The Lutheran Home Association receives grant to “age in place”
The Lutheran Home Association (TLHA) was awarded the maximum amount of a grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to launch Kingsway Community Services, which will help older adults needing higher levels of care to stay in their homes as long as possible.
One way TLHA will help promote aging in place is through Healthsense Inc.’s eNeighbor® technology. This system provides an extensive monitoring system to help ensure safety without requiring someone to push a button to receive assistance.
eNeighbor® utilizes motion detectors (not cameras or microphones) to learn individuals’ typical routines. If someone falls, has a stroke, or is ill, the system picks up the change in routine and alerts designated family and friends as well as TLHA’s professional team. Other health information, such as vital signs or glucose levels, can also be maintained through the system.
Michael Klatt, president and CEO of TLHA, says, “Many seniors can live independently, but face the challenges of isolation or families spread out across the country. This innovative technology offers us a way to serve the expanding group of older citizens. We are excited to be one of the select few organizations offering these cutting edge services, helping individuals live at home as long as possible.”
Kingsway Community Services will also offer expanded home health care options. In addition, TLHA will be partnering with area churches and volunteers to provide a broad range of individualized services.
This initiative is focused on serving older adults in Scott, Carver, Sibley and Brown counties but is not limited to these areas. The program, began in December 2010, is based out of Kingsway Retirement Living in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, following a model of care successfully implemented there.
This project is supported, in part, by a Community Services/Services Development grant from the Department of Human Services (DHS), though program details do not necessarily represent official DHS policy.
To learn more about Kingsway Community Services, contact Karl Keup, Kingsway administrator, at 952/873-5902 or kpkeup@tlha.org.
Tags: DHS, Karl Keup, Kingsway Community Services, Kingsway Retirement Living, Lutheran Home Association, Michael Klatt, Minnesota Department of Human Services, motion detectors, TLHA
