Case histories on technology use in long-term care (US)

Donna Cusano

The must-read for the weekend, especially if your user is an older person. The Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST), an initiative of LeadingAge (formerly AAHSA–Association of American Homes and Services for the Aging), an association of 5,400 not-for-profit senior service providers, has just published a paper with 19 case studies of technologies–not all healthcare related–in use in residential LTC and in home care. They range from PERS to remote monitoring, ‘connectedness’ technologies and EHRs. The interesting parts of the case histories, from a wide spread of providers such as Volunteers of America, Ecumen, Selfhelp and Morse Life, deal with how each organization learned from its clients’ feedback and how to best integrate technologies to meet their needs. The introduction is much more than that–it analyzes drivers, difficulties in developing the business case, challenges and keys to success. Preparing for the future: developing technology-enabled long-term services and supports for a new population of older adults.