South Carolina Nursing Home Blog : South Carolina Nursing Home Lawyer & Attorney : Poliakoff & Associates Law Firm : Elderly Care, Senior Care

Miami Herald had a great article about how new technology is helping elderly people.  New devices monitor how well seniors are managing activities of daily living, aid with some tasks and help avoid any move to a nursing home.  Scientists, doctors, engineers and philosophers  gathered last month at a TEDMED (Technology, Entertainment, Design Medicine) conference to unveil solutions to some health care problems.

One of the devices that has been improved over the last few years is a pendant that can call 911 if the wearer falls.  Now the device can be programmed to answer the phone, reminders to take  medicine or alert to a fire, among other things.   It's one of several new products designed to help seniors stay in their homes.  At-home technology now can monitor senior citizens' movements, vital statistics, and sleep and bathroom patterns.  Many older people like having technology provide this extra layer of security because it doesn't require them to give up privacy.

The monitoring systems, which cost $150 to $200 a month, are more often prescribed to seniors for a limited time after a hospitalization or health issue. Some also are being used in assisted-living facilities where operators like the additional protections they offer.

Technology will allow seniors to avoid ``unnecessary early institutionalization'' because it will relieve the anxiety of loved ones. The ability to closely monitor a person's lifestyle also can help family members know when the older person is unable to remain home, said Katie Boyer, director of marketing for Home for Life Solutions, in Lee Summit.

Besides monitoring falls and daily activities, her company sells equipment that will turn off a stove if the user forgets. A built-in motion detector turns the appliance off if the user leaves the room and does not return in a specific time frame. As for managing medicine, systems exist that will dispense it at appropriate times and remind patients to take it. If the patient fails to take the medicine, the pills can move into a locked chamber to avoid an overdose.

GE has two products aimed at seniors: Health Guide allows users to check their blood pressure, sugar levels or heart rate daily. The information is sent to a medical provider who tracks it. If problems arise, the patient can have a teleconference with a nurse or schedule an appointment with their doctor.

The company also offers QuietCare, which uses sensors that learn daily activities and behaviors, and then watches for changes. The sensors will alert help if a person falls, goes to the bathroom at night and doesn't return to bed, or fails to get out of bed in the morning. Sensors also can be placed near the medicine cabinet or refrigerator, so monitors can track whether the person is taking their medicine and eating.

John Cobb, CEO of Senior Lifestyle, started to install QuietCare in some of his company's 70 senior living facilities this summer because he thought it would make residents safer. With QuietCare, his staff can keep track of residents' whereabouts at night, he said.

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Kristi Nelson at Knownews.com had an article about the nursing home employee who was caught taking nude pictures and videos of residents and sharing them with others.  This is a violation of the residents' privacy and dignitiy.   The unauthorized cell-phone photos and videos resulted in a state penalty for Pigeon Forge Care and Rehabilitation Center, a ban on staff members using cell phones in resident areas, and, according to state surveyors, multiple violations of at least a dozen residents' privacy and dignity.

The photos and videos were found when a cell phone was left at a local restaurant.   A restaurant worker turned on the phone in an attempt to identify its owner, recognized one of the photos of a resident and gave the phone to a family member employed at the nursing home.   That person gave the phone to the director of nursing, who turned it over to the facility's administrator after seeing the photos and videos.  Administrator Jon Bowers gave the phone to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and immediately fired the certified nursing assistant to whom the phone belonged. A second certified nursing assistant who appeared in some photos was later fired, and two others believed to be involved had earlier left the facility's employ.

The Tennessee Department of Health conducted an investigation at the nursing home.   In its report, the state determined Pigeon Forge Care and Rehabilitation Center failed to protect the residents from having unauthorized photos and videos taken - compromising their dignity, privacy and safety from abuse - and suspended admissions to the nursing home for a week.

Twelve residents appeared in 47 pictures and 27 videos, taken between July 2007 and March 2009, found on the phone. They included:

-- A photo of a male resident sitting on a shower chair, nude, with a string of beads around his neck.

-- A photo of a female resident sitting on a bed wearing only a brief and a hat, with one breast fully exposed.

-- Photos of a female resident wearing, at various times, a bib, a feathered mask, strawberry-shaped sunglasses and a wicker basket on her head.

-- A photo of a male resident lying nude on the floor.

-- Photos of a resident being fed, "wearing a bib and food running down (his) chin and neck."

-- Videos of residents being fed or attempting to feed themselves.

-- A video of a resident eating a cookie without dentures.

-- A video of a resident lying in bed with one hand down his pants.

-- A video of a resident in a wheelchair, using a broom in a motion similar to rowing a boat.

-- A video of a moaning resident in a bed being shaken by two certified nursing assistants, in an apparent attempt to get him to make a certain noise.

-- A video of the certified nursing assistant repeatedly telling a resident "I love you" and coaxing the resident to say it back.

The report states that the worker showed the photos to fellow employees.  Meanwhile, the resident council president told state investigators that residents had first complained about staff cell phone use in October 2007.

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