Lancaster, PA – March, 2019 – Integrated Platform Services LLC today announced a new subscription check-in and reporting service for families of seniors who live independently. The service, named Constance™, targets the families of the 87% of Americans over the age of 65 who, according to AARP, would prefer to live on their own.
Constance™ provides daily human interaction with seniors to check on mood, meals, medications, appointments, and more. The check-ins are used to generate electronic updates for family members — typically members of the “sandwich generation” who find it increasingly difficult to balance support for their aging parents with managing their own busy lives. With a focus on overall wellbeing, Constance™ addresses the most important factors impacting healthcare outcomes: early detection of medical conditions, care plan adherence, and social engagement.
The service is delivered by carefully selected and trained team who call each senior for a personalized, one-on-one conversation. Unlike other personal care services, the reports are immediately available to family members via a smartphone app on iOS and Android devices.
Families using the service have confidence that the needs of their loved one will be identified and reported, allowing them to continue living independently. Constance subscriber Suzette Mullen commented, “My sister and I look forward to getting the reports every day. The daily updates have really connected us as we navigate (my mom’s) care from a distance.” Members also look forward to interacting with the Constance Family Coordinators. A senior using the service, Patricia Roberts, recently said, “It made me feel very safe to know you were calling me this morning.”
CEO and cofounder Henry Yaeger commented, “We started Constance because we want to apply business solutions to a huge and growing societal challenge. Demographic shifts and longer distances are leaving families unprepared for the demands of supporting their loved ones as they age. Our service allows seniors to continue to live independently, while giving their families the comfort of knowing they are always being looked after.”
– news release
ABOUT CONSTANCE
Constance is a service of Integrated Platform Services LLC, a company based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Constance helps seniors maintain independence by facilitating communication between seniors, their family members, and others. The high-touch service is supported by a cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant platform that enables the Constance team to efficiently provide services, while native mobile apps keep family members informed. Constance is a Pennsylvania Link to Aging and Disability Resources partner entity.
This is an opinion statement from Laurie Orlov’s blog at Aging in Place Technology Website.
“Where the baby (or elderly family member) may be. The WSJ investigation of Care.com has only added a level of urgency about the risky business of finding and placing caregivers in homes. Consider the Care.com CEO’s egregious assertion that “Care.com is a marketplace platform, like Indeed or LinkedIn.” Really, finding someone to watch your baby or your aging father is analogous to finding a worker to fill a job opening in your IT department or seeking a manager to fill out your org chart? And having nasty problems with convicted criminals taking on caregiving roles, resulting in occurring in multiple states, but never aggregating those into a nationwide picture of a horror show, until research into incidents was done by a Stanford MBA student? Read that link, please.
“What’s wrong with this picture of oversight? Fixing the Care.com background checking fiasco will take ‘more than babysitting money.’ No kidding. It will take vote-with-their feet feedback from the firm’s investors and especially the customers.”
“As you get older, you may find you face more and more medical bills. No matter how great your insurance coverage is or if you are on Medicare, the out-of-pocket costs due to medical needs can add up. And if you or a loved one have a serious medical condition or disability, your costs can quickly get overwhelming.
“The average medical care cost for seniors retiring today is around $280,000. The average cost of long-term care needs for seniors and disabled individuals is around $4,000-$7,000 per month. Clearly, these expenses add up quickly and can drain the resources of those who need care most. That’s why individuals and their caregivers need to understand all of the potential tax benefits they qualify for to ensure they are taking all possible deductions.
“Thankfully, there are many tax deductions you can take for medical bills or the medical bills of someone in your care. In fact, around 9 million Americans currently claim tax deductions to help them lower their tax liability and pay for their medical care. But almost just as many taxpayers fail to take those deductions because they are simply uninformed.
“This guide is designed to give you all of the information you need to claim the deductions you are due. Whether for yourself or for someone you love and care for, here is what you need to know about tax deductions for medical care.”
Keep reading this article at taxact.com, click here.
(Pixabay)
By Chloe Reichel
“As baby boomers age, the demands placed on the country’s health care system are increasing. That includes the home health care industry, which is undergoing changes to accommodate a growing senior population.
“Home health care services allow people who require extra care to remain in their homes, reducing the burden otherwise shouldered by health care facilities, assisted living centers and nursing homes. The services also can be less expensive than these other facilities.
“According to the most recently available data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.9 million adult patients received home health care at some point in 2013. Federal data indicate that number is expected to grow in the next decade. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of home health aides and personal care aides to grow 41 percent from 2016 to 2026, outpacing average growth for other occupations.
“Home health aides are distinct from visiting registered nurses or licensed practical nurses in that they are not required to have specialized education beyond a high school degree, are not licensed as nurses, and in many cases do not provide assistance with medical tasks.”
Continue reading this article at Journalist’s Resources, click here.
Brian Rea
by Melanie Bishop
“When my mother was booted from an assisted living facility in North Carolina for being ‘too high maintenance,’ my husband, Ted, and I agreed to have her live near us in Prescott, Ariz.
“She had spent seven years of dementia in assisted-living facilities, first near my brother in Austin, Tex., and then near my two sisters in Asheville, N.C. It was our turn. My mother never liked any of these facilities, but she disliked the one here most of all. Sometimes, she disliked me.
“One of the few things she did like about Prescott was being reunited with her old car, a 1992 Honda Accord she had sold to me years before, shortly after my father had died.”
“The Honda connected her to her life before dementia … “
Their new landmark Alzheimer’s film is heartbreaking, inspiring, funny and true
“At first, Blythe Danner and Hilary Swank seem utterly different as you watch them chatting together in a vast white room in Manhattan on a fine summer morning.
“Swank, 44, a buff former high school gymnastics champ who grew up in a trailer park in Washington state, is direct, peppy, coachlike. ‘Make a choice about the optimism you want to bring into your life!’ she exhorts us at one point.
“The imperially slim Danner, 75, a Philadelphia banker’s daughter, is reserved and self-deprecating, even after a half-century of acting triumphs. Though she introduced her daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow, to acting, she says Gwynnie is the genius in the family. ‘She has such self-esteem and self-awareness, all the things I never had,’ Danner notes.”
Continue reading this article at AARP Magazine, click here.
“Constance wants to help you care for your aging loved one. We will partner with you by offering you peace of mind and the assurance that you — and they — are not alone.
“We are offering a trial subscription to our basic ‘One Call’ service. One of our friendly, qualified Family Coordinators will call your loved one regularly, asking them basic questions about their mood, diet, and schedule.”
To participate in this free trial of this service, sign up today.
There’s No Place Like Home | New support for those caring for aging loved ones.
As time passes and technology advances, trends come and go, but we think one is here to stay: Aging in place. As the population ages, more and more people are choosing to stay in their own homes longer, or permanently. For some, it’s not a choice: “There is no place like home. Home is where the heart is.”
A study by AARP revealed most seniors share that belief: 90% of seniors stated they plan to live in their own homes for at least the next 5 to 10 years. While the desire to remain at home might be driven by sentimentalities, or by the wish to remain independent and in control, the cost of retirement communities isn’t convincing anyone to pack their bags. Entrance fees to these communities can cost upwards of $100,000, and additional monthly living expenses typically range from $2,000 to $4,000.
New Challenges | Remaining at home doesn’t come without its challenges, and this is especially true as those aging in place begin to require more care and assistance to stay safely at home.
The seniors’ children often fill the caregiver role, assisting their parents in various ways to ensure they are safe and have everything they need while alone at home. This can be difficult, however, as they often have their own nuclear family responsibilities and work commitments to attend to. Two challenges are overwhelmingly present across varying caregiver situations: 1) 24 hours a day is not enough time to manage their loved one’s care, and 2) there is almost constant stress and worry as they think about their loved one’s well-being at home. A majority of caregivers wish they had more help in managing their loved one’s care, and often, they don’t have anyone to help them. That’s why we created Constance.
A New Solution | Constance brings peace of mind to families caring for seniors. With Constance, families know there is always someone looking after their loved one. And when they need help, things will get done with little hassle. Constance calls several seniors every day, to talk about what they’ve eaten, what their plans are, and to make sure they have everything they need. Family members receive a report after the conversation, to let them know how their loved one is doing that day.
It’s Time | If you or someone you know is grappling with the challenges of caring for an aging loved one, there is an opportunity to participate in the support Constance has to offer.
Let us help!
717-500-1386
hello@constance.one
SOURCE: submitted
Lititz, PA – Landis Communities is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Friends Life Care to launch a Continuing Care at Home (CCaH) program in Lancaster and Lebanon counties. This arrangement will allow both organizations to expand their missions through the innovative Friends Life Care service and exceptional senior care. This new offering is a membership-based program designed to help people remain in their home as they age and can be utilized for care at home, if and when needed, and even residence-based care as those needs may evolve. The program, launching in October 2018, will therefore give older adults another option to remain living where they choose for as long as possible.
“Friends Life Care offers the first and largest continuing care at home program in the country,” explained Evon Bergey, VP of Community Initiatives at Landis Communities. “The Friends Life Care program provides a truly unique combination of care coordination and financial benefit needed to help ensure older adults have the resources and support that they will need to remain in their own homes as they age. If care is ever needed, it will be coordinated by Friends Life Care and provided by our trusted network of caregivers.”
“We are delighted to join resources with Landis Communities and bring our distinctive services to Lancaster and Lebanon Counties,” said Carol A. Barbour, president of Friends Life Care. “Friends Life Care’s philosophy is centered upon vitality, independence, growth and resilience and enables us to launch and maintain a strong partnership with Landis Communities.”
The composition of America’s aging population is changing greatly, mainly due to the very important baby boomer generation. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 8.7 million people will be 85 or older by 2030 — the year when all baby boomers join the 65 and older population. According to research, nearly 90% of people want to stay in their own home as they age. This partnership with Friends Life Care to expand the time-tested Continuing Care at Home program provides people with more options to age in place.
Landis Communities and Friends Life Care will begin holding informational seminars in October 2018. These seminars will provide additional detailed information regarding membership in the Continuing Care at Home program. Online webinars will also be made available.
Landis Communities owns and operates Landis Homes, a Continuing Care Retirement Community/ Life Plan Community serving nearly 900 residents, in addition to a number of living options and services for seniors in the area. Friends Life Care is a not-for-profit, mission-focused Quaker-Based organization known for its expertise, integrity and product strength, all vital components for a successful partnership with Landis Communities. More information about Friends Life Care and Landis Communities and dates for seminars and webinars can be found at www.FriendsLifeCare.org/Landis or by calling 1-844-2Landis (1-844-252-6347)
Landis Communities delivers an array of services and housing options throughout the Lancaster County area. Known for enriching lives, they provide caring, high quality service to persons helping them live full lives with access to the services they need. Landis Communities began in the early 1960s when Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities (now EMM) started exploring how they might develop a community for retired mission workers, pastors and others. The organization now operates across a widening spectrum of services based on personal preferences, physical needs and financial resources. Landis Communities is a conference related ministry of LMC: A Fellowship of Anabaptist Churches and Atlantic Coast Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Friends Life Care offers long-term care protection by providing wellness programs, home health care, related personal care services and facility care to enrolled members in the Philadelphia and Delaware areas. Individuals and couples become members of Friends Life Care in order to protect their independence, guard their financial security and gain peace of mind. All member care is coordinated by a team of credentialed and selected professionals and provided by carefully screened aides.
The Secretary opens this week’s Wrap-Up with discussion about grandparents coping with children affected by the opioid crisis … their grandchildren.
She and the Governor the governor met with “several area grandparents who have, quite unexpectedly and very unceremoniously, found themselves parenting for the second time around as a direct result of the opioid epidemic. An estimated 82,000 grandparents are the sole caregivers for nearly 89,000 grandchildren in Pennsylvania, and that number is increasing across the commonwealth due to the opioid crisis.”
Each week the Office of the Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging releases a Friday newsletter with information relevant to activities, issues and events for older Pennsylvanians and persons with disabilities across the Commonwealth.
Click here download the newsletter as a .pdf file.
