Daily phone or physical contact for elderly in the Prince Frederick area. Is there an agency or group (fire department, sheriff's department, local police, utility company or volunteer group) that calls elderly individuals on a daily basis to make sure they are basically alright and make physical contact if the person fails to answer after a prescribed number of call attempts?
{Q}(A) is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or health care clearinghouse; and
(B) relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of any individual, the provision of health care to an individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual.”{end Q}
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Short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, HIPAA provides national standards to protect the privacy of personal health information. To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, Public Law 104-191, included "Administrative Simplification" provisions that required HHS to adopt national standards for electronic health care transactions. Congress incorporated into HIPAA provisions that mandated the adoption of Federal privacy protections for individually identifiable health information. [Source: HIPAA Overview (PDF0
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HIPAA applies to businesses and health care organizations.
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HIPAA, or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, laws don't apply only to health care organizations --- they also apply to small businesses that aren't in the health care industry. A small business administers health insurance plans, as well as other health-related benefits and information about employee health conditions, which the business must secure according to HIPAA guidelines.
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If someone wants to share your health information, you have to give your formal consent.
You have the right to complain to HHS about violations of HIPAA rules.
Health information is to be used only for health purposes. Without your consent, it can't be used to help banks decide whether to give you a loan, or by potential employers to decide whether to give you a job.
When your health information gets shared, only the minimum necessary amount of information should be disclosed.
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WebMD is a good place to visit to put HIPAA rules into perspective.
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HIPAA is very complex. So are the privacy and security initiatives that must occur to reach and maintain HIPAA compliance. Organizations need a quick, concise reference in order to meet HIPAA requirements and maintain ongoing compliance.
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Knowledge networks such as this one are not concise references nor is the information shared here to be considered accurate or reliable.
A phone call to see if a person needs assistance is a tad beyond HIPAA imco. However be aware that health information is private.
M88
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Maybe the local senior center, where seniors play cards and bingo and such. A phone list could be made by the office personnel at the center, and divided among volunteers.
Part of the "play time" could be performing such calls. They get together for breakfast and lunch here locally.
It could be printed in the form of a checklist, where there was an answer, or not.
I tell you, it is a GOOD idea...........if there are benefit$ for the one$ involved.
M 8 8 - - - - It really should / could be part of the subscription / fees for the monitoring companies. Asking them if they would cannot hurt. It would keep them busy, and if one is paying for a service, why not get more for the $$$ ?
Anyway, just here thinking out loud. M 8 8
There just is no substitute for a person to person wellness check.
My sister Marion had a fall alarm pennant. It did not rescue her.
My wellness phone call resulted in the police finding her.
{Q} Having recently made a wellness check phone to a 93 year old sister. M lived alone in a housing authority apartment.
I called her every day around supper time, short touch base calls. Often she would have gone to bed.
One night I called, no answer, probably in bathroom, waited a few minutes and repeated call. No answer, assumed she had go to bed for night.
Next morning I called again. No answer. I called 911 and requested a wellness check. They responded along with housing security. Police Found her on floor in bad shape. Transported her to ER. Died two day later. {End Quote}
The rescue alarm did not help. Motion sensors would not have helped. It takes a People to initiate a check.
We need a formal scheduled manned wellness checking system with a person making the check. KISS applies.
The wake up services that make phone calls seem to be a logical source of wellness calls. Maybe they don't want the added responsibility.
Medical alert pendants can work but many older adults don't wear them consistently. Also research shows they often don't push the button.
Potentially a better option is a "safe in home" sensor system; I once worked with a family who installed one for a 92 year old relative who lived alone. This doesn't require the older person to remember anything. One day family noticed she hadn't moved during the day; she'd fallen and broken a hip.
Daily phone calls are good for social purposes however. Good luck!
M88
My girlfriend lived in So. Calif. and her mother in Montana had one. They set it up so the operator would call 911 then call Alice so she knew something was going on up there.
My SIL had one when she lived on a large piece of property and my brother worked out of town and was just home on weekends. She was only in her 50's but she said if she fell, no one would be able to hear her. She was healthy but had lots of stairs in her house.
If I ever live alone again, I will have one. Mom used to say it was a waste of money until she fell out in the back yard. She wasn't hurt but couldn't get up on the gravel. After that I didn't hear anything more. When she broke her hip she set it off again help was immediately available.
You can set up the response anyway you want. Mom wanted them to call me, then my daughter, then 911 if we weren't available. When she broke her hip, she set it off and they asked her if she was ok. She said, "No, I fell and think I broke my hip." The operator asked if she wanted to call 911. Mom said, "No, just call my daughter," I told the gal to call 911. Then I called a neighbor because it took me about an hour to get there.
It's a smooth process in larger metro areas. In rural areas, there is more red tape to get a senior registered. Sometimes you have to start with the county's agency on aging and work your way through to the proper post office. But it's worth a try.
I've been thinking about your post since reading it and think this is a great idea. I'd like to raise it with the PD in my father's community, and perhaps mine.
They called, I could even hear him talking. So w/i a few minutes I knew he was okay. That's when we learned the phone volume ringer had accidentally been moved when the phone was picked up eariler.
Gadola, that's a wonderful idea. Was it initiated by the PD or by the citizens?
I also like the camera suggestion, but there would need to be cameras in every room, covering every corner. Falls can occur anywhere.
Some good suggestions are being offered; I'm saving these for myself as well.
You may find information through your Aging and Disiabilty Resource Center(ADRC) if your state has one.
I called her every day around supper time, short touch base calls. Often she would have gone to bed. One night I called, no answer, probably in bathroom, waited a few minutes and repeated call. No answer, assumed she had go to bed for night.
Next morning I called again. No answer. I called 911 and requested a wellness check. They responded along with housing security. Found her on floor in bad shape. Off to ER. Died two day later.