Home Hero is sort of done (maybe, for now??) – What can others learn?

After the long, long, long HomeHero goodbye – was the analysis correct?  HomeHero, based in LA, was one of the three dubbed here as 'Home-egos' to launch within the past 2-3 years -- along with Honor and Hometeam -- and the first to shut its home care business down.  But, unlike most shutdowns, this was a moment for founder Kyle Hill to recap the 'tech-enabled' home care firm’s life and closing story in exhaustive and exhausting detail, complete with pictures. Considering its $23 million of investment, it should have landed on the same Forbes page as the other home care investments – which may be because its investors were not typical VCs.  But HomeHero’s example illustrates the enthusiasm and limited business analysis of startups in the older adult space, Lively being one of the most recent, but there are many more who were publicized loudly and then disappeared without even a puff of smoke – or a founder post-mortem. 

In many ways, HomeHero was quite typical of inappropriate expectations.  Reading Kyle Hill’s tale as well as his quote in Tech-Enabled Home Care 2017 – it’s clear that there were misplaced expectations which may have led to missteps. The background was the very typical and typically tiresome 'I had a grandmother.' And oh, 'we thought we were a tech company' that would create the, uh, killer app for home care.  Or was this really a regional home care employer of vetted contract workers?  The market wasn't ready for that app, though, so HomeHero was, at least for a while, a traditional home care company.  And about those contract workers. Along came the national 2015 overtime rule making home care workers eligible for time and a half pay, thus making the 24-hour live-in assignment very expensive. But the litigation that led to this result was begun in 2013. So it should not have been a surprise, any more than the long-described minimum wage efforts in California. Today that wage is $10.50/hour, not unlike the $10.47/hour posted on Payscale for companion aides, so no surprise there.

So were these really problems, or were they opportunities?  Kyle’s stated concern now? HomeHero, a California company, must hire employees that it must vet and it must manage the corresponding employee payment process. But wait, other care-connecting companies, including CareLinx and Care.com, have made the family the employer of record. Unfortunately per Kyle’s lament, this approach was not part of HomeHero’s plan -- which was to hire workers as contractors. His other complaint – hospitals like to pilot new processes, but not commit to deploy -- that's just not credible. If it were so, hospitals would not be deploying, as they are, plenty of new technology and related new processes -- like robots, patient portal software, and predictive analytics.

Wrapping it up – no disruption to see here – look elsewhere.  HomeHero was one of the three well-published care in the Home-egos, true, but was it disruptive, as its own media hype proclaimed?  Not at all. Unlike CareLinx, it was not a matching marketplace to find care. Unlike Care.com, it did not find a way for families to be the employer of the worker process payments. Unlike HomeInstead, it didn’t effectively partner with hospitals for a hospital-to-home program. Unlike RightAtHome, it did not participate in a study that proved the value of a checklist as one element of preventing readmissions -- or work with Philips to use data to detect readmission risks. Unlike LivHome, it did not deploy video as a way to check in on care recipients. Unlike ComfortKeepers, there was no in-home grandPad tablet for care recipients to connect with families. Collectively all of those companies are the tech-enabled home care disruptors. It’s about time.

category tags: 

Home Care, tech-enabled home care, mHealth-Digital Health-Telehealth

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/home-hero-sort-done-maybe-now-what-can-others-learn

Seven intriguing health technology offerings from HiMSS 2017

HiMSS – a tech-enabled vision of health potential.  As health spending approaches 20% of the US GDP, health tech innovation has become a visible lever for its curtailment. At this annual HiMSS event those with comfortable shoes could see a plethora of ways to improve outcomes, lower costs, change behaviors, engage patients, streamline the back office processes, about telehealth, confronting the onslaught of security breaches, sessions on population health, healthcare transformation and improved care delivery workflow.  This was an opulent show, spanning a 1300-participant exhibit hall with major player (anchor) exhibitor booth investments writ large.  Here are seven interesting examples that could benefit the older adult market– listed in alphabetical order:

Beyond Verbal.   An 'emotions analytics' vendor, the software “turns any smartphone or mic-equipped wearable device into an emotional wellbeing sensor using technology that doesn’t consider the actual content or context of spoken word, but instead studies intonation in the voice. The company has two free, consumer-facing apps, Moodie and Empath and one for clinicians called Beyond Clinic. The goal is to enable voice-powered devices and apps to interact with the user on an emotional level, "just as humans do." Learn more at Beyond Verbal.

Higi. "Surpassing 10,000 retail locations this year and rapidly approaching 200 million individual screenings since the company was founded four years ago, higi has the largest health station network in the United States, including more than 50 food, drug and mass retail banners. Combined with health and activity data linked to a user’s account from 70 different devices and apps, higi’s data is drawing the broader healthcare community into the higi ecosystem for population health, chronic care, and disease prevention solutions." Learn more at higi.

IBM Watson Health and Global Ageing.  In 2015, IBM Research followed up on its initiative to deliver iPads to 5 million Japanese seniors. "The nationwide infrastructure of Japan Post Group and its ability to cover the "last mile" with a custom iPad tablet/application to virtually every citizen of Japan." IBM now has a Global Ageing Initiative as part of IBM Watson Health group. Lilian Myers heads that effort, which helps governments, industries, and companies around the world, as they seek to develop products (like SimpleC) and tech-enabled services for consumers in the new 'longevity economy.' Learn more at IBM Watson Health.

Orbita Voice and Lenovo Health. "Lenovo's Smart Assistant, first previewed at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, is a voice-controlled speaker for the home that combines the Amazon Alexa voice platform with Lenovo styling and Harman Kardon speaker technology. Orbita’s Voice is a voice experience manager builds on other voice-assistant platforms like Amazon Alexa to enable intuitive, patient-centric home care experiences designed to improve patient engagement, care coordination and outcomes." Learn more at HealthIT News.

Reflexion Health.  "Virtual physical therapy provider Reflexion Health is an industry-leading digital healthcare company dedicated to transforming traditional medicine and improving clinical outcomes.  We specialize in using motion-tracking technology to create innovative digital health solutions that help patients receive the benefits of physical therapy in the safety and comfort of their own home." Learn more about tele-rehabilitation at Reflexion Health.

Stratus Video – multi-language interpreter services.  "Stratus Video telehealth services leverage every day technology like tablets, smartphones, and laptops quickly and easily access needed specialists to translate in as many as 200 languages – enabling communication between patients and providers. Our integrated solutions also allow one of our medical specialty interpreters to be added to any conversation, resulting in improved patient engagement and outcomes."  Learn more at Stratus Video.

Vaporstream.  "Vaporstream provides secure, ephemeral and compliant messaging for the enterprise. We empower business professionals to communicate with confidence. By securely leveraging one of the most prominent 21st-century communication channels – text messaging – Vaporstream® Secure Messaging enables your business to streamline workflows, ensure confidentiality and remain compliant while you collaborate."  Learn more at Vaporstream.

category tags: 

mHealth-Digital Health-Telehealth, voice technology, healthcare

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from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/seven-intriguing-health-technology-offerings-himss-2017

Meds Best Pain Killers For Your Low Back?

The American College of Physicians’ “new guideline on lower back pain treatment is encouraging patients to try massage, yoga, exercise, acupuncture and other similar therapies before reaching for a pain killer. Being active and waiting it out might, in some cases, be all that’s needed for the pain to go away, according to the guideline. “Low back pain is associated with high costs, including those related to healthcare and indirect costs from missed work or reduced productivity,” researchers wrote in the guideline.”

“Patients with chronic lower back pain should first choose treatment involving exercise, acupuncture, mindfulness-based stress reduction, tai chi, yoga, biofeedback and other nonmedicine-based therapies.”

Try one or more of the following suggestions for treatment for your lower back pain.

1. Get aerobic exercise. This shouldn’t be the jarring and pounding of jogging on a treadmill or out on the pavement. Riding a bike or stationary cycle, swimming and even walking are low impact aerobic exercises that are beneficial in more ways than one.

2. Receive massage therapy. Massage is beneficial on more than one level. Getting your soft tissues kneaded and squeezed improves circulation and muscular function. But, there is something body workers refer to as therapeutic touch which many claim reduces pain, stress and anxiety that can contribute to complaints of general pain.

3. Stretch hamstrings twice daily. These muscles are extremely important to all our everyday movements. Tight hamstrings can lead to a stiff back and weak hamstrings can make the muscles in your back especially vulnerable to injury.
See more…

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/meds-best-pain-killers-for-your-low-back/

What Too Much Sitting Does to Your Body

There are more and more people researching the effects of back pain and translating that scientific jargon and data into understandable articles for the reast of use.

This is a very good and concise read about the problems that too much sitting can cause in the body.

It mentions the problems that may build up over time as well as the near immediate effects of trying to get out of a flexed position that’s been held for several hours.

Long story short: Don’t get too tied up with what you’re doing at the desk and not move around every 30 minutes or so. You’ll feel better and maybe get even more work accomplished.

Sitting is such a paradox. After a long day, you relish the opportunity to plop down on the couch and settle in for the evening. But cozy up in that same position (more likely on a poorly designed office chair than a plush sofa) all day long and you suffer a stiff neck, tight shoulders, and back pain. What gives?

“Any position we hold for any length of time will eventually turn to pain because the body is not primed to do that,” said Joan Vernikos, former NASA scientist.

When you sit all day, you know what your glutes and calves are doing? Pretty much nothing — except slowly wasting away. This could make for a sore, wobbly walk home, when your legs finally start holding you up again.

“It’s not the number of hours sat that’s important, it’s how many uninterrupted hours of sitting that matters,” said Vernikos. …she found that standing up every half hour was enough to prevent the harmful effects of an otherwise immobile lifestyle.

“If you sit in one position long enough and you don’t move, the muscle contracts. As it contracts, it pulls the nerves it’s in contact with, so you go into a sort of spasm,” said Vernikos.

One big culprit of the pain from a compressed spine is the damage done to the cushioning between the discs. “The muscles have weakened and the vertebrae start collapsing, squeezing the padding and nerves between the discs. This is a huge source of pain,” Vernikos added.

Here’s the good news: Studies conducted by Vernikos and other researchers have discovered that adjusting your position every 15-30 minutes prevents changes to your lumbar discs. So go ahead and get a fresh coffee, gossip with a colleague, gaze out the window — do anything other than sitting a few times an hour, and you won’t feel so much pain later on.

“You don’t need to be running on a treadmill to condition yourself, you can tune your body to on-off movement throughout the day.”

See More

from Back Pain Relief, http://www.xbackpain.com/what-too-much-sitting-does-to-your-body/

Seven Examples of 'Voice First' Approaches to Benefit Older Adults

Has the 'Voice First' interface trend gone mainstream -- and can it benefit seniors?  Some think so. What has initially been driven by Apple platform Siri and the Amazon Echo – and now with Google Home -- is about to become mainstream (or as it is described, 'Voice First’) as the primary way we interact with technology.  Here are seven examples of 'Voice First' approaches and experiments for seniors. Soon there will be more that reference Google Home – please comment with your own 'Voice First' example -- these are from the company websites or are only described in news stories:

AskMarvee.  "Our initial integration is an app, an Alexa Skill, working with the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and other Alexa-enabled devices. We’ll integrate in the future with Google Home, Apple’s Siri and other voice service platforms. But first, welcome to the Marvee Alexa Skill!  Marvee is a companion care solution that gives those hindered by limited vision, mobility or aging challenges an easy way to communicate with family and caregivers just by using their voice! Specific needs for both the senior adult and family caregiver all managed in one centralized location and 'Powered with Marvee.'" Learn more at AskMarvee.

ElliQ.  "Essentially, what ElliQ wants to do is to simplify the way senior citizens interact with technology especially if they live on their own. It is not yet clear if it can also control other devices that fall in the smart home category. In addition, it also provides functions that can meaningfully help its owners. For example, it can remind those who are already forgetful about their medication schedule. The device could even arrange for a ride, and other tasks that could make life easier for its owner.” Launched in January, learn more at Techtimes.

Google Home. "If you are already invested in the Google ecosystem and want a voice-controlled speaker for listening to music or controlling smart-home devices, the Google Home is an easy recommendation. Despite being new to the game compared with Amazon’s Echo, the Home feels surprisingly polished and complete, both in design and abilities. One of the advantages the Home offers over existing smart speakers is the ability to track the context of your queries based on previous inputs." Learn more at The Wirecutter.

LifePod – speaks a reminder before you ask the question. "LifePod automatically generates reminders, daily routines, checks in on users and provides updates to loved ones while keeping the user stimulated throughout the day with random events like singing songs, quizzes and telling jokes or stories. LifePod is Semi-Autonomous and works without any Alexa wake words or Alexa Skill invocation names."  Learn more at LifePod.

Siri for seniors. Two of multiple examples about the Apple Siri device interface are included here: "'Remind me to take my medicine.' Forgetting to take medication can lead to big problems. Unfortunately, as we age, this can often become a common occurrence. When you tell Siri to remind you to take your medication, you just set it and forget it. When it's time to take your daily dose, she'll let you know. 'Read my emails.' If you find it difficult to stare at a computer screen, reading emails and keeping in touch with family and friends can be a cumbersome and frustrating task. By telling Siri to read your emails, you can avoid the squinting and headaches in exchange for relaxing and listening to her tell you what's going on in the world.'" Learn more at Thunderbird Senior Living.

Echo – usages with seniors. "Ambrose is participating in a project through the AARP foundation to address isolation among older adults in our senior housing community, Aigburth-Vale mansion, in Towson, MD.  Residents who volunteer to participate in the program are given the Amazon Echo, a voice controlled speaker, to use at home, and the AARP Foundation will track volunteers’ usage patterns."  Learn more at St. Ambrose Housing.

Echo – as reviewed via MarketWatch. "Among the more than 30,000 customer reviews on the Amazon website are those from caregivers for wheelchair-bound relatives who love the control that Alexa gives them over their environment, and also from family members of older adults who enjoy Alexa’s companionship and help. Alexa wasn’t designed for older adults, and experts say that might be part of its appeal with that demographic. The device avoids the bland aesthetic that has traditionally characterized assistive devices, which turns off consumers who don’t self-identify as old — that is, pretty much everyone." Learn more at MarketWatch.

category tags: 

voice technology, Seniors, computers, internet and social networking

• 

from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/seven-examples-voice-first-approaches-benefit-older-adults

Five Voice-First Technologies That Can Benefit Older Adults

Has the 'Voice First interface trend gone mainstream -- and can it benefit for seniors?  Some think so. What has initially been driven by Apple platform Siri and the Amazon Echo – and now with Google Home -- is about to become mainstream (or as it is described, 'Voice First’) as the primary way we interact with technology.  Here are five examples of Voice First approaches and experiments for seniors. Soon there will be more that reference Google Home – please comment with your own 'Voice First' example -- these are from the company websites or news stories:

AskMarvee.  "Our initial integration is an app, an Alexa Skill, working with the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and other Alexa-enabled devices. We’ll integrate in the future with Google Home, Apple’s Siri and other voice service platforms. But first, welcome to the Marvee Alexa Skill!  Marvee is a companion care solution that gives those hindered by limited vision, mobility or aging challenges an easy way to communicate with family and caregivers just by using their voice! Specific needs for both the senior adult and family caregiver all managed in one centralized location and “Powered with  by Marvee.”.Learn more at AskMarvee.

ElliQ.  "Essentially, what ElliQ wants to do is to simplify the way senior citizens interact with technology especially if they live on their own. It is not yet clear if it can also control other devices that fall in the smart home category. In addition, it also provides functions that can meaningfully help its owners. For example, it can remind those who are already forgetful about their medication schedule. The device could even arrange for a ride, and other tasks that could make life easier for its owner.” Launched in January, learn more at Techtimes.

Google Home. "If you are already invested in the Google ecosystem and want a voice-controlled speaker for listening to music or controlling smart-home devices, the Google Home is an easy recommendation. Despite being new to the game compared with Amazon’s Echo, the Home feels surprisingly polished and complete, both in design and abilities. One of the advantages the Home offers over existing smart speakers is the ability to track the context of your queries based on previous inputs." Learn more at The Wirecutter.

LifePod – speaks a reminder before you ask the question. "LifePod automatically generates reminders, daily routines, checks in on users and provides updates to loved ones while keeping the user stimulated throughout the day with random events like singing songs, quizzes and telling jokes or stories. LifePod is Semi-Autonomous and works without any Alexa wake words or Alexa Skill invocation names."  Learn more at LifePod.

Siri for seniors. Two of multiple examples about the Apple Siri interface are included here: 'Remind me to take my medicine.' Forgetting to take medication can lead to big problems. Unfortunately, as we age, this can often become a common occurrence. When you tell Siri to remind you to take your medication, you just set it and forget it. When it's time to take your daily dose, she'll let you know. 'Read my emails.' If you find it difficult to stare at a computer screen, reading emails and keeping in touch with family and friends can be a cumbersome and frustrating task. By telling Siri to read your emails, you can avoid the squinting and headaches in exchange for relaxing and listening to her tell you what's going on in the world." Learn more at Thunderbird Senior Living.

Echo – usages with seniors. "Ambrose is participating in a project through the AARP foundation to address isolation among older adults in our senior housing community, Aigburth-Vale mansion, in Towson, MD.  Residents who volunteer to participate in the program are given the Amazon Echo, a voice controlled speaker, to use at home, and the AARP Foundation will track volunteers’ usage patterns."  Learn more at St. Ambrose Housing.

Echo – as reviewed via MarketWatch. “Among the more than 30,000 customer reviews on the Amazon website are those from caregivers for wheelchair-bound relatives who love the control that Alexa gives them over their environment, and also from family members of older adults who enjoy Alexa’s companionship and help. Alexa wasn’t designed for older adults, and experts say that might be part of its appeal with that demographic. The device avoids the bland aesthetic that has traditionally characterized assistive devices, which turns off consumers who don’t self-identify as old — that is, pretty much everyone.” Learn more at MarketWatch.

category tags: 

voice technology, Seniors, computers, internet and social networking

• 

from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/five-voice-first-technologies-can-benefit-older-adults

Single Leg Deadlift With Barbell – Lower Back Exercise

Most people who are suffering from back pain have the impression that they need to “strengthen” their back. While this may be technically correct in some respects, you have to be careful about how you go about doing it.

Lifting weights with a sore back is just asking for trouble.

One exercise that I really like is the single leg deadlift. I think that of all the low back strengthening exercises that involve weights or resistance, this one is probably the safest.

The reason for this is that during the whole motion, the back relatively stays in neutral and is protected.

Take a look.

My advice, for what it’s worth, is to start out without any resistance and get the “feel” of the movement first. Once you have an idea of what you’re doing, add 3-5, but no more than 10 lbs.

This excellent low back exercise will work your hams without making you too sore.

from Back Pain Relief http://www.xbackpain.com/single-leg-deadlift-with-barbell-lower-back-exercise/

Sitting IS that bad for you… Regardless What “They” Say

There is a lot of scientific evidence (and more than enough common sense) that points to the problems that prolonged sitting causes.

As one of my anatomy professors used to say, “the body was made to move” and not sit. Nothing in nature is static for 3/4 of their waking hours.

And, deep down inside, everyone knows that if their not moving, they’re gaining weight or getting weak or both.

But now, we’re beginning to see articles and “research” being printed and promoted that is suggesting that “sitting is not all that bad”.

You have to wonder who is paying for this research and why. On one hand, the public health and medical communities are up in arms about the toll that chronic disease is taking on, not only the public at large, but the world’s health systems also.

Then on the other hand, you have researchers writing articles that essentially tell people it’s alright if they sit and get fat. I know, I know, they are going to say something like “we are not saying people shouldn’t exercise or eat bad”.

But let’s face it, we look for any excuse to avoid exertion or activity directed at staying healthy. Well, these so-called researchers just gave you a reason to say “no” to that next walk.

Here’s some of what they are selling:

The popular maxim that ‘sitting is the new smoking’ has caused many to claim that sedentary lifestyles are not only killing us but that it ‘kills more people than HIV’ does. But new research shows that there is a complexity of factors that determine the impact of sitting on human health and that it’s not all determined by the hours perched on your bottom.

Sitting is not actually ‘the new smoking’ because there is a varied difference between TV sitting time and other sitting behaviors, a new study from the University of Sydney claims. read more at dailymail.co.uk

To be fair, the article did cite opposing studies and quote fitness and rehab professionals that give credence to the common sense understanding that too much time on your butt is not healthy and can cause more problems for you down the rode.

There are always going to be opposing views about most research studies out there. But no one should surrender what their gut and common sense tells them about their own health to the fickleness of nebulous research that may or may not be biased in one way or another.

from Back Pain Relief http://www.xbackpain.com/sitting-is-bad-for-you/