Republicans claimed control of the US House of Representatives picking up at least 60 seats as of November 3 and narrowed the Democrats majority in the US Senate gaining six of ten seats needed to take over the majority. Republicans won Senate seats in Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Democrats won the States of California, West Virginia and Nevada which will narrow their majority to two or three seats and prevent their ability to pass legislation without consensus. Two Senate seats are yet to be decided in Washington where Patty Murray has a slight lead over Dino Rossi, and in Alaska where write-in candidate and incumbent Lisa Murkowski leads over both the Democratic and Republican candidates.
With dozens of moderates defeated by conservative members pledging to slash the budget and repeal health care reform, on balance, the Democratic Party will be more liberal and the Republican Party will be more conservative. The bifurcated result of the mid-term election will likely further divide government and cause gridlock on issues splitting the nation such as health care, taxes, and the deficit.
For health care, Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives have pledged to put health care reform repeal on the agenda and to pursue hearings and oversight investigations to hinder the provisions in the recently passed overhaul when the Congress begins in January. Further House and Senate Republicans are expected to try to withhold needed federal funding as part of the annual appropriations process to implement scheduled reforms such as the state run health care exchanges. Finally, a landslide in governorships across the country flipped from Democrat to Republican in key states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New Mexico and Florida. This likely will result in many governor-elects working to slow the health care reform law’s implementation in their states.
Changing Chairmen
In the House of Representatives, committees do much of the work before legislation goes to the House floor for a vote. With Republicans taking control of the House, current speculation is that Rep. John Kline (R-MN)Link Icon will assume chairmanship of the Education and Labor committee. According to the Washington Post, he has been a vocal opponent against the so called Employee Free Choice Act (“card check”) and advocates for a smaller role for the federal government.
Additionally, Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.)Link Icon is expected to assume the Ways and Means chairmanship. He is an advocate for lower taxes and was staunchly against the health care reform legislation. According to the Washington Post, there is potential he could lead a bloc of House members to vote for defunding of the health care reform overhaul enacted earlier this year. (From ALFA)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
2010 AAHSA Annual Meeting Opens in Los Angeles
AAHSA's 2010 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles opened on Sunday with more than 5,000 members coming together under the theme "Who Decides?" U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a video message opening the conference and commending AAHSA for its commitment to helping the administration provide older adults with the services they need in a place they call home.
This year's conference features the return of a brand new AAHSA Idea House, the AAHSA/Morrison Senior Garden Challenge and four great general session presenters: Michael Sandel, Edward James Olmos, Paula Zahn and the Zimmers. On site registration is available in the south lobby of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Can't come to conference? You can still keep up with the Annual Meeting by checking out our photos on Flickr and following attendees' tweets on Twitter. Contact: Lauren Shaham, (202) 508-1219.
Editor's Note:
For a full recap of the AAHSA conference stay tuned.
BB
This year's conference features the return of a brand new AAHSA Idea House, the AAHSA/Morrison Senior Garden Challenge and four great general session presenters: Michael Sandel, Edward James Olmos, Paula Zahn and the Zimmers. On site registration is available in the south lobby of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Can't come to conference? You can still keep up with the Annual Meeting by checking out our photos on Flickr and following attendees' tweets on Twitter. Contact: Lauren Shaham, (202) 508-1219.
Editor's Note:
For a full recap of the AAHSA conference stay tuned.
BB
Friday, September 17, 2010
Aging in Place - At Home or in Senior Housing
Every so often the mainstream media decides to do a story about technology that is used by seniors to either "age-in-place" more comfortably, or provides remote monitoring capabilities. This recent feature by ABC News highlights some of the interesting technology now available.
TSH Editor - Berry Brunk
http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=190035171&gid=1216427&type=member&item=28997956&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews%2Ego%2Ecom%2FTechnology%2Fvideo%2Faging-place-technology-11553676%2526ta&urlhash=q7CO&goback=%2Egde_1216427_member_28997956
TSH Editor - Berry Brunk
http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=190035171&gid=1216427&type=member&item=28997956&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews%2Ego%2Ecom%2FTechnology%2Fvideo%2Faging-place-technology-11553676%2526ta&urlhash=q7CO&goback=%2Egde_1216427_member_28997956
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Healthcare Reform Will Impact Long-Term Care
The health reform legislation passed in the House a few weeks ago contains numerous provisions related to long-term care. One of these provisions is the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, which was originally introduced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The CLASS Act will make long-term care insurance available to all Americans, who will be automatically enrolled with the choice to opt out.
Individuals will begin paying a premium immediately and, after five years, those with functional limitations have the option of receiving a cash benefit of around $50 a day that can be used to offset the cost of long-term care services. "The CLASS Act will help offset the high cost of long-term care services for aging and disabled populations. In particular, these funds will allow individuals flexibility to receive services in their homes and potentially prevent admissions to nursing homes," says Katherine McCarthy, business account manager at PointRight in Lexington, MA.
"The overarching goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare both more accessible and affordable in the U.S. Long-term care expenses, particularly in aging populations, are among the most costly to Medicare and Medicaid today. By providing insurance, there is a real opportunity to reduce costs in this sector." The bill also includes a provision to help close the Medicare Part D coverage gap for medications. According to the Senate’s summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "in order to have their drugs covered under the Medicare Part D program, drug manufacturers will provide a 50 percent discount to Part D beneficiaries for brand-name drugs and biologics purchased during the coverage gap beginning July 1, 2010. The initial coverage limit in the standard Part D benefit will be expanded by $500 for 2010."
The bill will implement much stricter guidelines in terms of ownership transparency of nursing home chains. "This will allow patients and the public at large to better understand ownership and operational hierarchies that currently are difficult to identify. Making these changes in the industry will be challenging, particularly for large publicly-owned chains," McCarthy says. "However, those of us in the industry are all very excited that the bill will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2010. At the end of this year, they will have to revisit this issue again, at which point we are all hopeful for a long-term fix that ensures patients are able to receive the care they need based on medical necessity, rather than an arbitrary cap on funding."
In addition to the healthcare reform bill, the House passed a reconciliation bill containing changes to the just-passed legislation, which will be sent to the Senate for final approval. One of these amendments awaiting a final vote is an amendment to delay the implementation of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV), by a year. RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented alongside the MDS 3.0 in October, but the amendment to the healthcare bill will not allow RUG-IV to be implemented before October 1, 2011. However, the amendment will still implement the MDS 3.0, concurrent therapy adjustment, and changes to the look-back period to ensure that only services provided after skilled nursing facility admission are counted toward RUG placement on October 1 of this year. "The RUG-IV delay is not certain yet, but we will know more as the budget reconciliation process unfolds and expect an answer within the next few days," McCarthy says. "In my opinion, the RUG-IV delay is not a cost saver, and that a delay in the implementation of RUG-IV is unlikely, but we don't have any concrete information at this time." McCarthy says long-term care faces challenges, but she is hopeful that it will continue to adapt.
"In my opinion, reform will be a hurdle for long-term care facilities and providers. While there will always be a need for nursing homes, healthcare reform does ultimately encourage greater usage of home care services or other residential options," McCarthy says. "But overall, this bill, and the spirit with which it was written, is good for everyone, because its main goal is to increase the number of insured substantially and improve both quality and access to care. The long-term care sector has proven their adaptability in the past, and I am certain we will see that in these changing times as well."
________________________________________
Thanks to MacKenzie Kimball, associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes PPS Alert for Long-term Care and manages MDSCentral.
Editor's Note: Now how about some investment in technology and a financial subsidy for LTC on par with the TARP and ARRA funds being provided to the acute care industry??
Individuals will begin paying a premium immediately and, after five years, those with functional limitations have the option of receiving a cash benefit of around $50 a day that can be used to offset the cost of long-term care services. "The CLASS Act will help offset the high cost of long-term care services for aging and disabled populations. In particular, these funds will allow individuals flexibility to receive services in their homes and potentially prevent admissions to nursing homes," says Katherine McCarthy, business account manager at PointRight in Lexington, MA.
"The overarching goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare both more accessible and affordable in the U.S. Long-term care expenses, particularly in aging populations, are among the most costly to Medicare and Medicaid today. By providing insurance, there is a real opportunity to reduce costs in this sector." The bill also includes a provision to help close the Medicare Part D coverage gap for medications. According to the Senate’s summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "in order to have their drugs covered under the Medicare Part D program, drug manufacturers will provide a 50 percent discount to Part D beneficiaries for brand-name drugs and biologics purchased during the coverage gap beginning July 1, 2010. The initial coverage limit in the standard Part D benefit will be expanded by $500 for 2010."
The bill will implement much stricter guidelines in terms of ownership transparency of nursing home chains. "This will allow patients and the public at large to better understand ownership and operational hierarchies that currently are difficult to identify. Making these changes in the industry will be challenging, particularly for large publicly-owned chains," McCarthy says. "However, those of us in the industry are all very excited that the bill will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2010. At the end of this year, they will have to revisit this issue again, at which point we are all hopeful for a long-term fix that ensures patients are able to receive the care they need based on medical necessity, rather than an arbitrary cap on funding."
In addition to the healthcare reform bill, the House passed a reconciliation bill containing changes to the just-passed legislation, which will be sent to the Senate for final approval. One of these amendments awaiting a final vote is an amendment to delay the implementation of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV), by a year. RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented alongside the MDS 3.0 in October, but the amendment to the healthcare bill will not allow RUG-IV to be implemented before October 1, 2011. However, the amendment will still implement the MDS 3.0, concurrent therapy adjustment, and changes to the look-back period to ensure that only services provided after skilled nursing facility admission are counted toward RUG placement on October 1 of this year. "The RUG-IV delay is not certain yet, but we will know more as the budget reconciliation process unfolds and expect an answer within the next few days," McCarthy says. "In my opinion, the RUG-IV delay is not a cost saver, and that a delay in the implementation of RUG-IV is unlikely, but we don't have any concrete information at this time." McCarthy says long-term care faces challenges, but she is hopeful that it will continue to adapt.
"In my opinion, reform will be a hurdle for long-term care facilities and providers. While there will always be a need for nursing homes, healthcare reform does ultimately encourage greater usage of home care services or other residential options," McCarthy says. "But overall, this bill, and the spirit with which it was written, is good for everyone, because its main goal is to increase the number of insured substantially and improve both quality and access to care. The long-term care sector has proven their adaptability in the past, and I am certain we will see that in these changing times as well."
________________________________________
Thanks to MacKenzie Kimball, associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes PPS Alert for Long-term Care and manages MDSCentral.
Editor's Note: Now how about some investment in technology and a financial subsidy for LTC on par with the TARP and ARRA funds being provided to the acute care industry??
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Healthcare Reform Will Impact Long-Term Care
The health reform legislation passed in the House Sunday contains numerous provisions related to long-term care.
One of these provisions is the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, which was originally introduced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The CLASS Act will make long-term care insurance available to all Americans, who will be automatically enrolled with the choice to opt out.
Individuals will begin paying a premium immediately and, after five years, those with functional limitations have the option of receiving a cash benefit of around $50 a day that can be used to offset the cost of long-term care services.
"The CLASS Act will help offset the high cost of long-term care services for aging and disabled populations. In particular, these funds will allow individuals flexibility to receive services in their homes and potentially prevent admissions to nursing homes," says Katherine McCarthy, business account manager at PointRight in Lexington, MA. "The overarching goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare both more accessible and affordable in the U.S. Long-term care expenses, particularly in aging populations, are among the most costly to Medicare and Medicaid today. By providing insurance, there is a real opportunity to reduce costs in this sector."
The bill also includes a provision to help close the Medicare Part D coverage gap for medications. According to the Senate’s summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "in order to have their drugs covered under the Medicare Part D program, drug manufacturers will provide a 50 percent discount to Part D beneficiaries for brand-name drugs and biologics purchased during the coverage gap beginning July 1, 2010. The initial coverage limit in the standard Part D benefit will be expanded by $500 for 2010."
The bill will implement much stricter guidelines in terms of ownership transparency of nursing home chains.
"This will allow patients and the public at large to better understand ownership and operational hierarchies that currently are difficult to identify. Making these changes in the industry will be challenging, particularly for large publically-owned chains," McCarthy says. "However, those of us in the industry are all very excited that the bill will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2010. At the end of this year, they will have to revisit this issue again, at which point we are all hopeful for a long-term fix that ensures patients are able to receive the care they need based on medical necessity, rather than an arbitrary cap on funding."
In addition to the healthcare reform bill, the House passed a reconciliation bill containing changes to the just-passed legislation, which will be sent to the Senate for final approval.
One of these amendments awaiting a final vote is an amendment to delay the implementation of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV), by a year. RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented alongside the MDS 3.0 in October, but the amendment to the healthcare bill will not allow RUG-IV to be implemented before October 1, 2011.
However, the amendment will still implement the MDS 3.0, concurrent therapy adjustment, and changes to the look-back period to ensure that only services provided after skilled nursing facility admission are counted toward RUG placement on October 1 of this year.
"The RUG-IV delay is not certain yet, but we will know more as the budget reconciliation process unfolds and expect an answer within the next few days," McCarthy says. "In my opinion, the RUG-IV delay is not a cost saver, and that a delay in the implementation of RUG-IV is unlikely, but we don't have any concrete information at this time."
McCarthy says long-term care faces challenges, but she is hopeful that it will continue to adapt.
"In my opinion, reform will be a hurdle for long-term care facilities and providers. While there will always be a need for nursing homes, healthcare reform does ultimately encourage greater usage of home care services or other residential options," McCarthy says. "But overall, this bill, and the spirit with which it was written, is good for everyone, because its main goal is to increase the number of insured substantially and improve both quality and access to care. The long-term care sector has proven their adaptability in the past, and I am certain we will see that in these changing times as well."
MacKenzie Kimball, for HealthLeaders Media, March 23, 2010
MacKenzie Kimball is an associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes PPS Alert for Long-term Care and manages MDSCentral.
TSH Editor's Note:
While this Post is not necessarily about technology, it certainly does underscore the fact that homecare will begin to offset congregate living settings as a modality of care for many more of us as we age. This fact of course means that technology will play an ever more important role in the home-based setting. Smart Homes, remote monitoring, tele-homecare, and virtual visit technology will become part of the mainstream of healthcare information technology. To see the most current examples of the state-of-the-art in this field plan to attend the American Telemedicine Association's (ATA) Conference in San Antonio May 16-18.
One of these provisions is the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, which was originally introduced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy. The CLASS Act will make long-term care insurance available to all Americans, who will be automatically enrolled with the choice to opt out.
Individuals will begin paying a premium immediately and, after five years, those with functional limitations have the option of receiving a cash benefit of around $50 a day that can be used to offset the cost of long-term care services.
"The CLASS Act will help offset the high cost of long-term care services for aging and disabled populations. In particular, these funds will allow individuals flexibility to receive services in their homes and potentially prevent admissions to nursing homes," says Katherine McCarthy, business account manager at PointRight in Lexington, MA. "The overarching goal of healthcare reform is to make healthcare both more accessible and affordable in the U.S. Long-term care expenses, particularly in aging populations, are among the most costly to Medicare and Medicaid today. By providing insurance, there is a real opportunity to reduce costs in this sector."
The bill also includes a provision to help close the Medicare Part D coverage gap for medications. According to the Senate’s summary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, "in order to have their drugs covered under the Medicare Part D program, drug manufacturers will provide a 50 percent discount to Part D beneficiaries for brand-name drugs and biologics purchased during the coverage gap beginning July 1, 2010. The initial coverage limit in the standard Part D benefit will be expanded by $500 for 2010."
The bill will implement much stricter guidelines in terms of ownership transparency of nursing home chains.
"This will allow patients and the public at large to better understand ownership and operational hierarchies that currently are difficult to identify. Making these changes in the industry will be challenging, particularly for large publically-owned chains," McCarthy says. "However, those of us in the industry are all very excited that the bill will extend the therapy caps exceptions process through 2010. At the end of this year, they will have to revisit this issue again, at which point we are all hopeful for a long-term fix that ensures patients are able to receive the care they need based on medical necessity, rather than an arbitrary cap on funding."
In addition to the healthcare reform bill, the House passed a reconciliation bill containing changes to the just-passed legislation, which will be sent to the Senate for final approval.
One of these amendments awaiting a final vote is an amendment to delay the implementation of Resource Utilization Group, Version Four (RUG-IV), by a year. RUG-IV was originally scheduled to be implemented alongside the MDS 3.0 in October, but the amendment to the healthcare bill will not allow RUG-IV to be implemented before October 1, 2011.
However, the amendment will still implement the MDS 3.0, concurrent therapy adjustment, and changes to the look-back period to ensure that only services provided after skilled nursing facility admission are counted toward RUG placement on October 1 of this year.
"The RUG-IV delay is not certain yet, but we will know more as the budget reconciliation process unfolds and expect an answer within the next few days," McCarthy says. "In my opinion, the RUG-IV delay is not a cost saver, and that a delay in the implementation of RUG-IV is unlikely, but we don't have any concrete information at this time."
McCarthy says long-term care faces challenges, but she is hopeful that it will continue to adapt.
"In my opinion, reform will be a hurdle for long-term care facilities and providers. While there will always be a need for nursing homes, healthcare reform does ultimately encourage greater usage of home care services or other residential options," McCarthy says. "But overall, this bill, and the spirit with which it was written, is good for everyone, because its main goal is to increase the number of insured substantially and improve both quality and access to care. The long-term care sector has proven their adaptability in the past, and I am certain we will see that in these changing times as well."
MacKenzie Kimball, for HealthLeaders Media, March 23, 2010
MacKenzie Kimball is an associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes PPS Alert for Long-term Care and manages MDSCentral.
TSH Editor's Note:
While this Post is not necessarily about technology, it certainly does underscore the fact that homecare will begin to offset congregate living settings as a modality of care for many more of us as we age. This fact of course means that technology will play an ever more important role in the home-based setting. Smart Homes, remote monitoring, tele-homecare, and virtual visit technology will become part of the mainstream of healthcare information technology. To see the most current examples of the state-of-the-art in this field plan to attend the American Telemedicine Association's (ATA) Conference in San Antonio May 16-18.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Technology Trends in Long-Term Care Dinner Program - East Coast location
Technology Trends in Long-Term Care Dinner Program
Technology Trends in Long-Term Care
Speaker: Gary Schoettmer, R.Ph.
Chief Information Officer Continuing Care Rx
Continuing Care Rx would like to cordially invite you
to join us for an evening of education and dining.
Technology in Long-Term Care can be confusing and overwhelming….
EMAR, EMR, HL7, Interface, Web Based Application, E prescribing, 2011, Server???
This program is designed to give you a better understanding of what it all means through an in-depth discussion of Electronic Medication Administration Record, Physician Order Entry and Total Clinical Packages in the long-term care market.
Who: NHA, DON, Owners, IT Department
When: Thursday March 11, 2010
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maggianos King of Prussia
160 North Gulf Road, Suite 205
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-992-3333
RSVP by Friday March 5, 2010
(Space is limited and will be reserved on first come basis)
Brian Dallas
484-955-4865
bdallas@ccrx.org
About the Speaker: Gary Schoettmer, R.Ph., Continuing Care Rx
Mr. Schoettmer is the Chief Information Officer of Continuing Care Rx. Prior to joining CCRx, Gary spent 21 years in the LTC pharmacy software industry. He is a graduate of Purdue University School of Pharmacy, and is an active member of NCPDP, American Society for Automation in Pharmacy, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, Health Level Seven, National Community Pharmacists Association, Senior Care Pharmacy Alliance and multiple state and local pharmacy associations.
For more information contact Brian Dallas, 484-955-4865 or bdallas@ccrx.org
Technology Trends in Long-Term Care
Speaker: Gary Schoettmer, R.Ph.
Chief Information Officer Continuing Care Rx
Continuing Care Rx would like to cordially invite you
to join us for an evening of education and dining.
Technology in Long-Term Care can be confusing and overwhelming….
EMAR, EMR, HL7, Interface, Web Based Application, E prescribing, 2011, Server???
This program is designed to give you a better understanding of what it all means through an in-depth discussion of Electronic Medication Administration Record, Physician Order Entry and Total Clinical Packages in the long-term care market.
Who: NHA, DON, Owners, IT Department
When: Thursday March 11, 2010
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Maggianos King of Prussia
160 North Gulf Road, Suite 205
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-992-3333
RSVP by Friday March 5, 2010
(Space is limited and will be reserved on first come basis)
Brian Dallas
484-955-4865
bdallas@ccrx.org
About the Speaker: Gary Schoettmer, R.Ph., Continuing Care Rx
Mr. Schoettmer is the Chief Information Officer of Continuing Care Rx. Prior to joining CCRx, Gary spent 21 years in the LTC pharmacy software industry. He is a graduate of Purdue University School of Pharmacy, and is an active member of NCPDP, American Society for Automation in Pharmacy, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, Health Level Seven, National Community Pharmacists Association, Senior Care Pharmacy Alliance and multiple state and local pharmacy associations.
For more information contact Brian Dallas, 484-955-4865 or bdallas@ccrx.org
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Review Of Senior Technology Products & Silvers Summit @ CES 2010
Complete gadget overload…between the lights of Las Vegas and the toys at the Consumer Electronics Show(CES) last month was sensory overload, even for a technophile like myself. Sexy products and gadgets? Yes. Practical? Some yes, some no. The primary focus of CES is to generate interest in products for a younger generation with large amounts of disposable income…so why did Senior Housing News attend? Everything at CES is applicable to senior housing whether it’s aging at home or at some type of care facility. Will the 55+ market spend huge amounts of money into MP3 players and 3-D televisions? Probably not. Are they cool? Absolutely but some of the stuff that you are able to play with (let alone install/troubleshoot) at CES may require a computer science degree from MIT.
The Digital Health Summit and Silvers Summit covered a full day of presentations that went from 8 am until almost 6 pm in rapid fire sessions of 45 minutes a piece. Next year, the organizers plan on having a day for each. The Digital Health sessions were standing room only and the Silvers Summit were near capacity until the very end. Very wide ranging audience from care providers, software professionals, hardware engineers, senior technology firms. This part of CES will continue to grow more in the coming years…guaranteed.
Some of the more interesting products that maybe relevant to the elder market displayed at the show and the conference include:
* Wellcore – New Personal Emergency Response system (PERS) that is a wearable solution that automatically detects falls using different technology than the traditional sensors used in other PERS devices.
* Kodak Picture Frames – One of the gadgets for all ages (but especially easy for seniors) will be the new picture frames coming to market that allow users to email pictures directly to the frames bypassing the downloads. Nice and Simple.
* Home Automation – Kwikset’s SmartCode with Home Connect Technology – More keyless entry solutions using FOBs, numeric touch pads and biometrics along with various electronic monitoring solutions. Rather than spinning much of the marketing towards senior solutions, these providers in the home automation area are still talking about tracking “Susie” when she comes home after curfew and mom and dad getting a text message as such. Lots of practical approaches for senior living but not readily on the lips of the vendors showcasing the home tech solutions.
* TV-Ears – The company that makes TV-Ears has come out with a television designed specifically for seniors. The value proposition is not in the TV but in the delivery and presentation for the senior and how the product is engineered for simplicity. The CEO discussed some of the initial challenges he had with a large national retailer in agreeing to distribute his original product, the TV-Ears. Much to the retailer’s surprise, his products flew off the shelf. Fascinating story with the challenges of distribution.
* E-Readers. Amazon, Sony, Borders, etc. There are a bunch of them out there. I think this could be a sleeper success in the senior market depending on the resolutions of the screens and the ability to magnify the fonts. The issue is that there are too many brands and platforms right now.
* DAKIM Brain Fitness – We’ve covered a number of the releases on DAKIM at SHN but I always like playing with the system and is so well designed. Dakim’s announcement at CES is the release of their software for use in regular PCs and on MACs. More on this to come.
* University Affiliated Research. One of the more interesting presentations was the work that was being done at the Carnegie Mellon University-Quality of Life Technology Center. Check out their website for more details. I also sat next to the director of research and development from UC-Irvine that showed me a number of related technology / engineering research areas that had practical senior care concepts in mind.
One of the most important takeaways from the Silvers Summit panels was that all of the entrepreneurs presenting products was their focus on the melding of hardware, software AND SERVICE. While some tech companies do not offer great tech support (think of Dell a few years ago) nor want you to call their support lines, these ‘elder tech’ companies not only want their users to call, they consider it part of their competitive advantage. These entrepreneurs focused on their hardware/software design (and outsourced the manufacturing) but also went to great lengths to win the loyalty is the service through support / installation / maintenance. Hard to imagine Apple, Sony or Panasonic having a separate support line for the 55+ market when their focus is to get you off and on as fast as possible.
At the end of the conference, I sat there and thought about how 1.5 years ago my mother did not want an Apple Iphone and now she is convincing her friends and sisters to upgrade to an Iphone when their contracts are up. As much as people may bitch about how un-“senior friendly” the user interface on the Iphone, my 60+ mother loves it for a number of reasons even though her eyes are going bad and even her sisters who are in their seventies are getting on the bandwagon after they get trained. At first they say “I don’t need all these things” and after 6 months the attitudes change. For her, there will be no going back to a simple cell phone. While she may not be the “norm”, she’s proof that those who are initially resistant can adapt with training and time.
Will seniors adapt to these ‘unfriendly’ interfaces by necessity (or no other choice) at first and then by choice after sometime? Probably. Demographic trends should scream to the larger consumer electronics companies (especially in the US, China and India) that they need to pay attention to these areas and the probably are in some respects. The question of modifying those systems for the senior market is all about the money and the return. The upgrade lifecycle for a senior buying a television is probably along the lines of 10 years+ vs. those of the younger generations of 3-5 years. The ROI is much better for selling to the 20-30s vs. 60s-70s.
At this point, it looks like the major technology companies are looking for the seniors to adapt versus the other way around. Right or wrong, many small technology businesses are proving that there are riches in the niches of senior technology and electronics products.
Editor's Note: This content was provided coutesy of the Publisher as the TSH staff was unable to attend CES this year, opting instead to cover the JP Morgan Life Sciences conference in San Francisco which was scheduled on the same days as CES in Las Vegas. Oh well . . . maybe next year . . . it seems that not much happened with regards to seniors and technology from 1997 - 2007, but now everyone is on the bandwagon. BB
The Digital Health Summit and Silvers Summit covered a full day of presentations that went from 8 am until almost 6 pm in rapid fire sessions of 45 minutes a piece. Next year, the organizers plan on having a day for each. The Digital Health sessions were standing room only and the Silvers Summit were near capacity until the very end. Very wide ranging audience from care providers, software professionals, hardware engineers, senior technology firms. This part of CES will continue to grow more in the coming years…guaranteed.
Some of the more interesting products that maybe relevant to the elder market displayed at the show and the conference include:
* Wellcore – New Personal Emergency Response system (PERS) that is a wearable solution that automatically detects falls using different technology than the traditional sensors used in other PERS devices.
* Kodak Picture Frames – One of the gadgets for all ages (but especially easy for seniors) will be the new picture frames coming to market that allow users to email pictures directly to the frames bypassing the downloads. Nice and Simple.
* Home Automation – Kwikset’s SmartCode with Home Connect Technology – More keyless entry solutions using FOBs, numeric touch pads and biometrics along with various electronic monitoring solutions. Rather than spinning much of the marketing towards senior solutions, these providers in the home automation area are still talking about tracking “Susie” when she comes home after curfew and mom and dad getting a text message as such. Lots of practical approaches for senior living but not readily on the lips of the vendors showcasing the home tech solutions.
* TV-Ears – The company that makes TV-Ears has come out with a television designed specifically for seniors. The value proposition is not in the TV but in the delivery and presentation for the senior and how the product is engineered for simplicity. The CEO discussed some of the initial challenges he had with a large national retailer in agreeing to distribute his original product, the TV-Ears. Much to the retailer’s surprise, his products flew off the shelf. Fascinating story with the challenges of distribution.
* E-Readers. Amazon, Sony, Borders, etc. There are a bunch of them out there. I think this could be a sleeper success in the senior market depending on the resolutions of the screens and the ability to magnify the fonts. The issue is that there are too many brands and platforms right now.
* DAKIM Brain Fitness – We’ve covered a number of the releases on DAKIM at SHN but I always like playing with the system and is so well designed. Dakim’s announcement at CES is the release of their software for use in regular PCs and on MACs. More on this to come.
* University Affiliated Research. One of the more interesting presentations was the work that was being done at the Carnegie Mellon University-Quality of Life Technology Center. Check out their website for more details. I also sat next to the director of research and development from UC-Irvine that showed me a number of related technology / engineering research areas that had practical senior care concepts in mind.
One of the most important takeaways from the Silvers Summit panels was that all of the entrepreneurs presenting products was their focus on the melding of hardware, software AND SERVICE. While some tech companies do not offer great tech support (think of Dell a few years ago) nor want you to call their support lines, these ‘elder tech’ companies not only want their users to call, they consider it part of their competitive advantage. These entrepreneurs focused on their hardware/software design (and outsourced the manufacturing) but also went to great lengths to win the loyalty is the service through support / installation / maintenance. Hard to imagine Apple, Sony or Panasonic having a separate support line for the 55+ market when their focus is to get you off and on as fast as possible.
At the end of the conference, I sat there and thought about how 1.5 years ago my mother did not want an Apple Iphone and now she is convincing her friends and sisters to upgrade to an Iphone when their contracts are up. As much as people may bitch about how un-“senior friendly” the user interface on the Iphone, my 60+ mother loves it for a number of reasons even though her eyes are going bad and even her sisters who are in their seventies are getting on the bandwagon after they get trained. At first they say “I don’t need all these things” and after 6 months the attitudes change. For her, there will be no going back to a simple cell phone. While she may not be the “norm”, she’s proof that those who are initially resistant can adapt with training and time.
Will seniors adapt to these ‘unfriendly’ interfaces by necessity (or no other choice) at first and then by choice after sometime? Probably. Demographic trends should scream to the larger consumer electronics companies (especially in the US, China and India) that they need to pay attention to these areas and the probably are in some respects. The question of modifying those systems for the senior market is all about the money and the return. The upgrade lifecycle for a senior buying a television is probably along the lines of 10 years+ vs. those of the younger generations of 3-5 years. The ROI is much better for selling to the 20-30s vs. 60s-70s.
At this point, it looks like the major technology companies are looking for the seniors to adapt versus the other way around. Right or wrong, many small technology businesses are proving that there are riches in the niches of senior technology and electronics products.
Editor's Note: This content was provided coutesy of the Publisher as the TSH staff was unable to attend CES this year, opting instead to cover the JP Morgan Life Sciences conference in San Francisco which was scheduled on the same days as CES in Las Vegas. Oh well . . . maybe next year . . . it seems that not much happened with regards to seniors and technology from 1997 - 2007, but now everyone is on the bandwagon. BB
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