Is there an agency or group that calls elderly individuals on a daily basis to make sure they are basically alright?

Source HIPAA: “Health information means any information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that–
{Q}(A) is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or health care clearinghouse; and
(B) relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of any individual, the provision of health care to an individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual.”{end Q}
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Short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPAA provides national standards to protect the privacy of personal health information. To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, Public Law 104-191, included "Administrative Simplification" provisions that required HHS to adopt national standards for electronic health care transactions. Congress incorporated into HIPAA provisions that mandated the adoption of Federal privacy protections for individually identifiable health information. [Source: HIPAA Overview (PDF0
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HIPAA applies to businesses and health care organizations.
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HIPAA, or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, laws don't apply only to health care organizations --- they also apply to small businesses that aren't in the health care industry. A small business administers health insurance plans, as well as other health-related benefits and information about employee health conditions, which the business must secure according to HIPAA guidelines.
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If someone wants to share your health information, you have to give your formal consent.
You have the right to complain to HHS about violations of HIPAA rules.
Health information is to be used only for health purposes. Without your consent, it can't be used to help banks decide whether to give you a loan, or by potential employers to decide whether to give you a job.
When your health information gets shared, only the minimum necessary amount of information should be disclosed.
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WebMD is a good place to visit to put HIPAA rules into perspective.
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HIPAA is very complex. So are the privacy and security initiatives that must occur to reach and maintain HIPAA compliance. Organizations need a quick, concise reference in order to meet HIPAA requirements and maintain ongoing compliance.
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Knowledge networks such as this one are not concise references nor is the information shared here to be considered accurate or reliable.

A phone call to see if a person needs assistance is a tad beyond HIPAA imco. However be aware that health information is private.

I had suggested that a list of the names and numbers could be given to the senior citizens that get together daily to play games and such. But there is a problem with HIPPA because of disclosure of personal data, get it?

M88

Yes UncleDave I too cant see how HIPPA would come into play after all you are not sharing medical info just sharing if someone picks up the phone. Interesting conversation. Also the person who has the movement monitoring system could you pls share the name without that its of no help.

Mulata88......please explain {Then again, there's HIPPA......}. as it applies to a wellness call services.

Then again, there's HIPPA......

:^(

It would be a fantastic idea, but like most things "today", if there is no $$$ benefit, then no one cares...............so sad..................

Maybe the local senior center, where seniors play cards and bingo and such. A phone list could be made by the office personnel at the center, and divided among volunteers.

Part of the "play time" could be performing such calls. They get together for breakfast and lunch here locally.

It could be printed in the form of a checklist, where there was an answer, or not.

I tell you, it is a GOOD idea...........if there are benefit$ for the one$ involved.

M 8 8 - - - - It really should / could be part of the subscription / fees for the monitoring companies. Asking them if they would cannot hurt. It would keep them busy, and if one is paying for a service, why not get more for the $$$ ?

Anyway, just here thinking out loud. M 8 8

Way back in the 70's my grandmother was the "Sunshine" woman for the local senior citizen club in our town. She would call members who had missed meetings as well as calls to shut-ins in the community. Certainly start there in your town, who knows there might be a program already in place!

Repeating my earlier post .. plus..
There just is no substitute for a person to person wellness check.

My sister Marion had a fall alarm pennant. It did not rescue her.
My wellness phone call resulted in the police finding her.

{Q} Having recently made a wellness check phone to a 93 year old sister. M lived alone in a housing authority apartment.
I called her every day around supper time, short touch base calls. Often she would have gone to bed.

One night I called, no answer, probably in bathroom, waited a few minutes and repeated call. No answer, assumed she had go to bed for night.
Next morning I called again. No answer. I called 911 and requested a wellness check. They responded along with housing security. Police Found her on floor in bad shape. Transported her to ER. Died two day later. {End Quote}

The rescue alarm did not help. Motion sensors would not have helped. It takes a People to initiate a check.

We need a formal scheduled manned wellness checking system with a person making the check. KISS applies.
The wake up services that make phone calls seem to be a logical source of wellness calls. Maybe they don't want the added responsibility.

Yes, some of the hospital volunteer groups will do this. If the senior registers with the local police station, they will do wellness calls (at least in our hometown). The local senior centers. We typically recommend a life alert button that detects a fall. The call will go to people they have registered, a neighbor or friend nearby.

Maybe you could get your church to start such a program if they don't have it. I think it is a good thing to do! I would like something like this for myself!

Check with local churches to see if they have a shutin program.

Lots of good ideas here. Your local area agency on aging should be able to help you find local programs that might do this.

Medical alert pendants can work but many older adults don't wear them consistently. Also research shows they often don't push the button.

Potentially a better option is a "safe in home" sensor system; I once worked with a family who installed one for a 92 year old relative who lived alone. This doesn't require the older person to remember anything. One day family noticed she hadn't moved during the day; she'd fallen and broken a hip.

Daily phone calls are good for social purposes however. Good luck!

I would ask the "press this button" company if they would offer to call in.......x......times per day, and how much would that cost, or could they offer it as part of the package. Who knows, they could pioneer this service, patent it, etcétera. They're interested in making $$$$, and the problem solved.

M88

Uncle Dave, My mother's device was meant to be worn all the time. When she fell in the back yard (see above) she set it off and she could hear them but they couldn't hear her. Since she didn't answer they called me as the first person to call. Since she set it off I had them call 911 and I called the neighbor. If that is what you meant. They also called her once a month to be sure it worked. I don't know if they would call her more often, they might for a price.

There seems to be no shortage of call for help devices. What seems to be lacking is a call-in and then report no reply if there is no answer. I wonder if any of the sole-proprietor wake up services don't add more income as a wellness call service.

When my grandmother was about 90, still active and living alone--we pulled together as a family and each one of us had a day to call or visit her to check on her. It worked great....until the day she decided to have a tub bath (which she had given up for fear of not being able to get out of it alone)..and sure enough, she had a mild stroke in the tub, her fall alert pendant was too far away for her to reach and she sat in the tub for almost 24 hrs until the next person in line to call her didn't get her....a horrible thing. She did die soon afterwards, just due to age related issues....if she had not taken off her call pendant to bathe....oh well. This calling system (plus wonderful neighbors) worked really well for our family for 4+ years.

As far as I know, I would have to say no on this one, around here we've never even heard of such a thing. However, I do know that there is such a service that provides an emergency call box, an elderly friend of mine had one when he was living. He had his own apartment until the time he was moved to a nursing home. Anytime he had an emergency all he had to do was push the button that rang in to 911. A live operator came on the line and spoke to him through the box and they would dispatch help. Every time you turned around he was always calling the squad even when there was no need for one. Nearly all of his problems could've been resolved without medical personnel, this was discovered at some point or another because he really didn't need a squad at all. Yes, he became a frequent flyer who unnecessarily tied up the squad and ER beds, which is why someone came along and finally forced him into a nursing home. I'd be surprised if that call box still works because he used it that much

I had a medical alert button for my mother, (Help I have fallen down and can't get up). It gave me great peace of mind. She used it two times. It was well worth the money. She was especially appreciative when I told her it wasn't just for injuries, if someone tried to break into her house just press the button. It made a huge loud sound and then the operator would ask her if she was OK. It can be worn in the shower, and hers was good for about 250 feet from the device hooked to the phone.
My girlfriend lived in So. Calif. and her mother in Montana had one. They set it up so the operator would call 911 then call Alice so she knew something was going on up there.
My SIL had one when she lived on a large piece of property and my brother worked out of town and was just home on weekends. She was only in her 50's but she said if she fell, no one would be able to hear her. She was healthy but had lots of stairs in her house.
If I ever live alone again, I will have one. Mom used to say it was a waste of money until she fell out in the back yard. She wasn't hurt but couldn't get up on the gravel. After that I didn't hear anything more. When she broke her hip she set it off again help was immediately available.
You can set up the response anyway you want. Mom wanted them to call me, then my daughter, then 911 if we weren't available. When she broke her hip, she set it off and they asked her if she was ok. She said, "No, I fell and think I broke my hip." The operator asked if she wanted to call 911. Mom said, "No, just call my daughter," I told the gal to call 911. Then I called a neighbor because it took me about an hour to get there.

Try Visiting Angels, they are nationwide I think. Some provide this service, but since each is a franchise, the one in your area may not. Can't hurt to ask.

I have a Monitoring System that allows family caregivers to receive notifications of an elder's movements 24 hours a day. The system also learns a person's routine and can be programmed to alert a caregiver of anything out of the norm. System cost with app control and emergency medical response range from $75 to $110 per month with a $250 start up.

There is also Carrier Alert through the Post Office. You need the senior's consent to register him/her in the program. The senior gets a sticker to post inside the mailbox. The sticker says that if mail is not picked up for XX days (you decide how many days), the carrier should call the contact(s) on the call list or 911. (Again, who to call is determined and logged during the registration process.)

It's a smooth process in larger metro areas. In rural areas, there is more red tape to get a senior registered. Sometimes you have to start with the county's agency on aging and work your way through to the proper post office. But it's worth a try.

In Naples FL there is a senior blue book and the service for this is listed in there. Before I knew about the Senior Blue Book, I had contacted a social service worker in Naples that told me about this service. So check your local community for services for seniors and they do it for free.

Eldercarewiz, how does the Triad System operate? Are the staffers police officers? Volunteers? It seems as if they could even be with the local Senior Center or from the local Area Agency on Aging.

I've been thinking about your post since reading it and think this is a great idea. I'd like to raise it with the PD in my father's community, and perhaps mine.

If you are in MD, contact your local county Office on Aging. Prince Georges County, MD advertises that arrangements can be made for a daily phone call. I have not used this service personally so I cannot comment on how effective it is.

My Mom had the Alert system. A person u feel needs a "check in" needs one. For about $50 a month they can get if they fall and can't use the button the motion of the button hitting the floor alerts the operator. If u don't answer emergency is called. I was told by the installer they had a woman who pushed the button everyday just to make sure the operator was there. It probably could be done in reverse.

Dave, a similar thing happened the night I brought my father home from rehab. I had called a few times after getting him set up, but couldn't reach him for the normal bedtime call. After calling a few times and getting only voice mail, I called the pendant monitoring service.

They called, I could even hear him talking. So w/i a few minutes I knew he was okay. That's when we learned the phone volume ringer had accidentally been moved when the phone was picked up eariler.

Gadola, that's a wonderful idea. Was it initiated by the PD or by the citizens?

I also like the camera suggestion, but there would need to be cameras in every room, covering every corner. Falls can occur anywhere.

Some good suggestions are being offered; I'm saving these for myself as well.

A medical alert pendant with fall detection is best bet. Also check into a company called same address they may provide this service.

In Delaware we have the Senior Roll call. It is a volunteer based phone service through our County Police Department. If they don't answer, they send an officer to do a wellness check. You have to sign up to receive the seervice.
You may find information through your Aging and Disiabilty Resource Center(ADRC) if your state has one.

Would that person allow a camera in their house say in the room where they sit mostly and watch TV or in the kitchen? I have two cameras in the areas where my mom sits and they send me emails when there is movement. If I don't get any emails then I will start to worry and go over and check on her. She is hard of hearing and rarely answers the phone but at least I can check the computer during the day and make sure she is ok.

Having recently had a wellness check scenario with a 93 year old sister. Being prepared is most helpful M lived alone in a housing authority apartment.
I called her every day around supper time, short touch base calls. Often she would have gone to bed. One night I called, no answer, probably in bathroom, waited a few minutes and repeated call. No answer, assumed she had go to bed for night.
Next morning I called again. No answer. I called 911 and requested a wellness check. They responded along with housing security. Found her on floor in bad shape. Off to ER. Died two day later.