Senior Care

Chia-Lin Simmons: Advancing Technology for the Care Economy

    Chia-Lin Simmons, the CEO of LogicMark, a company providing smart care technology and emergency systems joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care and Technology Channels. LogicMark offers two-way communication devices for emergencies, helping to give caregivers peace of mind and their loved ones the independence they deserve. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Chia-Lin Simmons discuss the following: Statistics tell us that our aging population here in the United States is growing rapidly as well as in other parts of the world. As a CEO focused on the “care economy,” can you explain what the “care economy” is and why should we be thinking about it as our population ages? You’ve worked for many of the top tech companies through the years. Why did you feel that the care economy was falling behind? When you talk about bringing care technologies up to speed, what do you take into consideration when thinking about how to develop technologies to best serve today’s seniors? Turning to caregivers, today we talk about the “sandwich generation” of people who are taking care of their parents and their children, many of whom are also working full time. Talk about your own experience as a caregiver and what the kinds of technology you’ve described would mean for you? As we know, technology can be expensive. With many elderly Americans living in poverty, how do we ensure that they and their caregivers have access to the technologies they need? As we conclude, for those of our listeners who find themselves in caregiving roles, or who are also members of the sandwich generation, what advice can you give about how to manage a myriad of responsibilities you face. With more than 26 years in tech leadership, Chia-Lin Simmons has worked for some of the most impressive names in the tech industry, including Audible (where she was part of the team that facilitated its sale to Amazon), Harman International (now a division of Samsung) and Google, where she was an executive on the Google Play team. Simmons joined NASDAQ-listed public company LogicMark (formerly NXT-ID) in June 2021 to develop PERS, software, software services and other connected products for the care economy. The company has been one of the leading providers of medical alerts and personal emergency response systems to the largest hospital network in the United States, the Veterans Administration, to provide more non-monitored PERS devices at no charge to veterans. It secured under Simmons’ short tenure at the company a GSA contract, which allows the company to offer their negotiated pricing and expertise to other federal, state and local municipalities to provide these critical products to those who need assistance. Leveraging her background in artificial intelligence (including her own retail-tech startup, LookyLoo,) Simmons plans steer LogicMark and the care economy at large to develop better, smarter, more accessible products for aging adults and their caregivers–matching the pace of today’s youth-driven technological innovation.     Website: https://logicmark.com  Social Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/logicmarkpers Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/logicmark Twitter: https://twitter.com/logicmark 

How Digital Technology is Changing the Landscape of Elder Health Care

    Avanlee Christine, the CEO and Founder of Avanlee Care, a new app that improves how families communicate and manage their care receiver’s health in real time joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care and Technology Channels. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Avanlee Christine discuss the following: Tell me about the Avanlee Elderly Care APP and how it is different than what is currently on the market? What is the most important feature of the Avanlee Care APP? What are the challenges of caring for an aging parent or relative? How has digital technology improved elder care and what does the future hold in your opinion? What does the future hold for senior care in America? Avanlee Christine is a founder, technologist and businesswoman. Throughout her career Avanlee has worked to provide better health and social care solutions for the elderly. Her experience caring for others and working with her own family to care for her ailing grandfather for 8 years, led her to realize that there was no technology solution available on the market that helped families and care-givers effectively support the health and social needs of an aging relative remotely. With the pandemic that need became all the more acute. She founded Avanlee Care to address that gap and provide families with a solution to transform the quality of remote health and social care for their elderly relatives.     Website: AvanleeCare.com  Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/AvanleeCare Instagram: instagram.com/avanlee_careTwitter: twitter.com/avanleec

White Coat Influencers: How Primary Care Doctors are Combatting Vaccine Hesitancy Amid Surging Delta Variant

    Dr. Ben Kornitzer, M.D., the Chief Medical and Quality Officer for agilon health, an organization that champions the roles of independent physician practices joins eHealth Radio and the Covid-19 Information and Health News Channels. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Ben Kornitzer discuss the following: To start off, can you tell us about your background? How have doctors been influential in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout?  What is a “White Coat Influencer?” We know that the U.S. reached its goal of vaccinating 70% of U.S. adults. Can you share your thoughts on the significance of this milestone? What about “hard to reach” folks? Maybe those who are elderly or technologically challenged. How can doctors best promote vaccine acceptance to this demographic? What is the Roll Up Our Sleeves campaign? Dr. Ben Kornitzer, M.D., is the Chief Medical and Quality Officer for agilon health. He has clinical and operational experience leading a diverse range of medical enterprises, including community-based practices, ACOs, IPAs, and integrated ambulatory networks. He served as Chief Medical Officer of the Mount Sinai Health Network for six years, where he oversaw one of the premier academic delivery networks in the country as the system developed robust population health tools, quality programs, care coordination resources, and invested in practice transformation. In addition to his clinical and operational roles, Dr. Kornitzer previously served as a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he worked with U.S and foreign governments, hospital systems, and pharmaceutical companies. He earned his medical degree with AOA honors from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his residency at Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital. Website: agilonhealth.com Social Media Links: Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/agilonhealth Twitter: @agilonhealth

The evolving role of digital AI companions in at-home healthcare

    Dor Skuler, the CEO & Co-Founder at Intuition Robotics, which creates empathetic digital companions that positively impact people's lives joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care & Technology Channels. The company's first product, ElliQ, is an artificial intelligence driven proactive social robot for older adults to keep them healthy, active, and independent at home, bridging the gap between them and their healthcare providers. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dor Skuler discuss the following: What is ElliQ and how did you develop the technology? How have companion robots been affecting seniors' health and well-being at home and how have they evolved over the past several years? Why did you decide to expand into healthcare during COVID and what did you learn that led to this pivot in strategy? What impact do you think ElliQ will have on the healthcare field? What role should digital companions play in the grander healthcare market and challenges doctors face in patient communication? Conclusion: To help older adults age independently at home for as long as possible, consider a proactive digital companion that can help efficiently connect them to the world, their families, and their healthcare teams. As a serial entrepreneur, Dor Skuler has co-founded five ventures, the most recent being Intuition Robotics, following his passion to develop artificial intelligence-driven robotics that address major social issues of the 21st century. Having trained in Israel’s elite military intelligence unit 8200, Dor made a mark on interactive broadcast technology with Zing Interactive Media (acquired by Invesco, NASDAQ: IVZ) and security software through Safend (acquired by Wave Systems Corp, NASDAQ: WAVX). Dor then joined Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) to create and lead innovative ventures, most notably as Founder and GM of Cloudband, the world’s first platform for Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), cited by Nokia as a major motive to purchasing the French-American telecoms giant. As Senior Vice President at Alcatel-Lucent, Dor was a regular speaker on the telecoms circuit, frequently cited in the media and made the Global Telecom Business ’40 under 40’ list in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Dor also served as Vice President of Strategy and Global Head of Corporate Development for Alcatel-Lucent in its corporate headquarters in Paris. Dor holds an MBA and Master’s of Science in Marketing from Temple University, has co-authored ‘Cloud Computing: Business Trends and Technologies’ published by Wiley in 2016 and holds board level advisory and director roles for several telecoms, cyber security and tech-led social impact ventures.     Websites: intuitionrobotics.com  | elliq.com Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/elliqsidekick  Instagram: instagram.com/elliqsidekick  Twitter: twitter.com/intuitionrobo

Grane Rx, the nation’s leading senior care pharmacy and medication management provider

  Bob Rowland, the President and COO of Grane Rx, the nation’s leading senior care pharmacy and medication management provider joins eHealth Radio and the Health News & Pharmaceutical Channels. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Bob Rowland discuss the following: What does Grane Rx do and who do you serve? What measures does Grane Rx take to reduce disease transmission in medication administration and management given we are in a once in a century Pandemic? What is Grane Rx’s Meds2Home program and who does it serve? You previously mentioned PACE, what exactly is PACE and what is Grane Rx’s role in supporting this program. In light of the pandemic, how has Grane Rx evolved to respond to changing conditions?     Grane Rx is the nation’s leading senior care pharmacy and medication management provider. For over 25 years Grane Rx has been delivering end-to-end pharmacy services, clinical consulting, staff training and on-going support, pharmacy transition facilitation, precision medication, and state-of-the-art pharmacy technology and automation. All Grane Rx solutions are designed to streamline senior care operations, optimize care and manage costs. Grane Rx works closely with our clients to build a collaborative relationship and ensure a smooth pharmacy transition. Bob Rowland has been leading high performance healthcare companies for over three decades. As an industry veteran with extensive operational, financial and management experience, Bob effectively drives results for smart business growth. Currently serving as the Grane Rx President and COO, he has built a profitable and sustainable business model for the company. Under his strong leadership, vision and financial acumen, Grane Rx has grown from 60 employees to nearly 300 employees and from one pharmacy location serving Western Pennsylvania to three pharmacy locations servicing the United States. Grane Rx is continuing to expand its services and customer base in response to changing market conditions and new opportunities. In 2006, Grane Rx strategically added PACE pharmacy to its line-up of services--a rapidly growing area in senior pharmacy care. Upon joining Grane Rx in 2007, Bob took over stewardship of the company’s PACE services business unit. Today Grane Rx is one of the nation’s leading PACE pharmacy and medication management providers serving three of the largest PACE organizations in the country. Grane Rx also runs three state-of-the-art pharmacies in strategic locations throughout the U.S. The second and third pharmacies were added under Bob’s leadership and have contributed to the scalable growth of the company. The addition of these pharmacies opened up new geographical opportunities enabling Grane Rx to serve customers across the country with the necessary speed. Prior to his tenure at Grane Rx, Bob founded NurseMD at Home, a physician house call practice serving the frail elderly population. Bob and his team of medical prescribers serviced over 300 patients unable to see their primary care physician on a regular basis. Bob’s work with Orange Belt Pharmacy Group provided the impetus for him to found NurseMD at Home. Bob served as CEO for Orange Belt Pharmacy, a retail and LTC pharmacy group with home medical equipment supplier based out of Central, Florida from 1999 to 2004. There he led a team of 50 employees servicing seniors in multiple settings and enhancing processes and systems. He introduced the one of the first high volume pouch packing devices in Florida to service nursing home residents. In the late 90’s Bob served as the Post Acute Care Director for CareLink, a wholly owned subsidiary of Orlando Health. There he led a team who managed seniors in nursing homes, home health, DME, retail pharmacy, home infusion pharmacy, and private duty services. In the late 80’s, Bob served as a senior reimbursement manager at HCR. He led a team of financial personnel who focused on sub-acute care reimbursement and program development. Bob has held auditing and consulting roles with Ernst & Young and KPMG Peat Marwick firms. Bob is happily married to his spouse Michelle for 37 years. He has three beautiful adult children and two perfect grandsons. His mom is a healthy 84.     Learn More about Grane Rx & PACE:Grane Rx: www.granerx.com   PACE: www.granerx.com/aboutPACE

Phoenix-based organization works to get individuals facing long-term illnesses and medical conditions off the streets and into long-term housing

    Liz Agboola, president and CEO of Senior Placement Services, an assistance program in Phoenix that provides housing resources for vulnerable veterans, elderly and homeless who are unable to live independently due to long-term illnesses and medical conditions joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Senior Care Channels. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Liz Agboola discuss the following: Tell us a bit about Senior Placement Services and what the process is like when you are working to help someone. Does Senior Placement Services charge for the assessment and guidance given? What motivated you to go into this line of work? I understand you are also the CEO of Moses Behavioral Care, a group of community-based mental health facilities offering 24-hour, long-term care for the SMI (serious mental illness) population…what drove you to build your own facilities? Additionally, you are a board member at Dignity Health and Valleywise Health Foundation. What projects are you working on there?     Liz Agboola is CEO of Moses Behavioral Care (MBC), a group of community-based mental health facilities offering 24-hour, long-term care for the SMI (serious mental illness) population. These efforts are motivated by her promise to uphold mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including preventive services to the community while offering integrated care and treatment for those who require assistance with daily living. Prior to establishing MBC, she founded Senior Placement Services with her parents and siblings. It was here she began her work in public service. For nearly 10 years she spearheaded community efforts ensuring suitable housing was available for the disenfranchised, homeless veterans and the elderly. She strengthened the company's business and corporate citizenship with key partnerships (local shelters, mental health clinics, Veteran’s Administration homeless centers) and various civic and community-based organizations. Her career ultimately began two decades ago in the private sector in learning and development. She served in various senior leadership roles with Bank of America and Director of Learning and Development with Gannett. Liz brings a strong business and health care background paired with a servant’s heart to lead the community in advocacy and ultimately through legislation. She holds a Master’s in Education and Masters of Business Administration. Liz currently sits on the Board of Dignity Health and the Maricopa Health Foundation (now called Valleywise).     Website: SeniorPlacementAZ.org  Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/SeniorPlacementAZ  Instagram: instagram.com/liz_agboola

5 Ways Seniors Are Saving the World Right Now

    Thelma Reese, an aging expert and co author of "How Seniors Are Saving the World, Retirement Activism to the Rescue!" joins eHealth Radio and the Health News & Retirement Channels. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Thelma Reese discuss the following: What inspired you to write this book? Who are the people you write about in your book, and how did you find them? Is this a “how-to” book? What do you hope readers will get from this book? What have you learned about retirement from writing this book? What is so important about this book for today’s readers?     Thelma Reese is the author of The New Senior Woman, The New Senior Man and now her 3rd book "How Seniors Are Saving the World, Retirement Activism to the Rescue!" Thelma is the creator of the blog, www.ElderChicks.com. She’s a retired professor of English and Education, the former spokesperson for Hooked on Phonics, and has long been active in national and Philadelphia-based educational and cultural initiatives. BJ Kittredge is a former health care professional and educator. Website: www.senioractivism.com  Blog: www.ElderChicks.com Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/elderchicks  Twitter: twitter.com/elderchicks

What are the signs to look for when my aging parents or loved ones need assistance or help at home

    Porsha Vogt, Owner and President of Golden Care that providing seniors, post-surgical patients, and those in need of assistance due to a debilitating diagnosis, with in-home care joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care & Health News Channels. Golden Care believes that everyone should have the right to live in their home for as long as they can.   Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Porsha Vogt discuss the following: What are some of the telltale signs to look for when visiting your parents who may need care in their homes? Do you have adult children that call you in crisis mode that have come to town to visit a parent and are shocked to find their parents needing urgent & immediate help? Do you ever deal with adult children who do not know how to have "The Conversation" with their parents when it is obviously time to call for In-Home-Care? What do you do in those cases? How do you deal with the guilt of not taking care of your loved one yourself. Can you refer your clients to other professionals for additional help, ie Medication Management, Hospice Agencies, Concierge Care Managers ( RN's ) What do you do when it is no longer safe for a client of yours to live in their own home? Perhaps they are wandering or an elopement risk? As the owner of Golden Care, Porsha enables seniors in Carlsbad and San Diego County area. read more...Collapse As the owner of Golden Care, Porsha enables seniors in Carlsbad and San Diego County area to live safe, happy lives in their own homes for as long as they can. Her mission, and the mission of ... Golden Care, includes assisting family members with elder care for their loved ones while maintaining their own professional and personal lives; creating a family-oriented environment, staffed by professional caregivers that go the extra mile to serve seniors; and increasing respect and concern for seniors in our society. Porsha has a degree in Business Management from the University of Colorado and brings her background in finance and entrepreneurialism to the service of seniors and their loved ones through Golden Care.     Website: www.getgoldencare.com Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/GoldenCareSanDiego  Twitter: linkedin.com/company/golden-care

Home Care Support, bridging the healthcare system with our daily lives

    Sam Cross the Owner and Administrator of Broad Street that provides comprehensive support services that allow seniors to remain healthy and independent in their homes joins eHealth Radio and the Health News & Senior Care Channels.   Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Sam Cross discuss the following: What are the key things to consider when thinking of getting support, and what are the options?  What is the difference between Assisted Living and Home Care? What are some of the benefits of having support at home? When is the right time to start discussing the need for support at home? What are some of the key differences between different home care support agencies? Broad Street Home Care (“Broad Street” or “the Company”) based in Wilmette, Illinois and serving the Greater Chicago area, provides premium, customized in-home care services for seniors who want to remain healthy and independent in their homes. There is currently a gap in our healthcare system between the services provided in Hospitals and other healthcare facilities and ultimately what occurs in the home. By employing an innovative and collaborative team approach, modeled after the organizational structure employed by Hospitals, Broad Street is able to offer a much more engaged and structured level of support than traditional Home Care. Through highly trained Personal Assistants and Nurse Oversight, the Company not only provide support with all the activities of daily living, but also develops customized service plans that help manage specific underlying health conditions. Our long-term goal is to transform the landscape of Home Care into a more integrated and effective part of our overall healthcare system. Broad Street essentially bridge the gap between an individual’s healthcare needs and the way they want to live their daily lives.     Website: BroadStreethomecare.com Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/BroadStreetHomeCare  Twitter: @broadstreetcare

Seniors, Preventing Falls and iFALLCEPT

  Laura D. Jackson, BSN, MPH and Co-Founder of iFALLCEPT, a company that has developed the first iOS app available to the public to help stop falls, a deadly killer among seniors that is often addressed to late, joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care and Health News Channels.   Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Laura D. Jackson discuss the following: Tell us a little bit about your background and how it lead into creating the first in-home fall safety app in the App Store? What are the statistics surrounding falls in the home? Is it really that large of a problem? So how does iFALLCEPT work? What are some recommendations you can provide to our listeners immediately to help with fall prevention in their homes, parents, relatives or friends? Who's your target audience and what has been the experience so far? What are the advantages of this app? Laura D Jackson as co-founder of iFALLCEPT leads outreach and public awareness on Senior falls and prevention.  Laura brings with her a Bachelor of Nursing and a Masters in Public Health. She successfully created and managed a thriving home health agency for nearly 20 years, Patient Care Services Inc (PCS).   PCS was a certified Medicare home health agency that employed hundreds of healthcare workers including Nurses, Aides and Therapists and served thousands of patients. PCS was awarded the highest credentials from JCAHO auditors and was recognized for providing quality care to thousands of aging seniors and the disabled. Awareness and advocacy of Seniors and their healthcare has long been Laura's passion.   Laura found herself not only a senior advocate through her business but also found a passion through her aging parents.  Her medical background had proved invaluable many times when it came to the care her own parents received in the healthcare system. Launching iFALLCEPT was a culmination of a long history in healthcare and her passion to continue to make a difference in seniors’ lives.  iFALLCEPT was a labor of love, but unfortunately, Laura’s father was one of the many senseless deaths due to falling. Too many of us hear too often, “after he/she fell, it was all downhill from there”.  Now that Laura is a senior herself, many of her friends have now experienced devastating falls. Falls are a complex problem, but simple steps and simple habits can make a significant impact.  From daily exercise and medication review to your home fall risk assessment, each senior can make a difference and impact their own lives through the choices and habits they make. Smart and Healthy living comes from simple habits like an afternoon walk to regular use of products like iFALLCEPT that put the power of healthy living in your hands. Starting today brings a healthy and happy tomorrow.     Website: ifallcept.com