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GPS Tracker – How, When, and Where to Use It

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:31:21 +0000

GPS tracking is becoming more and more a part of our everyday life. Most of us probably have GPS tracking capability in our cell phones already (although it may require some setting up to get it to actually work). And you should also know that there are laws in the U.S. to prohibit the use of GPS tracking to keep track of a person. (See this Wikipedia article for a brief discussion of the possible legal ramifications.)

The legal problems are interesting. GPS is beginning to be used in some personal emergency response systems, and these systems might run afoul of applicable state law, especially if the person being tracked has not consented and/or is not aware of the existence of the GPS tracking.

It appears, though, that GPS has very handy uses in protecting property. Here’s a link to a good article by Brickhouse Security about using GPS to protect your car.

Tracking Vehicles and Other Items Using Hardwired or Wireless GPS Devices | BrickHouse Security Blog

It seems like almost everyday there’s another mention of GPS tracking. From tracking company cars to monitoring a teen driver, and everything in between, GPS tracking is utilized more and more for safety, security, and to improve efficiency. There are some important guidelines to remember when installing your GPS tracker to maximize its effectiveness.

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Reasons for Persistence of PERS Technology in the Marketplace

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:55:29 +0000

Laurie Olov, who blogs at “Aging In Place Technology Watch,” is a senior advocate, and one of the harshest critics of personal emergency response systems. Despite her concerns about PERS technology and the companies who market them, Ms. Orlov has provided a helpful summary of the reasons consumers still feel that investment in a PERS unit is useful to many elderly.

Can innovation push limits of traditional PERS? | Aging In Place Technology Watch

So why is it still around? The device (under its ‘medical’ moniker) is recommended by health-related channels — including hospitals, health services, private physicians, social workers — as a way to improve peace-of-mind for those at risk of falling or who have already fallen. Wearing the button is viewed by all parties, including the referring health organization, adult children who may be payers, seniors who wear it, as reassuring even as the statistical benefit is shaky. Next, and perhaps more useful, pressing the button to test the unit and speaking with a responsive contact center is valuable communication (non-emergency) for the target user — a frail woman living alone. And there’s a chance for a service center agent to ask during a test call if everything else in the home is okay — and to parse even the most vague answer.

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Chronic Pain Can Lead to More Falls

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:34:09 +0000

For seniors who are striving to maintain their own households, rather than moving in with the kids, or going to a retirement community or other independent living community, one of the primary concerns is avoiding a fall.

According to Disabled World, chronic pain can actually increase the likelihood of a fall.

Chronic Pain in Older Adults

“It’s clear that pain is not just a normal part of aging and that pain is often undertreated in older adults,” explains lead author Suzanne Leveille, PhD, RN, who conducted the research while a member of the Division of Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and is currently on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Boston. “Our findings showed that older adults who reported chronic musculoskeletal pain in two or more locations – mainly in the joints of the arms and legs – as well as individuals who reported more severe pain or pain that interfered with daily activities were more likely to experience a fall than other individuals.”

One way that seniors can care for this difficulty is by using a personal emergency response system, which allows the user to summon assistance with the push of a button.

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Resource For Finding Independent Living Communities and More!

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:05:58 +0000

If you have tried looking for independent living communities or assisted living communities, you may have been frustrated by the difficulty in finding good information. This might be especially true if you’re moving to a new area.

The Internet can be a great place to find good information, but sometimes it can be a little overwhelming as well.

A resource I stumbled across recently can put a lot of the information you need about all kinds of lifestyle opportunities at your fingertips.

Welcome to the Retirement Net

RetireNet (retirenet.com — just click the link above) has a very nice interactive map. Just click on the state you’re interested in, and a window will open that gives you a lot of choices for finding just the right community for your lifestyle. There are listings available for Luxury Living, Assisted Living, Nursing Homes, Active lifestyles, etc. Lots of great information!

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Seniors Making the Most of Independent Living

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:51:16 +0000

It is encouraging to see examples of older folks who live a full, happy, independent life. Sometimes good examples are hard to come by, so we have to take them where we find them.

Bruce newman, writing in the Palo Alto Daily News, gives some examples of dynamic seniors, who have contributed a lot during their lives, and continue to do so as they adjust to aging.

Life in a Year: In old age, getting better every day – San Jose Mercury News

As much as she has missed her husband since he died, Connolly has fully embraced independent living. “I was always taking care of people,” she says. “My husband was the absent-minded professor. There were very few times in my life when I just had to think about me, and now I’ve gotten used to that and it’s kind of nice. I can enjoy doing what I want to do without even considering another person. And I’m fine with that.”

Her four grown children sometimes are able to show up around the holidays, and sometimes they aren’t. “My kids live in four different time zones, and my daughter who lives in San Francisco might as well live in Hawaii because she’s so busy,” Connolly says. “You can’t count on your kids for company or companionship. They have their lives, so I don’t depend on them. You need people your own age you can be with.”

The most important asset to thriving through aging — as with any difficulty in life — is a positive, upbeat attitude. Keep your mind right, and the rest of your life will fall in line.

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Recession Good for Seniors Looking for Housing

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:39:58 +0000

We rarely think of the good news coming out of economic difficulties, but there are often opportunities for those who are prepared and think ahead.

Anton Troianovski, writing in the Wall Street Journal, writes of the opportunities for seniors that have arisen in these difficult economic times. While real estate has become a problem for sellers, those who are buying can find good prices — and this includes those looking for housing for seniors.

Housing Deals for Seniors – WSJ.com

Anecdotal evidence suggests that many rental communities for seniors are offering concessions and discounts for the first time since the industry took off in the 1990s. “Concessions were never a big issue until just recently,” says Michael Hargrave, a vice president at the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry, which tracks the sector.

If you’re looking for a way to maintain your independence, but can’t afford or don’t have the energy to maintain your own house, then a rental community for seniors may be just the ticket for maintaining a high level of independence in your own housing. If you have some specific locale in mind, shop around for those who may be offering discounts or other concessions to seniors.

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Alzheimer’s Assisted Living Community Being Built in Houston

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:33:48 +0000

According to Senior Housing News, a new assisted-living community for seniors with Alzheimer’s is being built in the Houston, Texas area.

The LaSalle Group, Inc. Breaks Ground on Alzheimer’s Assisted Living Community In Houston, Texas Area

“This is the start of what we anticipate will be sustained growth for our business in the Houston area,” commented Mitchell Warren, president of LaSalle. “Our partners and investors alike recognize the increasing need for these types of services catering to the senior population and are committed to our continued growth as we provide for this underserved market.”

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How Health Care Reform Affects Nursing Homes

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:23:40 +0000

One of the first places that reductions in health care expenditures is likely to hit is nursing homes.

According to Denise Tyler, writing in the Eldercare ABC Blog, Dr. Tyler opines that we know little about how any reform might affect nursing homes because this critical area of health care has been largely ignored. This is, of course, of great interest to the seniors in the population, especially the availability and expense of nursing home care.

New Nursing Home Resource | Elder Care ABC

As we move ahead with health care reform, we must understand how nursing homes are being utilized, what kinds of patients live in them, and what the outcomes are for the people who rely on them for care.

This matters because healthcare reform will likely be paid for in large part, by reductions in current healthcare spending. And the majority of these reductions will come from the Medicare program and nursing homes will likely be the target of these spending reductions.

Dr. Tyler does provide an online resource for information about nursing home care developed by the Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research at Brown University. Click through to get the links.

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Government Health Care Means Reduced Health Care

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:12:25 +0000

When politicians and bureaucrats talk about “cutting the cost of health care,” they often mean a very different thing than what you and I understand when we hear those words.

We usually think of reducing the cost to us — we hope less money will come out of our pockets for doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescription drugs. That is, we hope we will be better able to afford the health care that we need.

But when the bureaucrats say “cutting the cost of health care,” they mean cutting the cost to them — to government programs and insurance companies. And often they mean reducing expenditures on health care by society at large. This came out in a recent blog post by Julie Rovner at NPR’s health blog, “Shots.”

White House Defends Overhaul’s Cost-Cutting – Shots – Health News Blog : NPR

The economists said any health reform bill needs four major components to improve the nation’s “fiscal health.” Those ingredients are deficit neutrality, an excise tax on high-cost insurance plans, a Medicare Commission with more power to make payment recommendations to Congress, and quality-oriented changes to the nation’s system of doctors and hospitals that encourage better care rather more of it.

Two things bother me about this: first, our health care system is the best in the world. I wonder what kind of “quality-oriented changes” the bureaucrats and politicians have in mind. Will they really improve the best health care in the world? Can politicians meddle with a good thing and make it better?

Second, I note that their proposals seek to encourage “better care rather [than] more of it.” That must mean, of course, that our access to health care will be more restricted in the future. With the addition of tens of millions of people seeking a visit to the emergency room or doctor’s office for their minor ailments because “the government pays for it,” reduced expenditures on health care must mean long waiting lines, fewer surgeries, and more difficulty getting prescriptions filled.

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Health Care Rationing Bureaucrats Deny Swine Flu Vaccine to Seniors

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:46:21 +0000

One of the problems with nationalized health care is giving control of our medical decisions to bureaucrats. We prefer to make our own decisions about medical treatment in private consultation with our physicians.

The current shortage of swine flu vaccine has given a good example of how bureaucrats manage these things. What seems like common sense is often thrown aside for some “good” reason … “good” to a bureaucrat maybe.

According to The New York Times, seniors are being sent to the back of the line for flu vaccines, sometimes for the sake of vaccine for healthy middle-aged persons.

65? Back of the Line for the Swine Flu Vaccine, Pal – NYTimes.com

“We’re not used to this in the U.S.,” said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America’s Health, a nonpartisan group that works to prevent epidemics, and who testified before Congress last week, essentially defending the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s choices. “When there’s a limited supply of a scarce resource, you have to give it to those who are most at risk and who will benefit the most.”

For those of us who value our independence, the ability to make our own medical decisions is of paramount importance. For that reason alone, seniors should prefer private means of paying for health care over public (government) programs.

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