Will An “Elder Monitor” Keep Mom At Home Longer?

In an open letter to our Presidential Candidates in a recent issue of Fortune Magazine, Andy Grove, former Chairman of Intel, proposes that Medicare can help seniors stay in their homes longer by specifying and paying for monitoring devices for them. The devices would alert a human to help a senior when medication has been missed, for example.

Ignoring the self-serving aspect of his idea for the moment, his suggestion is not unreasonable. It can be a way to provide peace of mind for family, especially for long distance caregivers.  In Japan, families can rent an “i-pot” for a senior living alone.  

The electric tea kettle boils water, records the time when the pot was turned on and dispenses the water, and emails the information to a neighbor or family member. If the elder doesn’t boil water at the usual time of day, someone can check to make sure everything is alright.

But, will an internet teapot or other kind of ”elder monitor” reduce costs? Andy Grove suggests that technology can reduce the costs of assisted living and nursing home care. Which costs does he mean? Medicare? The elder’s family?

Medicare does not pay for assisted living or nursing home care. Medicare pays for doctors visits, hospitalization and the skilled nursing services required for recovery.  Ambulance rides are only covered if the person has to be brought in on a stretcher.

Today, seniors are living longer but in poorer health, which sends them to the hospital frequently. Even just a few days in a hospital bed can cause frail patients to lose strength and mobility. This neccesitates the stay in a skilled nursing facility for “rehab” so the elders can function safely once they return home. Preventing hospital stays would make a significant impact on Medicare costs.

An “elder monitor” that allows the doctor to monitor and communicate with a patient about medications and self care could help.  Doctors at Georgetown University Medical Center did just that with a pilot project for Type 1 diabetics.  Patients transmitted their data to the doctors using their home PCs. The doctors reviewed the patient data weekly and made suggestions on diet, exercise and insulin dose. The researchers found that closer monitoring and feedback by doctors helped to avoid ER visits and hospital stays. (I’ll save the discussion of HIPAA’s privacy requirements for another post.)

But, this would not have helped my dad who stubbornly resisted adopting any technology beyond the TV remote and the an alarm clock that set itself using the US Atomic Clock. He might have used an internet teapot if he received it as a gift. 

So, Andy, it’s a great suggestion but adoption may take a long time. I gained a first hand understanding of the term “digital divide” when I flew from Silicon Valley to help my Dad in NJ.

My father’s decision to move to a retirement community centered on getting away from the ongoing upkeep of a house.  Managing gardeners, painters and cleaners had become a burden. I was too far away to coordinate effectively with all of them. No one had email!

It seemed to make sense for Dad to move to a smaller place to call home that took care of the maintenance, offered meals, transportation to appointments ,and fun events and outings. The allure of nursing staff available round the clock at the push of a button was hard to resist.

He would be safer, have convenience and enjoy life in the company of other active seniors. And, it worked . . . for one year. (More in my next post.)