CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Guardian, LLC
(http://www.homeguardian.us/) has announced the release of a suite of sensors
that non-intrusively monitor the health status of seniors in their homes while
enabling professional caregivers to focus on providing needed care. This
includes the detection of falls, which constitute the largest cause of
injuries for people over age 65 in the United States.
The systems were developed by a team of researchers originally from the
University of Virginia's Medical Automation Research Center (MARC) in
partnership with two nationally recognized not-for-profit senior care and
service providers, The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society (Sioux
Falls, SD) and the Volunteers of America (VOA) National Services (Alexandria,
VA).
Immediate benefits of the sensor systems -- as shown in carefully
controlled studies done by The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society and
the Volunteers of America National Services -- include:
-- A reduction of the cost of care of nearly 75 percent
-- Increased feelings of safety and security in participants
-- Less job-related stress for caregivers
The development of this technology was first funded through a grant from
the Carilion Biomedical Institute in Roanoke, VA. "The individuals at
Carilion chose us to develop a solution that would revolutionize the care for
large numbers of baby boomers," stated Dr. Majd Alwan, Home Guardian
co-founder and now Director of the Center for Aging Services Technologies.
"We were pleased to have the additional support from the University of
Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business and the T100 Alumni Mentoring
Program to assist with further validation of the potential of the solution,"
said MARC's Director, Dr. Robin Felder.
"We are thrilled this research has led to a significant advancement in the
way we can care for our nation's seniors. With these tools, our
organization -- and many others -- will be able to help the seniors we serve
to receive quality care in their homes while enjoying an increased sense of
security and safety," said David J. Horazdovsky, president and CEO of The
Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society.
Charles W. Gould, VOA's CEO, added, "As an organization, we are dedicated
to finding ways to help seniors live as independently as possible for as long
as possible. The revolutionary sensor technology developed by Home Guardian
will help in our mission to keep seniors healthy and safe, while also allowing
them to live in their own homes and maintain their much-valued privacy."
Additional studies are currently being conducted with MorseLife, Inc.
(West Palm Beach, FL), focusing on the health and wellbeing of their
residents. Florida is the state that boasts the highest number of residents
over 65 years of age. Home Guardian expects to ramp up production volume and
begin deploying systems nationwide in mid-2008.
About Home Guardian
Home Guardian's services provide family and professional caregivers with
access to the current health status of their charges through discreet
technology. Home Guardian's advanced products are based on seven years of
field research conducted by the company's founders. For more information,
visit http://www.homeguardian.us/
Contact:
Steve Kell
Home Guardian, LLC
434.872.0700
steve.kell@homeguardian.us
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SOURCE Home Guardian, LLC
Steve Kell of Home Guardian, LLC, +1-434-872-0700, steve.kell@homeguardian.us
