The Rand Corporation (http://www.rand.org/about/history.html) published research findings stating that far more people are surviving to old age than at any time in our history. Medical interventions can now prevent or postpone many of the health problems traditionally associated with old age. Furthermore, the goal of medical care for the elderly has progressed beyond survival to maximizing quality of life, yet little attention has been paid to the overall quality of medical care that older people receive. In fact, existing measures of quality or health status are often inappropriate for the elderly. The key findings have been:
- Little attention has been paid to the quality of health care that vulnerable elders and other older adults receive.
- RAND has developed a set of indicators to measure the quality of care received for 22 conditions that affect older adults.
- These indicators can be used to assess whether health plans are delivering care that meets minimum standards for quality.
When it comes to care for our loved ones, we worry about falls, their being alone and injured, time response to a crisis and most of the times, our alternative is moving them to an institution. Living Well Assisted Living at Home believes that there are options to give choices to the elders and peace of mind to the family members. Aging.com reported on 10 secrets that our aging parents keeps from us and some ways to deal with and approach them. I couldn’t help but think of all sorts of technology solutions (remote monitoring like GrandCare, Internet technology, etc.) that could assist in dealing with these 10 “secrets” shared in the story. Of course, technology is only one piece to the puzzle. 
Marguerite Manteau-Rao a LCSW and mindful living advocate, writes “…the journey of dementia is never easy, and it can be made many times worse if family members do not have the internal tools to take care of themselves and their loved ones. Here, based on years of experience in successfully navigating the dementia care landscape, are 13 tips that may save you a lot of grief as a care partner (caregiver) of someone with dementia…”
William Mullen, Chicago Tribune | August 22, 2011
