Two companies team up to provide continuous care
Electronic Caregiver is joining forces with Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls, Iowa to provide continuous care to its members. Through the partnership, Western Home is offering Electronic Caregiver’s Virtual Caregiver platform, Addison Care, in its Fortified Life program.
Fortified Life is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) “without walls.” Members receive home-based services to help them age independently, wherever they call home. And now, Addison Care will be one of the services offered to members who need it.
“The Western Home and Electronic Caregiver partnership represents a shared understanding of the need for versatile approaches to wellness. Our management platform allows Western Home the visibility they seek when working with their program members to maintain health. Meanwhile, their members get to enjoy and benefit from additional program assistance via Addison Care,” said Morgan Beasley. As Electronic Caregiver’s Lead UX/UI Designer, Beasley played a significant role in facilitating the launch of Addison at Western Home.
Cutting-edge technology for the actively aging
Electronic Caregiver released Addison Care to market in January 2023. The platform features a 3D-animated Virtual Caregiver that acts as a continuous care companion for the aging and chronically ill. Clients interact with the avatar through voice and touch via a dedicated Lenovo all-in-one computer or tablet in their home. Addison offers continuous care through a world of experience, a world of connectivity, and a world of benefits. Above all, the Virtual Caregiver platform can be curated to fit each customer’s specific needs.
Through Fortified Life presented by Western Home Communities, Addison Care will provide customized reminders. Addison will also deliver regular active living and wellness surveys to keep members healthy, safe, and connected. Additionally, Fortified Life members will have access to Addison’s fun features, which help clients stay engaged in their care plan. For example, the Virtual Caregiver can mirror time of day, weather, holiday celebrations, and faith within the management platform. Furthermore, clients can enjoy personalizing Addison’s home, ethnicity, locations, and apparel. They can also interact with objects, animals, musical instruments, media, and characters in Addison’s world.
“We are constantly thinking about active aging and what that looks like,” Fortified Life Director Amanda Lynch said. “And we really are always on the cutting edge – clearly, with Addison and our partnership. Ultimately, we feel that by having a virtual presence with folks, they are going to feel better longer. They will be able to age in place, which really is our main goal.”
Continuous care allows members to age independently
With Addison Care, Western Home will provide continuous care to its members. They will be able to check in remotely as needed and keep a closer eye on members’ health and wellbeing.
“Addison, offered in conjunction with other Fortified Life services, allows people to age the way they would like to, by their own design,” Lynch said. “Not every solution is for everyone, and we know that. But we feel like the pieces we have right now with Addison are going to be a great solution for a lot of our members.”
Transforming a community now and in the future
Initially, Addison Care will be available to provide continuous care to 25 Fortified Life members. But that number is expected to grow over time. Ultimately, the goal is to offer Addison to any member who enters the program that could benefit from it. In the future, Western Home may decide to extend the offer to non-Fortified Life residents as well.
“Addison can really transform a community, just from the standpoint of being able to have good data, good analytics, and being able to have a value add. It’s being able to say to a family member, ‘We’ve got this, we’re here for you,’” Lynch said.
Since 2021, Western Home has also offered Electronic Caregiver’s Premier medical alert device to Fortified Life members who can benefit from emergency response services.
Virtual Caregiver will revolutionize continuous care
Electronic Caregiver developed Addison Care as a flexible, continuous care solution for holistic retirement communities, like Western Home. But Addison can also be used in pure clinical health situations and for individual use. Other Addison Care capabilities include assisting clients in recording vital sign measurements to monitor specific health conditions. This health information can be shared with connected providers, caregivers, and family members. Additionally, Addison can contact first responders in an emergency.
Addison will continue to evolve with new features added every quarter. Future updates include the addition of a wider selection of Virtual Caregiver avatars. Addison will also be able to perform physical and mental health routines and offer video televisits with health care professionals. On the clinical side, Addison configurations are being created for patient management in hospitals, such as intake and discharge processes.