New Video Depicts How Existing Technologies Can Facilitate Coordinated Care and Aging in Place

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new video from the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) depicts how affordable technologies that are currently available can be integrated to allow seniors and people with disabilities to receive better-coordinated health care and to remain independent longer. The video will be premiered at the Institute of Medicine's Assistive Technologies, Aging, and Disability workshop on December 19, 2012.

The story follows a character named Alma from home to hospital to rehabilitation and back home again. Throughout her experience of having and recovering from a stroke, Alma and her caregivers use a personal health tablet, medication dispenser, electronic health records, home monitoring, telehealth, engagement technologies and assistive technologies, in addition to a personal emergency response system with automatic fall detection, to plan her care, communicate with each other and allow her to remain safely at home with support.

"Our 2005 video painted a picture of what technology might do if created in service of aging, long-term care and post-acute care," said LeadingAge president & CEO Larry Minnix. "This video portrays a vision we could implement today with the commitment of providers, payers and consumers."

All of the technologies portrayed in the video are currently available for purchase and deployment. However, there are few communities or care networks that deploy these technologies in a coordinated way across care settings.

"Our goal with this video is to engage long-term care organizations in leading their communities to create integrated care networks that leverage technology to create efficiencies and improve quality of care and quality of life," said Majd Alwan, PhD, LeadingAge senior vice president for technology and executive director of CAST. "We hope that hospitals, physicians, insurance companies, long-term post acute care organizations and consumers will see this vision and realize it is well within their ability to achieve it."

CAST's previous vision video about technology and aging, "Imagine – The Future of Aging" was sent to more than 60,000 health care providers and has been used by technology companies and long-term care organizations to catalyze technology development and pilot testing.

The new video, entitled "High-Tech Aging: Improving Lives Today," is available for viewing, embedding and downloading at: www.leadingage.org/high-tech The video may be used without permission, but users should credit LeadingAge CAST and provide viewers with a link to the CAST website, www.leadingage.org/cast.aspx.  

The video was filmed on-location at Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, MD.

SOURCE LeadingAge