Results of senior living community piloting new SmartCompanion technology revealed at Home Care Technology Expo

ST. LOUIS, MO, USA, September 7, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- SmartCompanion Care CEO, David Laiderman, addressed a large gathering of senior care professionals during the Home Care Technology Expo, September 7th at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort in National Harbor, Maryland.

Laiderman discussed how Alexa-powered voice technology can assist caregiving based on lessons learned from residents of Friendship Village in St. Louis who piloted the SmartCompanion system.

Laiderman was accompanied by Carmen Fronczak, Executive Director at Friendship Village Senior Services, a St. Louis area not-for-profit senior living community serving 1,100 older adults with independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation, skilled nursing care and home services.

Friendship Village began testing the SmartCompanion system last fall. The system combines voice-activated emergency response connection, audio and video calls, and Alexa’s virtual assistance. After testing the devices on their two separate campuses, the senior living community is now integrating SmartCompanion into their facilities’ communications systems with the goal of driving resident engagement and boosting staff efficiency.

For seniors, the emergency help is particularly welcome. “When my husband or I are alone, it gives us a much greater sense of security in case something were to happen,” said Friendship Village Chesterfield Resident Bernadette Travers.

“The things Alexa can do are also very nice. We can have her read off the daily activities happening around the Village, and we can also access the dining menu. Alexa’s my new bestie!”

SmartCompanion is an effective way to keep all residents engaged with their community while reducing strain on the staff. “With this technology, we’re living out our promise to enhance the lives of our residents, extend their ability to live independently, and live life to the fullest,” says Fronczak.

The SmartCompanion is pre-programmed and customized for each user. It can be purchased by individual older adults at smartcompanion.care. Separately, the system is branded VetAssist Companion for certain wartime veterans or their surviving spouses who qualify for the VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit who can receive the Alexa-powered system with no out-of-pocket costs.

Laiderman is also CEO of Veterans Home Care, a unique privately-owned company that helps families of veterans navigate the application process for the VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit. The VA benefit can offset the cost of custodial care.

Veterans Home Care contracts with a national network of home care providers to deliver home care or adult daycare to Aid and Attendance payees.

“We want more seniors to gain access to the ‘Internet Of Things’ (IOT),” says Laiderman. “The Companion system, with users from age 62 to 100+, is designed for seniors who don’t embrace technology.”

According to Laiderman, technology will continue to play a major role for senior in-home care in both the short and long-term future. “As seniors live longer and caregiver shortages continue, we see a combination of both hands-on and virtual care as the solution for affordable care.”

Once installed in a home, this HIPAA compliant, video-enabled system can help other senior care providers deliver virtual care options. “Ideally, we’d like to see more providers utilize the system to remote in and monitor their client’s care.”

The Home Care Technology (HCT) Expo was attended by home care and senior living providers, a spectrum of caregiving technology companies and payers from managed care, Medicaid HMO and Medicare Advantage plans and accountable care organizations (ACOs).

ABOUT SMARTCOMPANION CARE
SmartCompanion Care LLC was launched in 2020 by the same senior care experts who founded Veterans Home Care to bring cutting edge technology and software solutions to disabled and older adults. The SmartCompanion system is a breakthrough hands-free phone and video calling system, a voice-activated medical alert device and a virtual smartcompanion powered by Alexa. It reduces isolation keeping older adults engaged and enabling easy access to the internet. Each SmartCompanion system is pre-programmed and customized for each user. The identical system is branded VetAssist Companion for certain wartime veterans or their surviving spouses who qualify for the VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit who can receive the Alexa-powered system with no out-of-pocket costs. For more information: https://www.smartcompanion.care, https://veteranshomecare.com/companion 855-488-1081 info@smartcompanion.care

ABOUT VETERANS HOME CARE
Veterans Home Care LLC, a woman-owned business headquartered in St. Louis, was founded in 2003 by Bonnie Laiderman to help qualified wartime veterans and their surviving spouses, apply for a non-service connected disability pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which can pay for assistance with activities of daily living in their homes.

VHC’s VetAssist^® Program utilizes a network of more than 4,000 home care agencies to provide home care, matches them with caregivers and follows up to assure that the veteran or spouse remains in compliance with VA guidelines to continue receiving the pension. Veterans Home Care has helped more than 20,000 veterans or their surviving spouses to access VA benefits for the care they need. Veterans Home Care is not a government agency and is not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information: https://veteranshomecare.com, 314-514-2444, info@veteranshomecare.com

Janet Jennewein
Veterans Home Care
314-514-2444
email us here

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