Kiosks Help Seniors Help Themselves

New York Area seniors are taking control of their health in a new way, thanks to a pilot project from Jewish Home Lifecare and Selfhelp Community Services, Inc. Seniors in two residential housing complexes may now use touch screen telehealth kiosks to self-monitor their vital statistics and have the results electronically reviewed by medical professionals. Using these interactive health monitor devices can assist seniors to live independently – and more healthfully.

The pilot project health monitor kiosks are located at Scheuer House of Bayside (208-11 26th Avenue, Bayside NY 11360, and the Martin Lande House (137-47 45th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11355).

“The kiosk makes it easy for me to check my blood pressure between physician visits,” explains 74-year-old kiosk–user, Catherine Verzi. “I think it’s helping me take a more hands-on responsibility for my health.”

The health monitor program is free for building residents. To get started, residents complete a baseline assessment and receive a swipe card. Their profiles are entered into the system, and each time they come to measure their bio statistics, the swipe card identifies them and associates their bio metrics to their profile in a secure manner.

Information is transmitted from the kiosk to a secure webservice monitored by a Jewish Home Lifecare telehealth nurse. If there is an indication of a potential problem, the nurse will initiate the appropriate action. This can identify health problems before they become serious.

“Telehealth technology has shown us time and time again that it truly benefits clients with chronic conditions and other health issues,” said Bridget Gallagher, Jewish Home’s senior vice president of Community Services.

In fact, health monitor device users are less likely to have repeat visits to the hospital because these units help identify problems before they become a crisis situation. The rate of hospitalization among Jewish Home clients in two NY State Department of Health telehealth demonstration programs was less than half of the rest of their client population.

The kiosks also help seniors get smart about their health. Special question and answer dialogues educate users about their own health issues, such as weight and nutrition, medication management, blood pressure and blood oxygen levels. Through the combination of regularly monitoring key biometrics and the dialogues of the kiosk, participants are empowered and educated to better manage their own healthcare and disease. For optimal value, the program is offered in English, Chinese, Korean, Mandarin and Spanish.

“In this pilot, we are testing an exciting new approach to help seniors living in our housing complexes to do so more comfortably, safely and with dignity,” explains Leo Asen, vice president senior communities for Selfhelp, an organization that serves more than 20,000 New Yorkers.

The kiosk installations were made possible through a one-year grant to Selfhelp from Enterprise Community Partners in recognition of Selfhelp’s innovative use of technology to support older adults living safely, comfortably and independently in their homes.

“Enterprise is proud to support our terrific partner, Selfhelp, by providing grant funding to enable their innovative use of technology to support residents’ ability to maintain healthy independent living,” said Melinda Pollack, Vice President, Enterprise. “These funds also help build a replicable model for expanding supportive services within affordable, senior housing,” she added.

About Selfhelp: Selfhelp is a not-for-profit organization that serves nearly 20,000 older New Yorkers from diverse ethnic backgrounds through its 23 community-based sites in the Bronx, New York, Queens and Nassau counties.

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