An Alaska telemedicine program is being hailed as a model for how broadband access can benefit rural U.S. residents. During this week's Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing on "Why Broadband Matters," lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) stressed the geographic difference between the country's largest state and "the lower 48."
Many Alaskans, according to Stevens, live off the state's road system. "We basically have no transportation system," Stevens said. "We've got telemedicine and tele-education in Alaska far ahead of the rest of the country."
Other witnesses at the hearing noted the importance of developing broadband connections throughout the United States primarily as a larger technological need. But Jonathan Linkous, executive director of the American Telemedicine Association, detailed the broad application of the technique nationwide. "No other state has benefited more, I might add, than the state of Alaska," Linkous said. http://stevens.senate.gov/public/...
Editor's Note:
This blog first reported on "Broadband Use and Older Adults" back in 2002 when we published a report commissioned by Verizon to illustrate the quality-of-life- enhancing benefits that broadband speed provided to senior housing residents. While it is true that Alaska has been a trailblazer -- first in connectivity, and second in content delivery -- the gap is closing as the "Lower 48" catch up to the cost-savings and benefits that a broadband connection provides to both rural and urban residents. Most seniors see the benefit as they experience reduced mobility. In such cases the Internet can replace or enhance the quality of life as people age and their worlds "become smaller."
BB
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Elderly at ease with, adapt well to remote monitoring technology
Seniors who rely on remote monitoring technology to help them remain secure and independent do not view it as intrusive or impersonal, according to a study by a Philadelphia-based nursing home operator New Courtland Elder Services and Mendota Heights, MN-based aging services provider Healthsense. Study participants, drawn from four locations within the New Courtland network, unanimously agreed that such technology makes them feel safer and enables them to live independently longer, according to New Courtland Housing and Community Services Vice President Kim Brooks. "We thought at first that adapting to the technology would be a major issue for our residents, but clearly it was not," Brooks said. "The results of the survey demonstrate that even seniors with little or no prior exposure to this technology can readily adapt to it once they realize the improved quality of life it offers." http://www.wirelesshealthcare.co.uk/...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
North Dakota telepharmacy project expands across country
As recently as three years ago, many elderly residents in this part of southeastern North Dakota were forced to order their medications by mail.
These days, customers have a real drugstore and can talk to a real person about their health needs — albeit via the Internet.
Thanks to the virtual pharmacy system that has been tested on the frozen prairie, the days of walking down to the general store for prescription drugs are returning to rural America.
"It's perfect," said Jim Williams, a longtime Arthur resident. "You can walk down there and it's done in a few minutes."
Most telepharmacies are staffed with registered pharmacy technicians, who usually need about two years of schooling and earn about $15 an hour in North Dakota. Some registered nurses also have been trained for the job.
The pharmacy technicians use remote cameras to contact pharmacists in another location and show them the original signed prescription, computer-generated label, stock bottle where the pills are stored and the bottle the patient will take home. Once the prescription is approved, patients have a mandatory private consultation with pharmacists through real-time video and audio.
"We can do most of the things the pharmacists do except give professional advice," said Jennifer Joyce, the pharmacy technician in Arthur. Joyce knows all of her patients on a first-name basis.
"You don't have the expense of a regular pharmacist," said Katie E. Thompson, a registered pharmacist who lives near Page. "That's the point of a telepharmacy."
North Dakota lawmakers opened the door for the telepharmacy project by passing legislation in 2001, after dozens of rural pharmacies went out of business. The project began with 10 volunteer sites in 2002 and has grown to 67 locations.
The idea is catching on in other places.
States that have changed laws to allow for remote pharmacies include Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming, along with the District of Columbia. More are on the way, according to the leader of North Dakota's project.
"We get calls every day from other states," said Ann Rathke, director of telepharmacy at North Dakota State University in Fargo. "A lot of states have used or have adopted in some way our rules, because they were out there."
Charles Peterson, dean of pharmacy at NDSU, said the rest of the country has been "watching and waiting" to see how the North Dakota project worked. "Every state is struggling with, the most part, the same issues," he said. "Access to health care in a rural setting is a problem for everyone. We have shown that this is a solution."
Rathke said it costs about $18,000 to set up a site in North Dakota, including equipment, installation and one year of Internet service. Telepharmacies pay an annual licensing fee of $175.
In most cases, pharmacy has more laws and rules than any other area of health care and many states are unwilling to make modifications or adjustments, Peterson said.
"Those other states that haven't in some cases been willing to talk about it, willing to even look at it, are being forced to look at it because North Dakota has proven this thing," Peterson said.
The first telepharmacy in Texas opened in 2002 in the town of Turkey, but only a few more have popped up since then, said Debbie Voyles, director of telemedicine at Texas Tech University. "Where there are no pharmacies, there are no doctors," she said. "Patients have to travel to see the doctors, so it's no big deal to them to have to pick up the prescriptions."
The Texas Tech pharmacy school is looking at ways to increase interest and is hoping to learn from North Dakota's success, Voyles said. Don Turner, who runs the virtual pharmacy in Turkey, said his clients are mostly elderly people who don't have access to transportation. The nearest pharmacist to the town of 400 people is about 50 miles away.
"It's a great thing for Turkey," Turner said. "I think it's just a matter of time for other small towns."
By DAVE KOLPACK, Associated Press Writer
Friday Sep 12, 6:47 AM ET
___
On the Net:
Telemedicine Information Exchange: http://tie.telemed.org
Editors Note:
We are continuing to see new and exciting ways for our seniors and elderly population to make use of the Internet to enhance their quality of life. Maybe in the future there will be a telepharmacist on every CCRC, ALF and SNF campus.
BB
These days, customers have a real drugstore and can talk to a real person about their health needs — albeit via the Internet.
Thanks to the virtual pharmacy system that has been tested on the frozen prairie, the days of walking down to the general store for prescription drugs are returning to rural America.
"It's perfect," said Jim Williams, a longtime Arthur resident. "You can walk down there and it's done in a few minutes."
Most telepharmacies are staffed with registered pharmacy technicians, who usually need about two years of schooling and earn about $15 an hour in North Dakota. Some registered nurses also have been trained for the job.
The pharmacy technicians use remote cameras to contact pharmacists in another location and show them the original signed prescription, computer-generated label, stock bottle where the pills are stored and the bottle the patient will take home. Once the prescription is approved, patients have a mandatory private consultation with pharmacists through real-time video and audio.
"We can do most of the things the pharmacists do except give professional advice," said Jennifer Joyce, the pharmacy technician in Arthur. Joyce knows all of her patients on a first-name basis.
"You don't have the expense of a regular pharmacist," said Katie E. Thompson, a registered pharmacist who lives near Page. "That's the point of a telepharmacy."
North Dakota lawmakers opened the door for the telepharmacy project by passing legislation in 2001, after dozens of rural pharmacies went out of business. The project began with 10 volunteer sites in 2002 and has grown to 67 locations.
The idea is catching on in other places.
States that have changed laws to allow for remote pharmacies include Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming, along with the District of Columbia. More are on the way, according to the leader of North Dakota's project.
"We get calls every day from other states," said Ann Rathke, director of telepharmacy at North Dakota State University in Fargo. "A lot of states have used or have adopted in some way our rules, because they were out there."
Charles Peterson, dean of pharmacy at NDSU, said the rest of the country has been "watching and waiting" to see how the North Dakota project worked. "Every state is struggling with, the most part, the same issues," he said. "Access to health care in a rural setting is a problem for everyone. We have shown that this is a solution."
Rathke said it costs about $18,000 to set up a site in North Dakota, including equipment, installation and one year of Internet service. Telepharmacies pay an annual licensing fee of $175.
In most cases, pharmacy has more laws and rules than any other area of health care and many states are unwilling to make modifications or adjustments, Peterson said.
"Those other states that haven't in some cases been willing to talk about it, willing to even look at it, are being forced to look at it because North Dakota has proven this thing," Peterson said.
The first telepharmacy in Texas opened in 2002 in the town of Turkey, but only a few more have popped up since then, said Debbie Voyles, director of telemedicine at Texas Tech University. "Where there are no pharmacies, there are no doctors," she said. "Patients have to travel to see the doctors, so it's no big deal to them to have to pick up the prescriptions."
The Texas Tech pharmacy school is looking at ways to increase interest and is hoping to learn from North Dakota's success, Voyles said. Don Turner, who runs the virtual pharmacy in Turkey, said his clients are mostly elderly people who don't have access to transportation. The nearest pharmacist to the town of 400 people is about 50 miles away.
"It's a great thing for Turkey," Turner said. "I think it's just a matter of time for other small towns."
By DAVE KOLPACK, Associated Press Writer
Friday Sep 12, 6:47 AM ET
___
On the Net:
Telemedicine Information Exchange: http://tie.telemed.org
Editors Note:
We are continuing to see new and exciting ways for our seniors and elderly population to make use of the Internet to enhance their quality of life. Maybe in the future there will be a telepharmacist on every CCRC, ALF and SNF campus.
BB
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Brain Fitness Programs - What are they and why does your Community need one?
From our friends at Stanford University . . .
Since all of you are dealing with baby boomer and seniors' trends, you may be interested in this report we prepared for the American Seniors Housing Association (this happened thanks to the lead by a fellow alumnus, Ryan Frederick, so thanks Ryan!).
The 15-page report, entitled "Brain Fitness Centers in Senior Housing: A Field in the Making," provides an overview of the brain fitness field with four case studies that shed light on the use of brain fitness centers in seniors housing communities, including those operated by Senior Star Living of Tulsa, OK, Belmont Village Senior Living of Houston, TX, and Erickson Retirement Communities of Catonsville, MD.
In releasing the Special Issue Brief, David Schless, ASHA's President, noted, "This report truly underscores how cutting-edge technology and science are being used to enhance the lives of seniors. It is particularly exciting to contemplate the enormous potential impact that computerized cognitive assessments and training can have for seniors housing residents."
According to the author, Alvaro Fernandez, "This is the very first publication in the field of brain fitness to address specific considerations related to seniors housing, expanding on our general market report released earlier this year. It is
very conceivable that the early and enthusiastic adaptation of cognitive fitness, supported by the solid measurement of outcomes reported in the Brief, will help to transform the way in which the general population perceives seniors housing."
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary
II. A Field in the Making: Opportunities and Open Questions
III. Case Studies: Senior Star Living, Belmont Village, Erickson
Retirement Communities.
IV. Navigating through the Brain Fitness Program Landscape
V. Conclusions
For more info, and to acquire the report ($25), you can check out
http://www.sharpbrains.com/special-reports/brain-fitness-centers-in-senior-housing/
Editor's note:
Since our involvement back in 2007 at the Microsoft Aging Summit in Redmond, WA, I have been following a number of the market leaders who are providing "brain fitness" services to the senior housing industry. These companies are active in our associations, have sponsored panel discussions, and are frequent exhibitors and speakers at events like ALFA, AAHSA, AHCA, CAST etc. If you have not visited one of their booths at the previous shows please make an effort to see them if you plan to be in Philadelphia for AAHSA or Nashville for AHCA later this year. It won't be long before your residents and their families start asking you if your facility/community offers these types of programs. All you Activity Directors should take note. For a list of these companies please contact Berry at this blog.
BB
Since all of you are dealing with baby boomer and seniors' trends, you may be interested in this report we prepared for the American Seniors Housing Association (this happened thanks to the lead by a fellow alumnus, Ryan Frederick, so thanks Ryan!).
The 15-page report, entitled "Brain Fitness Centers in Senior Housing: A Field in the Making," provides an overview of the brain fitness field with four case studies that shed light on the use of brain fitness centers in seniors housing communities, including those operated by Senior Star Living of Tulsa, OK, Belmont Village Senior Living of Houston, TX, and Erickson Retirement Communities of Catonsville, MD.
In releasing the Special Issue Brief, David Schless, ASHA's President, noted, "This report truly underscores how cutting-edge technology and science are being used to enhance the lives of seniors. It is particularly exciting to contemplate the enormous potential impact that computerized cognitive assessments and training can have for seniors housing residents."
According to the author, Alvaro Fernandez, "This is the very first publication in the field of brain fitness to address specific considerations related to seniors housing, expanding on our general market report released earlier this year. It is
very conceivable that the early and enthusiastic adaptation of cognitive fitness, supported by the solid measurement of outcomes reported in the Brief, will help to transform the way in which the general population perceives seniors housing."
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary
II. A Field in the Making: Opportunities and Open Questions
III. Case Studies: Senior Star Living, Belmont Village, Erickson
Retirement Communities.
IV. Navigating through the Brain Fitness Program Landscape
V. Conclusions
For more info, and to acquire the report ($25), you can check out
http://www.sharpbrains.com/special-reports/brain-fitness-centers-in-senior-housing/
Editor's note:
Since our involvement back in 2007 at the Microsoft Aging Summit in Redmond, WA, I have been following a number of the market leaders who are providing "brain fitness" services to the senior housing industry. These companies are active in our associations, have sponsored panel discussions, and are frequent exhibitors and speakers at events like ALFA, AAHSA, AHCA, CAST etc. If you have not visited one of their booths at the previous shows please make an effort to see them if you plan to be in Philadelphia for AAHSA or Nashville for AHCA later this year. It won't be long before your residents and their families start asking you if your facility/community offers these types of programs. All you Activity Directors should take note. For a list of these companies please contact Berry at this blog.
BB
Monday, September 1, 2008
AAHSA Board Member Takes on LTC Financing in New York Times Blog
August 28, 2008 by Sarah Mashburn
excerpted from AAHSA
I’ve written before about The New York Times “New Old Age” blog. This new publication features a variety of perspectives on the issues facing our aging population and those who care for them. Today, that included a commentary from AAHSA board member Kathryn Roberts. Kathryn is the CEO of Ecumen, one of the country’s largest not-for-profit providers. She’s also a passionate advocate and is working hard to help us advance our Long-term Care Solution. Check out her take on why the presidential candidates aren’t addressing long-term care, and why these leaders are missing out on an important opportunity:
Why Are the Candidates (Mostly) Silent on Long-Term Care?
My generation put day care in workplaces, gave rise to pediatricians and drove minivans and hybrids to market. Could transforming how we pay for aging be the baby boomers’ next big act?
Today about 10 million Americans need long-term care; 12 million will need it in 2020.
Should our primary option be a Cold War-era nursing home for which we largely pay with personal bankruptcy? No. I believe most Americans desire living fully — and differently — to the very end of life.
Unfortunately, as the unprecedented age wave rises, America sits in a costly time warp. We’re flying a 1965 aircraft — the Great Society programs of Medicare and Medicaid — absent an overhauled engine. While other countries have coordinated home- and community-based services for young and old with physical challenges, our outdated way unnecessarily, and expensively, institutionalizes people.
Medicaid pays nearly half of long-term care expenditures in the United States, costing federal and state governments $116.8 billion every year, according to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. American businesses lose as much as $33.6 billion in annual revenue because of employees’ need to care for family. That’s about $2,110 per full-time employee who is also a caregiver, according to the MetLife Caregiving Study. There is a better way.
So why are the candidates generally silent on these issues?
Though Senators Barack Obama and John McCain each authored books, they’ve penned and spoken few words on long-term care. I see several reasons for this silence.
One is language. When people hear “long-term care,” their mind typically sees an outdated nursing home they want to avoid. Not great fodder for a stump speech. But long-term care is becoming much more, from independence-enhancing technologies to intergenerational respite centers. At its best, it’s empowered living, and we need new language and images reflecting that.
Second, most policymakers, like most Americans, know little about long-term care. Last year we surveyed Minnesota baby boomers, asking them who pays for long-term care. About a third said Medicare. It might pay for 100 days of rehab, but not for the care of those with memory problems or other intensive needs.
Third, Senators McCain and Obama, unlike most Americans, are somewhat insulated from this issue. When the candidates need assistive services, their private dollars will likely afford them top home services or posh senior housing rather than Medicaid-funded options.
Fourth, policymakers separate long-term care and health care. But the two are tightly intertwined in the kind of preventive, integrated cradle-to-grave health care for which Americans yearn but haven’t delivered on. Long-term care, in fact, could be a doable door opener to overall financing reform.
Fifth, we volley care between either-or’s. As in: either government pays for care, or private long-term care insurance pays. Neither is working. About 5 percent of Americans have long-term care insurance, and even if everyone purchased the best policy he or she could afford, Medicaid costs would still triple. Like most good public policy, the sweet spot lies somewhere in the middle.
Finally, aging and care lobbies (which include every American, because we’re all aging) have not cohesively raised voices around solutions. That will change, because the stakes in terms of life quality and economics are too high and too interconnected to our collective success.
A tremendous opportunity sits before every candidate and citizen who wants to transform America for the 21st century. It’s called long-term care financing reform.
Kathryn’s right. Long-term care financing doesn’t have to be an obstacle for McCain or Obama. It can be an opportunity to attract potential voters, build a legacy, and most important, help make it affordable to care for millions of aging and disabled Americans.
excerpted from AAHSA
I’ve written before about The New York Times “New Old Age” blog. This new publication features a variety of perspectives on the issues facing our aging population and those who care for them. Today, that included a commentary from AAHSA board member Kathryn Roberts. Kathryn is the CEO of Ecumen, one of the country’s largest not-for-profit providers. She’s also a passionate advocate and is working hard to help us advance our Long-term Care Solution. Check out her take on why the presidential candidates aren’t addressing long-term care, and why these leaders are missing out on an important opportunity:
Why Are the Candidates (Mostly) Silent on Long-Term Care?
My generation put day care in workplaces, gave rise to pediatricians and drove minivans and hybrids to market. Could transforming how we pay for aging be the baby boomers’ next big act?
Today about 10 million Americans need long-term care; 12 million will need it in 2020.
Should our primary option be a Cold War-era nursing home for which we largely pay with personal bankruptcy? No. I believe most Americans desire living fully — and differently — to the very end of life.
Unfortunately, as the unprecedented age wave rises, America sits in a costly time warp. We’re flying a 1965 aircraft — the Great Society programs of Medicare and Medicaid — absent an overhauled engine. While other countries have coordinated home- and community-based services for young and old with physical challenges, our outdated way unnecessarily, and expensively, institutionalizes people.
Medicaid pays nearly half of long-term care expenditures in the United States, costing federal and state governments $116.8 billion every year, according to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. American businesses lose as much as $33.6 billion in annual revenue because of employees’ need to care for family. That’s about $2,110 per full-time employee who is also a caregiver, according to the MetLife Caregiving Study. There is a better way.
So why are the candidates generally silent on these issues?
Though Senators Barack Obama and John McCain each authored books, they’ve penned and spoken few words on long-term care. I see several reasons for this silence.
One is language. When people hear “long-term care,” their mind typically sees an outdated nursing home they want to avoid. Not great fodder for a stump speech. But long-term care is becoming much more, from independence-enhancing technologies to intergenerational respite centers. At its best, it’s empowered living, and we need new language and images reflecting that.
Second, most policymakers, like most Americans, know little about long-term care. Last year we surveyed Minnesota baby boomers, asking them who pays for long-term care. About a third said Medicare. It might pay for 100 days of rehab, but not for the care of those with memory problems or other intensive needs.
Third, Senators McCain and Obama, unlike most Americans, are somewhat insulated from this issue. When the candidates need assistive services, their private dollars will likely afford them top home services or posh senior housing rather than Medicaid-funded options.
Fourth, policymakers separate long-term care and health care. But the two are tightly intertwined in the kind of preventive, integrated cradle-to-grave health care for which Americans yearn but haven’t delivered on. Long-term care, in fact, could be a doable door opener to overall financing reform.
Fifth, we volley care between either-or’s. As in: either government pays for care, or private long-term care insurance pays. Neither is working. About 5 percent of Americans have long-term care insurance, and even if everyone purchased the best policy he or she could afford, Medicaid costs would still triple. Like most good public policy, the sweet spot lies somewhere in the middle.
Finally, aging and care lobbies (which include every American, because we’re all aging) have not cohesively raised voices around solutions. That will change, because the stakes in terms of life quality and economics are too high and too interconnected to our collective success.
A tremendous opportunity sits before every candidate and citizen who wants to transform America for the 21st century. It’s called long-term care financing reform.
Kathryn’s right. Long-term care financing doesn’t have to be an obstacle for McCain or Obama. It can be an opportunity to attract potential voters, build a legacy, and most important, help make it affordable to care for millions of aging and disabled Americans.
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