In a recent article by Feoshia Henderson, she describes how Deaconess Medical Monitoring (Deaconess) is marketing a suite of products designed to allow senior citizens to be more independent as they age.
”These products, developed in partnership with Guardian Medical Monitoring, come as Deaconess continues to evolve from a hospital to a senior services and product provider,” Henderson notes.
Products currently available include the Personal Emergency Response System (PERS), which alerts a personal emergency responder if a person falls or faces a home security breach. Subscribers wear a necklace or wristband that they can activate in an emergency.
There’s also the Medication Management System, an electronic medication dispenser that helps people manage multiple prescriptions or complex medication schedules. Users can load a month’s worth of medication at a time, and then be alerted when it’s time to take correct doses. After they take their medicines, users hit a blue button on the device to signal they’ve taken the medications. If they don’t hit the button after a certain time, the device withdraws the medicine and notifies a person identified as a first responder.
The goal of the new products is as simple as it is necessary. “We are trying to help people age-in-place and stay independent in their own homes as long as possible,” says Holly Williamson, Deaconess Medical Monitoring Coordinator.
Other products like internet video monitoring and GPS-powered personal location devices help seniors and caretakers transition from a hospital to home. Lack of a successful transition often means repeat trips to hospitals, which translates into seniors more likely to lose their independence while racking up higher healthcare costs.
”Deaconess products are being marketed to individuals, hospitals and senior living facilities, and there are more products being developed,” Williamson notes. The company is an affiliate of Deaconess Associations Foundation and Deaconess Associations, Inc. (the parent company for all Deaconess affiliates), which own and operate Deaconess Long Term Care facilities in Ohio, Kansas, and Missouri.
Deaconess Hospital closed in 2010, and has evolved into a healthcare campus with health-oriented products, services, and resources. The hospital building is leased to the University of Cincinnati Psychiatric Services; Regency Rehabilitation Hospital (a long-term rehabilitation hospital); and other private offices and research facilities.
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