, career challenges, and our love of new shoes. Discussing the pros and cons of reaching the half century mark always comes up too. Among us you will find wives and widows, mothers and stepmothers, and daughters of aging mothers and fathers.
In years past, our conversation revolved around our children. We looked to each other for advice and support as we coped with the terrible twos, middle school independence and aggravating adolescents. Something different happened this year. Caregiving was still a topic of conversation, but centered on our parents, rather than our children. We are all caregivers, with a parent or parents that are facing issues common among older adults: chronic illness, medication management, cognitive decline, financial concerns, fall risk, and driving conflicts.
Each one of us expressed concern and a willingness to help. We wanted to help our parents remain independent and honor their wishes. Yet, we had so many questions!!! All weekend long, we discussed and debated how best to help our parents. Without realizing it, we became a caregiver support group and were comforted by sharing our concerns, ideas and strategies with dear friends. We have continued the support by raising issues, asking questions, and providing updates via group e-mails. We haven’t yet joined the facebook revolution, but have formed our own informal eldercare exchange network to help us cope with our aging parents.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have such a caring group of friends. Their support has helped me through all stages of life and continues to prop me up when I’m concerned about my Mother and how best to help her. I encourage every caregiver to find either an informal or formal support group. Talk to your friends , neighbors and colleagues about caregiving. My guess is you will find someone else who is an active caregiver. Also, explore formal support group opportunities offered by organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association, local hospitals and/or assisted living and long-term care facilities.
I’m pleased to welcome Jane Niederberger as My Health Care Manager’s new President. With over 25 years of experience in the health care industry, Jane is a great addition to our team. Most recently, Jane founded Niederberger Ventures LLC and has been active in HALO, an Indiana angel investment group. From 2004 – 2006, Jane was Vice President and General Manager of Operations for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Central Region, a $16 billion subsidiary of WellPoint. Prior to leading the consolidation of operations, Jane was Anthem’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (1997-2004).
To read the Indy Star article 'Ex-WellPoint exec to lead elder-care services startup' visit the Star's website:
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910050305To learn more about Jane, please visit our website:
www.myhealthcaremanager.com/aboutUs_manageteam.asp.
My
last post covered some general vaccination information for seniors and caregivers. Today, I’m going to provide you with some eldercare resources for flu season. The best advice during this flu season is to talk to your health care provider about the seasonal flu vaccination and the “novel” H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccination.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “One thing that appears to be different from seasonal influenza is that
adults older than 64 years do not yet appear to be at increased risk of novel H1N1-related complications thus far.” To keep up with the latest information, visit the CDC (
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/).
Remember to take everyday flu-prevention and well-being precautions such as:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water You can also use alcohol based hand cleaners
- Throw away your tissue after use
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
- Avoid close contact with people who have flu type symptoms if at all possible
- Listen for your local public health advice especially regarding closing and crowds
- When you are sick (or have flu symptoms), stay at home and have the supplies in need in your home for a week or so.
If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick. If you have additional questions, please speak with your health care provider. Your physician can also advise you on prevention measures, such as the flu vaccination.
For seniors and caregivers: if you would like to locate a flu center by zip code, visit
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.aspx?c=aqKGLXOAIlH&b=1015035.
According the America Geriatrics Society, a person is expected to live another 16 years after turning 65, a person who is 75 can be expected to live another 10 years and person 85 can expect to live another 6 years. So even though vaccinations are focused more toward children, it is important to prevent disease as you age and practice prevention. A recent post contained information about special vaccinations that you may need to travel to certain areas of the world, but vaccines are also an important consideration for everyday life. Caregivers and seniors should make sure to stay on top of their 
preventative health plans.
A great eldercare resource is the American Geriatrics Society. Through their site and publications you can know the latest recommendations not only for flu shots and the older adult, but also the recommendations for vaccinations and prevention tests. Medicare does pay for some of vaccinations such as the costs of flu, pneumonia, and tetanus immunizations.
Some vaccine recommendations for seniors are:
- Influenza Vaccine - yearly
- Pneumococcal Vaccine - 1 dose at age 65
- Tetanus Vaccine - 1 booster dose every 10 years
- Shingles Vaccine - 1 dose in immunocompetent people
Always remember to discuss a preventative health plan with your health care provider.
My last blog focused on a great eldercare resource for travel planning, the CDC travel site (www.cdc.gov/travel), where you can get information on recommended vaccinations and precautions. I also gave you some preparation to do with your health care provider, including creating lists of your medical conditions and obtaining documentation of any special conditions for airport security (e.g. pacemakers, steel plates, etc). Now you’re ready to pack – what do you need to take in terms of health care information?
Don’t forget
- a complete medication list
- enough of your medications for the duration of your trip
- a list of medical conditions (and treatments) created by your health care provider
- documentation of any conditions that airport security needs to be aware of
- alcohol-based hand sanitizer (for times when you can’t wash your hands
The medication list (including any over the counter drugs you’re taking) should include the drug names, doses, when you take them, any special instructions, and the amount of each drug you should take on the trip.
Having all your medical information on paper (including the medication list described above) will assist you on getting through customs easier and help you if you need emergency medications. Keep a copy on your person and copy in your luggage.
As always, protect yourself from infection by washing your hands and/or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer prior to eating or after spending time in crowds such as on plane, bus or train. Watch what you drink and eat.
Plan ahead and enjoy!
We’re pleased to announce an agreement with Anthem and Wellpoint, which was covered in the August 24 – 30 issue of the Indianapolis Business Journal. My Health Care Manager’s Eldercare benefit (which provides senior care management and caregiver support services to covered employees) will be offered in Indiana through the Anthem 360 Health program. After the Indiana pilot, My Health Care Manager’s benefit will be rolled out by Wellpoint to all 14 states in which they operate.
The benefit will help working caregivers balance the challenge of providing care to a loved one with work responsibilities, and also help improve the care and quality of life for the senior. Employers assisting their employees by offering the Eldercare benefit look to reduced costs associated with working caregivers such as absenteeism, workday distractions, and time taken off to provide care. My Health Care Manager provides an experienced nurse, a Health Care Manager, to guide the caregiver through their personal situation – and can assess a senior in the home anywhere in the U.S.
To learn more about Eldercare benefits for your business, or geriatric care management services for your family, please contact us at (800) 499-8020.
My Health Care Manager was honored as one of the Indiana Companies to Watch for 2009. To see the full list of 2009 winners or to learn more about the honor, please visit their website at
http://indiana.companiestowatch.org. To learn more about us and the eldercare services that we provide, visit us on the web at
www.MyHealthCareManager.com or call us at (800) 499-8020.
In earlier blogs, I've mentioned a variety of in home technology advances to assist people caring for aging parents who hope to remain living independently. Among these are safety tools for monitoring the home environment intended to help seniors who are "aging in place".
One thing that doesn't come up enough in the discussion of these tools is the question of ethics. How invasive should family members, or monitoring services, be allowed to be? There are people looking at both the technology and the surrounding ethical issues. One such group is the Ethical Technology in the Homes of Seniors (ETHOS) effort underway at Indiana University. The focus of the ETHOS team is developing tools and guidelines to protect the privacy of senors living at home. According to the team, seniors often underestimate the risks to privacy involved with technology use.
You can read more about there efforts by clicking on this link
http://ethos.indiana.edu/.
The final installment of the SCANS 1.3 rolling release is complete. The July release includes some 22 new and revised tools and resources. The list includes:
- Medicare Summary
- Medicare A Information
- Medicare B
- Insurance Resource
- SHIP
- Medigap
- Medicare C and Advantage Plans
- Earwax
- Visual Impairment Websites
- Hearing Impairment Websites
- Visual Impairment Devices
- Optometrist vs. Ophthalmologist
- Bladder Training
- Foley Catheter Care
- Urinary Continence Education
- Incontinence Supplies
- Catheter Education and Support
- Brain vs. Bladder
- Incontinence – Foods to Avoid
- Tips to manage Incontinence with dementia
- Continence Bladder Diary
- Modify Environment to Assist with Continence
Thanks to the SCANS research team for this successful (and popular) release which included some 74 new tools! You can read more about these topics from a caregiver's perspective directly from one of our researchers Karen Witt Kelsey.
Click here to read more in her Caregiver Support blog. Karen is a key member of the research team as well a caregiver for her own mother. You'll enjoy her unique perspective on senior health care.
Last week I had the opportunity to present a paper at the Human-Computer Interaction International Conference. This was the 13th occurrence of the conference and the event was well attended by key researchers and companies concerned about how computers interact with people.
Jean Bandos co-authored the paper titled "Impacting the Continuum of Caregiving through Innovation in Informatics: Senior Care Navigation System (SCANS)". Other members of the SCANS team contributed, as well. You won't find the paper in the conference proceedings however, due to Intellectual Property concerns with the conference publisher's copyright requirements. In spite of those restrictions the paper and the presentation were well received.
What struck me about the conference on a general level was the amount of attention being given internationally to the challenges of older adults and senior health care. Conference attendees came from China, Japan, UK, Germany, India, Spain, and many other places - representing some 49 countries in all. Support for seniors living independently and dealing with challenges like immobility, well-being, and cognitive decline surfaced as a major sub-theme to the conference. World wide researchers are examining how computers can help with aging parents.
The specifics were wide ranging from topics like augmented navigation for assistive mobility devices to ontologies for adaptive user interfaces to cope with the specific needs of the elderly.
I was genuinely encouraged that so many top brains are looking for ways to improve eldercare services.
A colleague handed me a flyer today from a local cardiac physician group for cool little wallet sized CD they provide their patients with key medical information on it.
The idea is that you carry this card in your wallet and in an emergency situation you can hand the card to a provider who can then view it on a computer capable of reading a data CD. Even if you are unconscious, medical personnel can find the card style CD and view it.
The CD contains things like:
- medication lists
- current diagnosis
- current allergies
- discharge summaries
- diagnostic test results
- and even educational materials
All in all this is a good thing. It also points out some of problems with "high tech" solutions to emergency information.
- First, not all emergencies will allow time for medical staff to leave the patient in order to find a PC with a CD drive and review a set of unfamiliar computer documents.
- Second, in order for this information to be easily read in an emergency situation, it is also easily read by anyone who steals or even simply has access to a person's wallet. Because it's a CD, it's also not clear exactly what data is on the record; leaving seniors and families caring for aging parents to wonder what information is potentially disclosed.
- Additionally, the currency of the data may be questionable. Frequent health and medication changes are common in older adults and this approach requires notification back to the provider, payment of an update fee, and the reissuing of the wallet CD. Allowing reasonable times for such activity, it could be very difficult to keep this up to date.
- Even small scratches from "wallet wear" on the CD can render it unreadable. Something that wouldn't be readily apparent until the CD was checked in a computer drive. Often, I fear, at the time the information is most needed.
- Lastly, the completeness of the data may be in question as it relies on the patient, often a senior with depression or memory loss, to report the activities of the disjoint senior health care system.
My Health Care Manager approaches this problem differently. Our geriatric care managers collect, review, and update information across all of a client's health providers. This Personal Health information (PHI) is then used to inform all providers engaged in the client's health. For example, each of the client's physicians receives the medication list initially and then again for every medication update.
For emergency situations, clients are given a Ready Reference Card which contains all the key medical information and alerts. This PHI easily folds to the size of credit card for wallet use and multiple copies can be kept in other key areas, for example in a specially identified pocket on the client's refrigerator where emergency personnel are trained to look.
Because the Ready Reference is a paper record it is
immediately available to emergency personnel in settings where a CD reader may not be at hand such as the senior's home, as shopping center, and so on. It is also quick and very inexpensive to reprint when updates are needed.
The point here is not that technology is bad. On the contrary, technology enables both of these solutions. We should put it to work in the most effective ways we can devise for seniors and their families.
Not to be out done by the Navigator development team, the SCANS team is continuing their "rolling release" of V1.3. SCANS is the Senior Care Navigation System that provides geriatric care managers with expert advice, best practices, and practical tools to help families with the well-being or their parents.
The June edition of V1.3 includes 26 new resources, process, or tools. The list includes items like these:
- Death in the Home – Information for Caregivers
- Tips for Alzheimer Caregivers
- Delirium vs. Dementia
- Transitioning an Individual with Dementia into a Facility
- Member Portal Instructions
- Continence Education – Constipation
- Urinary Incontinence – When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention
- Crime Prevention Education for Older Adults
- IADL (Independent Activities of Daily Living) Education
- Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy
- My Medicare Matters
- Advance Directives for Mental Health Treatment
- Drug Review and Side Effects
- Geriatric Friendly Pharmacy
- Medicine Reconciliation: Brown Bag Consultation
- Feeding Tube Education
- Special Diet Needs Education
- Defibrillator Education
- Diabetes Education
- Fibromyalgia Education
- Pacemaker Education
- Physician Planner Case Note
- Alternative Living Options Education
- Speech Therapy Education
- Social Participation Barriers
- Social Support Plan
These tools are available to the clients of My Health Care Manager and our affiliates. Some of the content is also discussed in our blogs and can be accessed for free. Check out Natalie Langley's blog titled "
Healthy Aging". Natalie is one of the principle researchers and authors of the tools in SCANS. Her blog covers a holistic look at healthy aging and senior well-being.
My Health Care Manager's care management system (Navigator) has just been updated to version 1.9. This is the core system that geriatric care managers use to assist families caring for aging parents. From past blogs you may know that this includes the assessment, care planning, implementation, and tracking support for seniors and their families.
Navigator 1.9 includes:
- Key changes for work flow
- Assessment and tracking improvements in the following dimensions:
- Client Designees
- Financial
- Advance Directives
- Engagement – Social Support
- Provider Information
- Medication History
- Family Medical Health History
- Functional Status
- Assistive & DME Devices
- Sensory Status
- Nutritional Status
- Anxiety
- Environmental
- Reporting enhancements in areas like legal and Insurance, personal health record outputs, services listing, and more
This system is available to our clients and clients of our affiliates and partners. We also provide much of this information in our
Guide for Senior Well-being and Eldercare. This is a self help guide is available at
http://www.myhealthcaremanager.com/guide/product.asp.
The SCANS content team headed by Jean Bandos along with the development team announced today that the SCANS Version 1.3 - May release is now available. SCANS Version 1.3 is a major content release to the SCANS Knowledge Base.
In order to make more real-world tools for eldercare available more quickly, Jean and the team have devised a "rolling release". For 3 months beginning in May another group of resources, processes, and tools will be made available to geriatric care managers at My Health Care Manager and our affiliates.
The May release contains 57 new and/or revised resources, processes and tools. Some sample items include:
- Behaviors and Alzheimer's Disease
- Grief Education
- Activities of Daily Living Education
- Depression and Alzheimer's disease
- Early Stages and Impact on Health
- Memory & Cognition Questions
- Memory Care Unit Checklist
- Memory Care Unit Education
- Mild Cognitive Impairment
- Sobriety Programs Resource
- Handyman Resource
- Private Handyman Contractor Checklist
- Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
- Daily Money Management Education
- Financial Planning Education
- Trust Education
- Verifying Funeral Arrangements
- Veterans Benefit Information
- Elder Law Resource & Checklist
- Medication Management Procedure
- Medication Reconciliation
- Polypharmacy
- How to Find a Pain Specialist
- Pain Education
- Pain Resources
- Pain Visual Analog Scale
- Arthritis
- Heart Failure
- Hypertension Education
- Family History - Cancer Education
- Family History - Dementia
- Family History - Diabetes Education
- Family History - Heart Education
- Seat Belt Education
- Cataracts Education
- Glaucoma Education
- Hearing Aid Education
- Sensory Changes
- Assistive Devices
- Hospice Education
- Spiritual Connections
Stay tuned; the June release will include resources on incontinence, cognition, supporting services, and more processes.
Be sure to visit Jean's blog,
click here.
Eric Tinsley
Alan Stanford 
Jean Bandos
Karen Kelsey
Natalie Crohn
George Slater
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