Tools for the Connected Caregiver

 

Our Connecting Care map evolves!

Maui AgeWave has forged an agreement with Interactive Care LLC (www.interactivecare.com) to bring this exciting product to the market in the State of Hawaii.   The Interactive Care platform allows for the sharing of images and informaiton in real time so that physicians can collaborate with each other more simply.  Allowing for remote consults, behavioral health therapy, family connections and training and meetings this unique product is now avaiable to provide efficiency in the Hawaii medical and long termcare community.

Maui DOH Moves Forward with Interactive Care Pilot Project

 The elderly population of Maui is increasing at twice the rate as that of the US population.  The most desirable way to deal with this aging “tsunami” is to provide the support and services enabling them age in place - at the highest, safest levels of care.  There are many approaches to care for these individuals: hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, or their residence. We believe that delivery of care at the individual’s home is the most desirable and cost effective. 

New Partners for Maui Age Wave

We're pleased to report that  Robin Pilus and Larry Carter have acquired Maui AgeWave.  Both of them bring a passion for caregivers and helping individuals age in place.
 
Larry sees the best solution for helping individuals to age in place is the use of telehealth technology such as Interactive Care.  He believes that the crush of the baby b

Easily used electronics can fill the void in Maui’s health care facilities in a year

VIEWPOINT by PETER DURKSON

POSTED: September 14, 2008

 

The Maui News Sept. 7 editorial, "Hub system a matter of life or death," revealed a critical omission in Maui's health care controversy: What role should telehealth play in meeting the urgent unmet needs of our community?

Too much attention has been spent on how many hospitals do we need, who really represents our health care needs, why doesn't the state of Hawaii heed local health care initiatives, how can we attract specialists, ad infinitum.

Why not focus instead on what we can do right now to improve everyone's immediate access to health care regardless of where they live by creating a telehealth "Connecting Care" system on Maui in 2009?

The success of Michigan's Marquette General Hospital mentioned in The Maui News editorial can be attributed, in part, to the Upper Peninsula Telehealth Network which provides clinical telemedicine services across 42 sites.

The Upper Peninsula's geographic isolation, growing elderly population and transportation challenges coupled with the willingness of their local health care providers and payers to innovate with telemedicine, led to their creation of an innovative 21st century telecare system that we can learn from and replicate here on Maui.

Anyone, anywhere, anytime on Maui can be connected to a qualified local or Mainland physician by telephone. Two-way broadband Internet video connections can also "visually" connect people with their doctors and/or family caregivers locally and/or on the Mainland. Portable electronic personal health records controlled by patients and their family caregivers can be shared safely with anyone they choose wherever and whenever needed.

A basic health information exchange and electronic health records can be set up to improve the coordination and continuity of health care as patients transfer between different locations and health care providers.

In addition, in-home personal health monitoring devices can help people manage chronic diseases, continuously relaying timely health information to family caregivers and family physicians, thereby preventing diseases from getting out of control and saving costly trips to the emergency room or hospitalization. Local medical kiosks with medical-grade video capacity located in Hana, Lanai, Molokai and resort locations can be set up to enable virtual visits with physicians and specialists wherever they may be.

Imagine this: You and your elderly loved one in the living room, looking at a laptop computer monitor containing live video of your doctor on Maui, a specialist in Cleveland and your brother in Seattle - all communicating vocally as a care plan is discussed. After this session, just you and your family members remain in video contact and have similar "contact" on a regular basis.

These telehealth provisions aren't intended to replace a hands-on visit with a health care provider when this is readily available. Rather, it makes a virtual visit possible wherever and whenever one may be needed. It also saves telehealth consumers the time and costs of time traveling to and from the doctor's office, time in the waiting room and those difficulties faced by people with mobility issues.

Doesn't it make sense, therefore, to join together and do what we can do to begin building a "Connecting Care" system on Maui in 2009 while we're waiting for new hospitals, which may or may not be created in the future?

Perhaps this is a question we should also be asking of any candidates running for office on Maui.

Peter Durkson is chairman of the Maui County Council on Aging. He lives in Makawao.

 

Maui AgeWave Plans Joint Venture In Second Life

Using Second Life to teach aging in place.

Maui AgeWave LLC, a Maui-based healthcare technology company, is partnering with AgeInPlace.com and Virtual Ability, Inc. to explore the use of a 3-D virtual world called Second Life. Second Life, which opened to the public in 2003, is an Internet-based digital continent, filled with people, entertainment and marketplaces.

Maui AgeWave has an agreement to partner with AgeInPlace.com and Virtual Ability, Inc. to plan and obtain funding for a series of learning modules within a dedicated baby boomers space on Second Life. These virtual destinations will advance the ABCs of aging in place and the role of emerging new personal health technologies and health information exchanges in maintaining health and wellness.

Local companies and nonprofits who’d like to participate in this Second Life venture are invited to contact Peter Durkson, a partner of Maui AgeWave at 808.250.2216 or email peter@mauiagewave.com

To learn more about the companies mentioned here, please visit their web sites at AgeInPlace.com, VirtualAbility.org, MauiAgeWave.com and secondlife.com.

California Telemedicine Video

Aloha,

Here is an interesting report and video from the California Healthcare Foundation entitled:

Telemedicine in California: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Growing Maui Age Wave

Aloha,

We have spent many months laying the groundwork for growing Maui AgeWave and a Maui Connected Care System.

We're moving forward with a conceptual framework that is largely informed by the works of Joseph Coughlin and Christina Thielst.

Blogwatch

Intel and Aging in Place

Intel designing a high tech future for aging in place.

According to Mark Miller at www.retirementrevised.com , Intel Corporation's Eric Dishman is spearheading a major initiative to develop "personal health technologies" at Intel.

The State of Technology in Aging Services

 

I recently has the pleasure of reading STATE OF TECHNOLOGY IN AGING SERVICES:SUMMARY by Majd Alwan of the Center for Aging Services Technologies. ( see link ).

http://www.agingtech.org/documents/bscf_state_technoloy_summary.pdf

This summary "...offers a vision for long-term care that includes using integrated information technology systems to support and enhance the health, safety and social connectedness of older people living in their own homes".

TIE's News Headlines

National Telehealth Law Center Headlines

Changing Aging

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