Follow the Companies in Preventive Care. Whether providing devices or health care services, we started talking about innovative companies and then moved on to a wide ranging discussion on aging.
Notes
While we know that larger healthcare systems and insurance companies are providing some innovative preventive care, today’s focus is on the smaller players who are innovating quickly and whose capabilities have great potential to change prevention health.
Prevention Areas:
- Remote Monitoring, Smart Home and Wearables
- Physical Therapy, Activity and Strength
- Medication Management and Adherence
- Social Determinants of Health
- Care Management
- Social Connection and Communication
- Fall Prevention
- Cognitive Care
Senior Centers & Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) are effective in identifying SDoH, creating social connections and creating awareness for prevention activities such as fall awareness. Senior Centers look different from area to area but almost all are looking for partnerships such as enhanced fitness, education events, facilitators.
New companies such as eLivlihood and LiveAct are bringing technologies out that connect siblings, other caregivers and the care team and allow them to coordinate activities and schedules.
Societal aging is a mega-trend. One of the challenges we deal with is the silos in preventive care. Bridging them is critical for best care. While it isn’t widely supported, early focus on preventive care is a best practice. Nordic countries have the Health 2030 initiative to de-silo and public-private partnerships. They are going to match the money spent on healthcare in prevention. In Columbia, Programma Contigo is focused on the latter stages of life to improve well-being and palliative care by forming interdisciplinary teams of clinicians.
There is a distinct need for services which are low cost or no cost. A directory for these resources should be built so that older adults in need can readily find these services.
What is defined as quality of life is personal and the definition is based upon individual perspective. Rather than focusing decisions on the physician, patients should be educated so that they can participate in the decisions.
Preventive care should be taught and learned early in life so that good behaviors become habit.
Unfortunately, loneliness is too common, but there are flexible solutions to solve this, both tech and non-tech based. New companies are springing up to solve these issues, both with technology and also using traditional methods of connection (senior centers et al). Bringing generations together adds value, respect and enlightenment.
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Honor Technology acquires Home Instead
Kaiser Health News reports 90% of older Americans are at least partially vaccinated