Multiroom Audio Benefits Residents with Alzheimer’s

Posted by admin on Jan 9, 2011 in blog, Home Automation, Independent Living | Comments Off

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Sadly for patients and loved ones alike, Alzheimer’s sufferers may be trapped in the now, unable to recognize family members or summon memories.

But music has been known to bring Alzheimer’s patients out of their reverie, reminding them of people and experiences gone by.

“We believe it can help to revive memories,” says Rob Garrett, principal of Cypress Springs Residence, an Alzheimer’s facility in Tulsa, Okla. (A second residence is under construction in Oklahoma City.) “For some of the residents, music was a big part of their lives.”

“Smart” devices may help dementia sufferers remember to shut off stove, live at home longer

Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2010 in blog, Independent Living | Comments Off

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From the country that brought the world George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four comes a new, friendlier kind of Big Brother. This one is here to help people with memory loss live on their own longer. Engineers at the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering (BIME), at Bath University in England have designed and tested an integrated system that not only monitors people’s actions, but can speak to them, contact help, turn off appliances and faucets, and even e-mail family and caretakers.

Sensors monitor older people at home – CNN.com

Posted by admin on Nov 19, 2010 in blog, Independent Living | Comments Off

Sensors monitor older people at home – CNN.com.

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) — The sensors know when Charlton Hall Jr. wakes up to go to the bathroom. They know how much time he spends in bed. They watch him do jigsaw puzzles in the den. They tattle when he opens the refrigerator.

Sound like a Big Brother nightmare?

Not for Hall. The 74-year-old finds comfort in monitored living.

“It’s a wonderful system for helping older people to stay independent as long as possible,” he said, sitting in the living room of his 7,500-square-foot house, a sensor watching him from an elaborate bookshelf. “They know where I am — all the time.”

There’s No Place Like Home

Posted by admin on Nov 11, 2010 in blog, Independent Living | Comments Off

Nov. 9, 2010, 8:00 a.m. EST
Majority of Americans Agree ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ for Care of Elderly Family Members
New Amedisys poll shows that 3 out of 4 Americans would choose home health care for their loved ones’ medical needs over nursing homes and other care facilities

BATON ROUGE, La., Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — When faced with managing the care of an aging or ill family member, a new survey shows that Americans want to keep their loved ones close to home. According to a national telephone poll conducted by Harris Interactive for Amedisys, a leading provider of home care and hospice services (AMED 27.90, +0.22, +0.79%) , 74 percent of Americans would prefer having a terminally ill family member taken care of at home with the care of a trained health aide, rather than in a traditional nursing home or other care facility. In comparison, only 10 percent would prefer a nursing home and six percent would choose an outpatient center. The poll also found that when considering care for an elderly family member recuperating from surgery, half (51 percent) would prefer home health care over any other facility.

GrandCare on Discovery…

Posted by admin on Nov 10, 2010 in blog, Independent Living | Comments Off

Catch GrandCare on the Discovery Channel!!! KUDOs to Michael Murdock for being our very willing GrandCare ADVOCATE on the show!!!
THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL
SHOW: Patient Ed: Future Family: Life in the Digital Age
DATE: Saturday November 13th, 20th & 27th
TIME: 8:00AM EST