At Just the Press of a Button

Dec 17, 2020

In March 2020, Patti Henderson and her daughters, Bailey and Ashton, received a call at 2:30 a.m. with bad news. The call was from Electronic Caregiver’s Rapid Response team. The dispatcher informed them their 81-year-old mother/grandmother, Katy Kelly, had pressed her emergency response button on her Electronic Caregiver device. First responders were transporting Katy to the ER due to symptoms of a stroke. They responded at just the press of a button.

Thanks to Electronic Caregiver’s help at the touch of a button, Katy received prompt medical care, recovering in good condition. And because Electronic Caregiver keeps caregivers in the loop, Katy’s family could support her throughout the process. “There is no way she would have been able to dial 9-1- 1,” Bailey Henderson said. “And I cannot even imagine what the scenario would have been if she had not had her Electronic Caregiver system there.”

24/7 Vitals Monitoring

By now, Bailey’s grandmother has used Electronic Caregiver’s technology and services for seven years. Currently, she uses the Pro Health, a Precision Remote Patient Monitoring (PRPM) system. The Pro Health connects with several Bluetooth medical devices to monitor vitals. It also provides 24/7 emergency response, medication reminders, and pocketMD telemedicine.

Over the years, Electronic Caregiver has saved Katy’s life on several occasions. “She’s used it probably six or seven times to go to the hospital,” Patti said. Each time Katy has only had to press a button to receive immediate intervention, stay-on-the-line service, and the medical treatment others may have to wait hours to receive.

Along with its emergency services, Katy uses the Pro Health to monitor her health daily. Katy has several health conditions, including osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, and complications due to past surgeries. “She takes her blood pressure at different times of day,” Patti explained. “That way, if she’s not feeling well, she can see if it’s her blood pressure that’s causing it. So, when she calls the doctor, she can tell them her blood pressure and pulse oximetry…It helps her get answers more quickly.” Additionally, Electronic Caregiver customers also have the option of Telehealth Services through PocketMD. Again, at just the press of a button, intervention including some medications prescription is just minutes away.

Caregivers in the Know

Additionally, clients who use the Pro Health can choose to have vitals information automatically sent to designated caregivers and/or providers. This allows the client’s care circle to view and monitor vitals in real-time and get alerts when something is abnormal. They also get notified when clients miss taking medications or don’t use the device for a certain amount of time.

Furthermore, the Pro Health empowers clients to take charge of their health. “I think she likes being able to keep track of her own vitals,” Patti said of her mother. “It’s something she’s very proactive with.”

Patti said knowing her mother has Electronic Caregiver and that she is safe gives her family peace of mind. “I get notified [of an emergency] probably within two minutes of her hitting her button,” Patti said. “It’s very quick, and I know [the Electronic Caregiver] number by heart, so I answer it automatically.”

Assisting those assisting with just the press of a button

Recently, Katy moved into assisted living, but she continues to use Electronic Caregiver to keep her family in the loop. She lives at the Village at Northrise in Las Cruces, New Mexico. “I lived a mile from her before she moved to Northrise, and now it’s probably four miles,” Patti said. “So, it’s great to know that [the Pro Health] is there. It’s allowed me to travel and go out of town. If I’m not here, then the next one in line [to care for my mother] is my brother. We always cover each other on that.”

For the sake of her health, Katy moved into the Morningside building at Village at Northrise in mid-November. Morningside offers assisted/senior living private accommodations supplemented with personal care. “[My mom] had gotten to a point where she wasn’t comfortable being at home alone during the day,” Patti said. “…It was time.”

Still Independent

While Katy has the help of a nurse on-site, her family appreciates the extra protection the Pro Health provides. “I think it’s good for her to be able to monitor herself still and keep an eye on herself,” Patti said. “That way, if she’s not feeling well, she can tell them and show them what’s going on. And that’s a key thing in keeping her in good health and vital to all of this.”

Interestingly, Katy isn’t the only Village at Northrise resident who uses Electronic Caregiver. In the Hallmark, an apartment complex on campus, 55 residents use Electronic Caregiver’s Premier device.

Living life On-The-Go

Comparatively, the Premier is similar to the Pro Health but designed for people who live life on the go. It includes a pocket-sized smart health device and emergency wrist pendant with one-touch telehealth and interactive care plan support. It also has GPS and cellular-based location services.

The Premier adds another level of safety to Hallmark residents, who live independently for the most part. “They do things on their own,” said Kekoa VonSchriltz, director of guest services and transportation at the Village at Northrise. “…That’s why it’s very important to have this system in this building…We don’t walk around every 20 minutes to make sure everybody is OK since they’re independent. But [with the Premier], if anything arises and they do need help, in a snap, they have help just like that.”

Not surprisingly, Electronic Caregiver’s technology has been especially useful to residents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the Pro Health, the Premier keeps family members in the loop. They get notified when a loved one misses taking their medications or pushes the emergency button on their device. “Right now, COVID is taking away that line of communication between family members and residents,” Kekoa said. “They don’t have access to have their family members come in and see them 24/7. They can’t come to help them with medication…If an emergency arises, a family member can’t come in because of COVID guidelines at the moment.”

We Know What Happened

Additionally, the Premier keeps Village at Northrise staff notified when a resident contacts emergency services. “When we walk in at the beginning of the day at 7:30 in the morning and somebody’s not there for breakfast, it raises the question, ‘What happened?’” Kekoa said. “[With the Premier], we already know ahead of time. Electronic Caregiver let us know this individual went to the hospital at 4:30 in the morning…They’re in the emergency room.”

In summary, Kekoa VonSchriltz said he is grateful to have Electronic Caregiver as a resource at Village at Northrise. “I’ve only heard positive things about it,” he said. “[The residents] love it. They like that it’s easy; it’s lightweight.”

You will find more information about Electronic Caregiver products on this website. For more information concerning partnership opportunities, or about how to get your residents’ protected visit ecgpartner.com. To speak to one of our amazing representatives call us today at 833-324-5433. It’s pretty amazing and incredibly exciting to know we are now living in an era where we can protect those we care for and love at the just press of a button.