Welcome
BoomerAlert! is a grassroots effort.
BoomerAlert! is a clearinghouse for individuals who want to design the medical care of the future – our future.
Those of us who have experience as caregivers are only too aware of the demeaning experience our parents undergo when they get caught up in a medical system which is overworked and understaffed.
We Won't Be In Charge
Boomers value choice - the healthcare system offers direction. Boomers value autonomy - the healthcare system offers dependency. Boomers value privacy - the healthcare system puts two into a room. Boomers value speed - the healthcare system is built on waiting. Boomers value transparency - the healthcare system is a maze of forms, questions and staff - and they don't communicate with each other. Want more details? - read more at Medical Care Issues.
This movement isn't about finding a cure for a disease or the funds to support Medicare; it's about reinventing the whole experience of healthcare.
 |
|
A New Vision Takes Off! |
No one ever thinks that dependency is going to happen to them. It's always someone else who will not be able to bend their knees or feed themselves or remember that it's 2008 and not 1988.
But our future is evident all around us as we watch once vibrant friends and parents age. We must look ahead and overhaul the current medical care priorities and practices now - when we need the care, it will be too late.
Different Aging
Already the retirement models are changing. Remember the communes of the 1960's? They are making a reappearance in the form of agreements among friends to purchase a property and live together as they age. Another take on this concept is the Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) in which there is a concentration of older people within a small area who live independently. This works well in cities such as New York where there are 44 of them. Services such as meals and transportation, medical and mental health support are easily available to a large number of people because of the clustering of the target population.
Boomers Will Change Society's Perception of Aging
It is we who must be envisioning the circumstances under which we will live out the end of our lives when we depend on others to accommodate – and care about - our needs. Go to Medical Care Issues on this site and find out why we are so concerned about awaits us.
People like Steve Agritelley of Intel's Home Health Innovation Lab are going to change the face of how we receive medical care. Read about the interview he gave to BoomerAlert! on the Wednesday Webinar
This is uncharted ground and we can’t wait until we need the care to make the difference. Visitors to this site have an opportunity to take a Survey about the areas of our medical future of most concern. Please take a moment to let us know your priorities. Right now, "the kind of care I receive in a care facility" is tied with "availability of people for my in-home care" as the most important issue. What are your thoughts?
Local Meeting Targets Issues
At a meeting in Virginia, people shared many concerns. They would like access to some of the innovative models of a care facility. See a description of the "Green House" at: http://www.ncbcapitalimpact.org/default.aspx?id=146)
They see a need for a change in Medicare restrictions on those receiving home based services. Now, someone must be "homebound" to receive payment and therefore are confined to their home. This isolates them and can cause depression.
Transportation is another area of concern. If older people are not able to drive safely, how are seniors in suburbia going to get around?
Caregivers are frustrated that there is no "one stop shop" for information about negotiating the maze of regulations, services and advocacy involved in caring for a loved one.
Consumerism is the wave of the future. Medical facilities now seem to run at the convenience of the staff rather than the comfort of the consumer. Perhaps seeing ourselves as "consumers" rather than "patients" would start a rethinking of the issue.
Salaries for medical staff are far too low to attract the numbers of highly qualified people needed, resulting in a shortage that affects the highly dependent consumer. It's up to the consumer to advocate for good wages for those working in health care.
Rule makers must hear from the users of medical services - the people - and not just the medical community. We see things from a different perspective.
Here's the bottom line: How do we get "quality of care" into the national conversation along with the concern over how to pay for it?
What Are Our Choices?
Are the care facilities of the present the ones we want to choose for our future? How can they be redesigned - and is there a better way to staff them?
We have the chance to control our destiny by gathering information, identifying needs and offering a blueprint for a future that maintains our independence, comfort and dignity. BoomerAlert! is an exciting effort to change what we now see each time we visit a hospital or care facility.
We need you to get involved and lend your skills to create awareness, invent what is needed, organize new training or get powerful people interested and committed.
There are 2 ways that you can make your voice heard on this site:
- Click here to get regular updates on our progress
- Send us a message with suggestions through the Contact Us page.
So,welcome. Learn more throughout the site, email us about the care experiences you want emulated and the ones you want eliminated and contact us now about new ideas and inventions that will change the way medical care is delivered.
News & Events
Listen to the live interview with Stephen Agritelley, Manager of Intel Digital Health Group's Home Health Innovation Lab. He is making it possible for Boomers to be healthy and remain in their homes. Read more about his work at Intel Research and hear the webinar Interview. Listen in!
Remember, it's not about the money - it's about the experience that the money will buy!
But money is important - some states have a partnership with a Federal program that protects your assets should you ever apply for Medicaid. Virginia signed on in 2007. Learn more at AARP: Long Term Care Insurance or from the state of VA:Virginia
