This article describes a riveting presentation by Dr. Bill Thomas provided at the recent first annual Honor SAGE conference. This was the product of four years traveling the country interviewing elders and their adult children.
Dr.Thomas spent much time during his travels comparing young and old people and during his presentation told us us that we have to listen to what the elderly are telling us’ instead of trying to do every thing and every task for them. He says, “Our best work with elders takes place when we stop doing things for them and start doing things with them.”
Several decades ago, Thomas developed intergenerational living at numerous communities throughout the United States, dubbed the “Eden Alternative.”
Dr. Thomas continues to write, perform and help Fortune 500 companies and not-for-profits develop new products and services that make the most of normal human aging. His entire speech at the September 10, 2019 Honor SAGE conference is now available as a podcast. joinhonor.com/podcasts
©2019 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Tim Rowan’s Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com
Tim Rowan, Editor & Publisher of Home Care Technology Report
Smart phones are becoming standard equipment among home health nurses and in-home personal care workers. With these phones and their use come concerns about patient privacy, and preventing malware infections within the phones themselves. The chances of privacy being breached can be solved with administering secure passwords and remote wipe capabilities, but keeping offshore bad guys out of a phone network eyts to – requires enforcing company cyber security policn on all remote workers. Here are some policy recommendations from cyber security expert Jack Wallen, writing for TechRepublic.
1. Do not obtain sidelind applications
These are games or quizzes or celebrity scandal apps that are offered as a free extra when you are downloading a legitimate app. As much as you want to install that fun looking game you heard about (the one only available as a download from some nefarious-looking site), don’t.
Period. End. Of. Story.
Sideloading applications might be okay for those who are trying to test new features in upcoming releases of official software (that have yet to make their way to the Google Play Store). It’s not okay for installing games, themes, and other sundry apps. It’s just not. Why? Because there is absolutely no vetting to be had with that software. You have no idea where it came from, what’s in it, and no way of knowing. In fact, chances are actually good that game is nothing more than a front for a data siphon or ransomware.
So don’t install it. Period.
2. Use caution when perusing items in the Google Play Store
Thing is, you can’t even be certain if the apps you want from the official Google Play Store can be fully trusted. Why? Ads. Although ads are a great way for developers to monetize their applications, it’s also a great way for ne’er do wells to inject malicious code onto your device and sniff your traffic.
Tt’s that end, maybe it’s time for Google to consider a new means for developers to monetize their apps. It’s become all too clear that ad networks are dangerous to the mobile world–an issue that should not lie on the shoulders of the users or app developers. This, of course, is a double-edged sword, as developers know fewer and fewer users are willing to pay a single penny for an app (which is a statement in and of itself). Because of this, developers are caught in a no-win situation, where they have to rely on in-app ads to make a penny or two for their hard work.
Think about your own experience. How often have you tried to click on a button in an app, only to find you accidentally clicked on the tiny ad at the bottom of the page? Even if you immediately close that ad, it may be too late.
One solution is to completely end the ad revenue method and test out a subscription model for users. Users could, say, pay $10 per month to have completely ad-free access to all apps that would otherwise normally depend on ad revenue. The income from those subscriptions would go to pay developers (and Google, of course).
Until that innovation is created, users need to employ a serious amount of caution when installing anything from the Google Play Store that is not an official app or developed by a reputable company or developer.
3. Go full-on open source. But numerous warnings follow, should you do so
Another option is to go the route of F-Droid. What is F-Droid? F-Droid is an app you install (not from the Google Play Store) that serves as an installable catalogue of open source applications for the Android platform. But wouldn’t it be even more of a risk to install from an entity that doesn’t have the massive and official backing of Google?
One thing you should know about F-Droid is that none of the applications found within the catalogue include tracking. F-Droid also has a very strict auditing process and, because the apps are all open source, it’s quite easy for the auditors to comb through the app source code to find out if everything is on the up-and-up. In fact, F-Droid even has its own site audited, to ensure it follows best practices. They’ve worked with Radically Open Security and Cure53 for audits. Their first external audit (in 2015) found some critical issues with the site’s opt-in beta features and some minor issues with fdroid import, which isn’t used on core infrastructure.
You can read the full document of the F-Droid Security Model and judge for yourself how trustworthy the site (and what they offer) is.
4. Only install what you have to use .[Final and very good advice:]
Here’s where the tough love comes in.
At some point the burden of blame has to also land on the shoulders of the user. Why? Because no one is making them install any and every shiny new thing they see on the Google Play Store. To that end, stop installing random apps. Just stop. Install only what you need to remain connected, informed, and productive. Sure, go ahead and install Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram. And, of course, install a game or two (but only from reputable game developers).
As for everything else? Forget it. No more “FaceApp.” No more shopping/coupon apps. In fact, any app that looks too good to be true, avoid it as though the life of your data security depends on it (because it likely does).
If you have one phone for work and a separate personal phone, download nothing but your home care apps on your work phone. If you use one phone for everything, check company policy. “It’s my phone, I can download what I want,” will be a weak defense after you infet the entire company network with malware.
If you do use your personal Android device for work, and also need it to stay in contact with friends and family, install only those things necessary to do so. If you depend on your Android device for entertainment, only install apps developed by official entities. They are careful to offer only safe apps because their bottom line could be negatively impacted by software rife with malicious code.
Broad recommendations, not necessarily for everyone, are listed below in a list numbering more than one dozen sites, including Email; Google Drive; etc. Note: Most of these apps come pre-installed on stock Android phones. None of them rely on ads for revenue.
Add Facebook if you must, but that’s it. Think about the above list. Put your company’s uses for patient care at the forefront of your choices. What’s key about your choice: you can get your work done and be connected.
The moral of thais story is simple: The more apps you install, the more likely you are to inadvertently install malware. So before you install that random app, ask yourself, “Is this worth the risk of installing malicious software on my phone?” Chances are, the answer will be a resounding “no.”
©2019 by TechRepublic. Reprinted by permission. This article appeared in Tim Rowan’s Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com
by Tim Rowan, editor & publisher of Home Care Technology Report
On November 8, when CMS publishes the final rule, “CY 2020 Case-Mix Adjustment Methodology Refinements” in the Federal Register, home health providers will be half pleased. NAHC president Bill Dombi and other lobbyists managed to convince regulators to cut their so-called “behavioral adjustment” from 8.01 percent to 4.36 percent. He had hoped to enlighten them enough to realize imposing a penalty for possible future behavior is like something out of a science fiction movie. Dombi still finds cutting reimbursement rates based on assumptions about future HHA behavior is an unsupportable concept, but he did get through to CMS that it would be impossible for HHAs to make all of those assumed behavioral changes on day one.
Hence, the pre-paid penalty will be about half as much as it would have been on January 1, with no promise it will not return to 8.01 percent after CMS observes actual HHA behavior after PDGM begins.
[Rowan then provides a detailed CMS response, with examples from previous years’ providers’ changes in behavior in response to payment changes.]
©2019 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Tim Rowan’s Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com
by Tim Rowan, Editor & Publisher of Home care Technology Report
Cara Lunsford, RN, experienced the nursing shortage first-hand. Over more than eight years as an oncology nurse at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, she saw not only the most heartbreaking cases but also witnessed the burnout that can plague nurses when emotional stress is coupled with consecutive 12-hour shifts. She and her co-workers were usually scheduled three shifts a week but had to cover more when there was no one to replace them, which happened often.
She learned two facts that convinced her she had to do something about it. “Nurses need support from peers and others,” she told us, “plus, their ‘three 12’s a week’ schedule often leaves them available to pick up hours at skilled nursing facilities or home health agencies.” She set about to design software, attract investors, and hire software developers to make her vision a reality. The result is a company she dubbed “Holliblu,” which offers an app of the same name that Lunsford, now the CEO, describes as an online community for nurses.
The online community, she continued, “is a place for nurses to come together with each other and for healthcare providers needing nurses to find them.” Using the free Holliblu app, nurses can create a virtual professional profile that will be seen by healthcare companies in need of nurses. If they choose, users can have the system convert their profile to a resume that can be exported as needed.
Free for nurses to use, Holliblu will be supported by employer subscriptions. Lunsford anticipates employers will use the system to find nurses they need, either to fill open positions or single visits or shifts. “I know nurses who work for as many as four providers at a time,” she told us. “But it is a constant struggle for them to juggle all those schedules and W-2s.”
Holliblu solves that problem with its calendar. “Nurses can indicate their available days and hours. When an employer makes an offer and they accept it, nurses can see their accepted assignments at a glance.” Employers also have the ability to define a need, filter Holliblu to show only those nurses whose skills match that need, and broadcast their opening to that group. They can set it up to give the assignment to the first one who responds or choose to select one from all those who do.
The system also keeps track of participating nurses’ license expiration dates and issues reminders. The Holliblu app can be downloaded from the Apple store or Google Play store and used by nurses for free. Healthcare companies can find subscription information at https://holliblu.com/employers.
©2019 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Tim Rowan’s Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com
Posts first appeared in Home Care Technology Report, 10/30/2019. Three companies:
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1.SutureHealth
SutureHealth, a medical software provider that currently offers SutureSign, the leading electronic signature network used by 7,000+ healthcare organizations across 30+ states supporting medical practices, health systems and post-acute providers (i.e. home health). In addition, it has launched a new brand and site redesign. Most in the industry know the company by its product name, SutureSign.
To them, SutureSign is an electronic signature network where senders and signers exchange and sign clinical documents on a common platform – enabling physicians to monetize their signature while signing documents from any outside company in one place.
2.
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cue-Rx
is an advanced medication management system aimed at the problem of medication non-adherence among the elderly living alone. A company representative explained that non-adherence is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. and results in one in ten annual hospitalizations, which has been estimated to add $3 billion to national healthcare costs.
cue-Rx™ shares adherence in real time with healthcare providers and family members. Unlike med managers that need to be filled every few days, cue-Rx™ monitors adherence while keeping pills in their original bottles. The unit can hold up to 10 standard prescription bottles.
A dashboard allows for scheduling, remote monitoring, and reporting results from an unlimited number of patients. Alerts can be customized to the needs of patients and wishes of families. There is no need for a Wi-Fi equipped home as cue-Rx™ communicates via cellular connectivity.
3.3)
- AngelSense
is a unique GPS tracking and monitoring solution designed for individuals with special needs. The “Love Ran Red” foundation is promoting AngelSense to parents with children on the autism spectrum, Down’s syndrome, and other challenges but it is also used with persons with dementia. Parents and other caregivers receive an alert when the child leaves school boundaries. They can also see a real-time map of bus transits, routes, and locations, as well as see bus location and speed and detect whether the bus dropped a child off at the right location.
A customized, two-way communication system allows a parent to talk to a child anytime without the child needing to respond to a call by picking up or tapping an icon. The system consists of a wearable for the child, which can only be removed with a special key, and an app for parents and caregivers. Geo-fencing detects when a child has wandered outside a set area.
AngelSense sells for $79 and requires a subscription of about $40 per month, less if paid up front annually.
angelsense.com/product-tour
©2019 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Tim Rowan’s Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com
by Tim Rowan, Editor & Publisher of Home Care Technology Report
The Intel® NUC (Next Unit of Computing) is a Mini PC with a customizable board that accepts a wide variety of memory, storage, and operating systems. Built around Intel® Core™ processors, Intel® NUC Mini PCs with Windows 10 Pro deliver responsive performance for office applications, high-speed connections for data transfer, and powerful graphics for 4K displays, all in a 4 by 4 inch package.
Intel® NUC’s can be purchased as a kit, allowing the user to customize the mini-PC with memory, storage, and operating systems of choice. One of the tech developments making this movement possible is the demise of optical media in favor of streaming services. The space needed to house CD and DVD drives is no longer needed.
TechRepublic staff technology writer James Sanders believes the NUC signifies the beginning of the end of the traditional desktop computer. As evidence, he points out that AMD is planning its own “Small Form Factor” computer to compete with Intel. “Consumers have been adopting notebooks as their primary computer for well over a decade,” Sanders writes, “bringing economies of scale to notebook-class parts such as SODIMM RAM modules and SSDs used in SFF PCs.” The notebook, however, forces a choice between a small screen and a less-than-elegant connection to an external monitor.
Gartner is noticing a softening of full-size desktop PC sales, reporting a slight, 0.3% decline in year-over-year U.S. sales — coupled with a whopping 5.3% decrease in Asian Pacific sales, typically the product’s strongest market — in the recently ended Q3 2019. Though SFF PCs have been around since 2013, Intel has been regularly improving speed, memory, and storage capacity, making them a reasonable alternative to the traditional desktop tower.
Can Apple be far behind?
With AMD announcing its plans to compete with Intel in the growing SFF world, naturally there has to be a Mac in that form factor. The “Mac Mini” with comparable size and performance features to the NUC boasts customizable memory, storage, and a choice of Intel CPU processors. Users bring their own keyboard and monitor but the price starts at $799. Compared to the $5,999 2019 Mac Pro, the new Mini is clearly aimed at PC users previously unable to play in the thin air of Apple pricing. Apple initially marketed it as BYODKM (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse). It uses many laptop components to achieve its small size.
Sanders asserts that there will be two use cases that will keep full-size desktop computers alive, both for intensive graphics applications: hardcore gaming battle stations and professional video editing.
Send comments on this article to editor@homecaretechreport.com
©2019 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Tim Rowan’s Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com
Cara Lunsford, RN, experienced the nursing shortage first-hand, over more than eight years as an oncology nurse at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. There she saw not only the most heartbreaking cases but also witnessed the burnout that can plague nurses when emotional stress is coupled with consecutive 12-hour shifts. And so, she set about to design software, attract investors, and hire software developers to make her vision a reality. The result is a company she dubbed “Holliblu,” which offers an app of the same name that Lunsford, now the CEO, describes as an online community for nurses.
Today, the app is available for free, and on it nurses can indicate the hours and days that they need to work. Free for nurses to use, Holliblu will be supported by employer subscriptions. Lunsford anticipates employers will use the system to find nurses they need, The Holliblu app can be downloaded from the Apple store or Google Play store and used by nurses for free. Healthcare companies can find subscription information at https://holliblu.com/employers.
©2019 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Tim Rowan’s Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com
by Darcey Trescon, RN, BSN
Technology innovations are forever changing the way we practice nursing, regardless of care setting. The ability to compile data from multiple sources and utilize algorithms to present content such as potential risks and potential disease trajectory of a patient enhances the role of the nurse and care team. This is an area that has been a challenge because documentation of data within an EMR, and across our healthcare delivery system, has been relatively inconsistent, even unavailable, in the past.
As clinicians, we have had to provide and plan care for our patients with minimal information beyond what we had assessed. Nurses frequently enter both home care and hospice settings with little to no information except what is learned through family conversations. In spite of the advancement of technology, many providers in our industry are still functioning with limited information and are reliant solely on their clinician’s documented assessment. [And so, today, we have technology that can help us define which information is valuable [and do sp earlier to help nurses prevent patients’ declines and enhance patients[ care outcomes.]
Darcey Trescone, RN, BSN is a Healthcare IS and Business Development Consultant in the Post-Acute Healthcare Market with a strong background working with both providers and vendors specific to Home Care and Hospice.
©2019 by Rowan Consulting Associates, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared in Tim Rowan’s Home Care Technology Report. homecaretechreport.com One copy may be printed for personal use; further reproduction by permission only. editor@homecaretechreport.com
Nov; 1,2019
by Tim Rowan, Author and Publisher of Home Care Technology Report
Founding of Bridgewater Senior Care Network in Cleveland, OH in 2017, is noted; and severee shortages of caregivers of elderly clients is highlighted. Molly Koenig, herself a former caregiver, describes the shortage, which she notes is even more difficlt because there is a shortage among the current caregiver workforces of individuals who are well trained and also compassionate. It is noted that a cuurent company for caregivers who are trained can be perceived as a “blessing” to help Koenig with her own staffing, at Home Care Network.
KEYWORDS:Bridgewater Senior Care Network (LEVELAND, OH), Molly IKoenig, founder of Bridgewater Senior Care Network
koeni
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — October 8, 2019 — WellSky Corporation, a leading health and community care technology company, and ClearCare, Inc. a leading provider of a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform used by personal care agencies, today announced that WellSky has signed an agreement to acquire ClearCare. With the addition of ClearCare, WellSky solidifies its position in the personal care market, adding to the company’s already robust set of solutions and services for post-acute and community care.
