q4 care partner newsletter

L IVEWELL magaz ine | Q4 2011

CARE PARTNER NEWSLETTERISSUE 2 Q4 2011

ISSUE 2 4Q 2011 VRI

VRI 2011www.monitoringcare.com

2012 CARE PARTNERCONFERENCE

NEW CARE PARTNERSIMPLYHOME

NEW DIGIPERSMXD

2 L IVEWELL magaz ine | Q4 2011


TABLEOF

CONTENTS

pg. 3Let’s go to Las Vegas!

pg. 4A note from Andy

Page 5 - Getting There

Page 5 - I’m in Vegas, Now what? Things to do and see in Las Vegas!

Page 6 - The Venetian

Page 7 - Schedule

Page 8 - Care Partner SimplyHome appears on ABC’s Extreme Home Makeover.

Page 10 - New PERS | The MXD

Page 11 - Care Partner Support Update

Page 11 - Care Center Stats

Did you know....

That there are an estimated 19,000conventions held in Las Vegas each year.

The number of people in 2009 that visited Vegas? 36 Million.

3L IVEWELL magaz ine | Q4 2011


CARE PARTNER NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 2 Q4 2011

TRAVELT

It’s official. You chose it, we selected it and we couldn’t be happier about it. The 2012 Care Partner Conference will be in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada March 4-6 at the Venetian hotel. The average temperature in March... 67 degrees. Perfect.

Pack your bags and get ready for a couple of days of exclusive information that we only share with our most valued Care Partners. We will be presenting on many topics that you chose last year as “must haves” during the conference. And don’t worry, this city never sleeps. You’ll still have plenty of time to hit the casinos and see all the lights and sounds.

This years topics will vary by course to meet the demands of Care Partners large and small. We’ll talk marketing strategies, new product releases and provide time for you to explore the exhibit hall.

Act fast as space is limited! You can check out all the details of this years Care Partner conference in this issue. If you have any questions, please contact Jenny McElory at the VRI office. 800.860.4230. See you there!

Did you know that there are on average 211.5 clear days annually in Las Vegas? Bring your sunscreen!


A MESSAGE FROM ANDY SCHOONOVER

SEASON’S GREETINGS

I hope all of you are doing well, enduring the beginning of winter, and are enjoying the Holiday Season.

As we finish up 2011 and look back at the successes of the last year, we have a lot to be thankful for. Probably the most important of which is that we all survived an economy not conducive to growth. Consumers were less interested in paying for services, Medicaid agencies were feeling the pressure of reduced budgets, and unemployment hit recent highs. We have been through a rough few years and in aggregate our Care Partners continue to grow. We are growing despite the economic turmoil because our services are a key tool in keeping seniors and those with disabilities remain in their own homes and out of hospitals and long term care facilities.

A key driver of growth over the last year is access to new technologies. VOIP compatible units continue to grab market share from analog only devices. Cellular has given us and our partners new opportunities to see agencies that might not have seen us if we didn’t have something new or different to present. Telehealth has started to gain some momentum. Additionally, we have a nice stock of fall detectors and preliminary results have indicated that the performance is equal to or better than Lifeline’s Fall Alert.

I also look back at some of the events over the last year that were successful. We had our Care Partner Conference here in Dayton back in May and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The main attraction of the Conference was the new Care Center that we moved into in February which included a better work space, new technology and telephony infrastructure and even more redundancies. We aimed to be the industry leading technology based call center in the industry…and we succeeded.

As we look into 2012 we are optimistic for continued growth in the business. We have a new GPS/Fall detection medical alert device that we expect to present to you in Q2. We also have a great Care Partners conference planned for 2012. You got it, we are headed to the Venetian on the Vegas strip for our conference this year. When we surveyed you all last year, Vegas was the overwhelming favorite. We hope you all can make it.

Thank you again for all your support in 2011. Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season and 2012.

CONTACT USChris Hendriksen - [email protected]

Andy Schoonover - [email protected]

Mike Bodnar - Director of [email protected]

Leslie Justice - Customer Service/ Care Partner Team [email protected]

Denny Cottle - Integrated IT [email protected]



GETTING

THERE

Getting to Las Vegas is easy, finding the will to leave is difficult. VRI’s resident travel experts recommend if you are travel-ing to this year’s Care Partner Conference that you arrive on Sunday, March 4th in the afternoon. This will allow you enough time to unpack your bags and hit the casino’s for some fun!

If you’re fortunate enough to live in a city with Southwest Airlines, you’re in luck. Over the next few weeks they will be running specials to many destinations across the US. As always, bags fly free so bring an extra suitcase for the pot of gold you’ll be bring-ing back.

If Southwest is not available, try Priceline or Hotwire for the best deals on airfare and look for off peak hours with departures in the early morning or late afternoon to save.

All flights will need to head into McCarran airport (LAS) where you can opt to either rent a car or take a shuttle to the hotel. Shuttle costs vary on hotels, so be sure to check when you book.

V R I A I R

C l a s s | c l a s s e

F l i g h t & D a t e | Vo l e t d a t e

F ro m | D e

To | D e s t i n a t i o n

N a m e | N o m

A r l i n e U s a g e | A u s a g e i n t e r n e

Boarding Pass | Carte d’acces a bord

B o a rd i n g T i m e

H e u re d ’ e m b a rq u e m e n t

G a t e | P o r t eS e a t | P l a c e

S e a t & C l a s s | P l a c e e t c l a s s e

N a m e | N o m

To | D e s t i n a t i o n

FIRST CLASS /

CLASSE PREMIER

E

MAR 04 2012

3A26

LAS - LAS VEGA

S, NV

VRI CARE PARTN

ER

VRI CARE PARTN

ER

3A

LAS - LAS VEGA

S, NV

TRAVELT

You get off the plane and arrive at the hotel. Now what? Here are just a few of the top attractions in Las Vegas.

Bellagio FountainsOceans 11 had it right, it’s the end of the movie and the final scene is the Bellagio Fountains. There’s a reason why. They’re awe inspiring.

Cirque de SoleilIf you have the time, this will be the best 3 hours you can spend not on a casino floor. Check out times and shows at www.cirquedusoleil.com/

Eat a Designer DinnerHopefully you’ll win big at the casino and will have the change to eat at one of the many famous eateries on the Strip.

Breakfast Buffet at the WynnBuffets in Vegas are like coffee shops in college towns. It’s rumored that the Breakfast Buffet at the Wynn is the best in town. Shark Reef AquariumNeed to get inside? Visit the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. For $16 you can immerse your-self in the deep blue ocean for a sensory overload of sharp toothed sea creatures.

(Continued on page 7)

I’m in Vegas, Now what?

The Top 10 Things to do in Vegas. (when not at the conference, of course!)


T CARE PARTNER NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 2 Q4 2011

TRAVELT

This year’s conference hotel is the amazing Venetian Resort Hotel Casino located on the fabulous Las Vegas Strip. This five-diamond hotel and resort complex features 4,049 suites, 4,059 hotel rooms, a 120,000 foot casino and a 134,000 square-foot spa and fitness center.

The Venetian Hotel is truly one of the most beautiful and luxurious hotels on the strip with numerous dinning, entertainment, and plenty of shopping. The hotel features over 35 restaurants and offers entrainment such as the Blue Man Group, Phantom of the Opera and Jersey Boys and night clubs like Tao and LAVO. The Venetian also has spectacular shopping, numerous pools, and authentic Venetian gondola rides through the Grand Canal.

VRI has negotiated a rate of $149 per night for our guests at this all-suite hotel and a reduced resort fee of $15 per night. Your resort fee covers daily access to the fitness center at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub for up

to two guests, unlimited in-suite high-speed internet access, unlimited local and toll-free calls, and daily newspaper.

Although you do not have to stay at the Venetian we encourage you to take advantage of this low rate and enjoy the convenience that comes from staying at the conference hotel.

Rooms will go fast and we only have a limited time to secure this rate so book early! Rooms MUST be booked no later than February 1st, 2012 to secure this special rate.

On the web at: http://resweb.passkey.com/go/RVRIC

By calling the Venetian’s Resort Services Department at (888) 283-6423 or (702) 414-4100 (make sure you tell them you are with the VRI Care Partner Conference)B

OO

K N

OW



ShopThere are many malls in town but the best can be found in the Bellagio and the Venetian with high end brands like Tiffany, Prada, Gucci and Jimmy Choo.

New York - New York Roller CoasterSituated inside the New York-New York hotel, this roller coaster boasts little cars shaped like NY taxi cabs. It’s not going to win any speed awards, but may find a special place in your heart.

The SpaNeed a way to wind down after an intensive day of PERS and telehealth knowledge? Make your way to one of the many spa’s in town for a high-end, Vegas style massage experience.

Visit DowntownMaybe one of the more under-rated attractions, head to the old “Downtown” area of Las Vegas off Fremont Street. There you can visit the home of the WSOP, Binions, and relive the glory days of Las Vegas.

Tentative Schedule of Events

We’ve worked hard this year putting together a schedule that you chose and suggested from last years conference. Below is the suggested schedule of events. More information is available online at www.monitoringcare.com/CarePartnerConference2012/. Schedule is subject to change.

Monday, March 5th, 2012 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast 9:15 am – 10:15 am: General Session: Welcome and Industry Update 10:15 am – 11:15 am:Session 1: Leveraging VRI Tools and TechnologySession 2: You vs. the Competition 11:15 am – 11:30 am: Break 11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Concurrent SessionsSession 1: Marketing To Private PaySession 2: Maximizing ROI though Advertising 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm: Lunch General Session: Upcom-ing Product Releases 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Concurrent SessionsSession 1: Telehealth 101Session 2: Diversifying Your Portfolio 3:00 PM – Exhibiting Begins 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm: Concurrent SessionsSession 1: Installation and Tech SupportSession 2: Partnering for the Big Wins 4:15 pm – 5:30 pm: Break 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm: Wine Tasting and Exhibit Hall 7:00 pm– Dinner Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 9:00 am – 10:00 am: Breakfast/Closing Remarks 10:15: Depart for Zappos Tour 11 am: Zappos Tour

TRAVELT


CARE PARTNERS

CP CARE PARTNER NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 2 Q4 2011

If you like feel good stories and watch TV, then you’ve probably caught an episode of “Extreme Home Makeover” on ABC. Hopefully you managed to catch the episode on October 21, 2011 where SimplyHome was featured on the show. SimplyHome CEO, Allen Ray and company went to work for a week installing in-home monitoring products for the Keefer family, who’s son, Brian, had been paralyzed from the neck down in a collegiate sports accident. Ray and his team worked all week to install motion sensors and voice-activated systems through out the Keefer house.

It’s SimplyAmazing.

SimplyHome joins the ever growing list of VRI products and services and is a Care Partner too!

SimplyHome designs and installs wireless technology products to promote independent living. Aging in place and helping people with disabilities to live independently is the business’s core focus. Their support systems are individually tailored to meet specific needs and to assist care providers.

The SimplyHome team’s boundaries are endless as witnessed in the show. The team was able to integrate voice recognition technology to turn on faucets and even raise Brian’s bed to different positions.

The North Carolina based company began serving the elderly population in 1990 with the goal of helping families and caregivers alike. The team realized that there was a greater need for assistive technology and in 2003 began to grow what is now a proven platform for activity monitoring in the home.

The company’s core is fall detection and inactivity, medication management, wandering and a small list of other household activities. The monitoring system comes in different packages depending on the need of the client. Some features include: (pictured on opposite page) bed sensors which detect when a client has


CARE PARTNERS

CP CARE PARTNER NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 2 Q4 2011

entered or exited their bed, motion sensors that relay activity back to the base and door/medicine cabinet sensors that let the base know when either have been opened. There is also a built in Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) with a PHB.

Messages are sent from the base unit and then transmitted to a caregivers phone via text message to alert the caregiver of the client’s activity. There is rule setting with decision making capabilities so if a stove is on and the front door is opened, an alert can be sent that the client may be exiting the home and leaving the stove on.

This in-home monitoring system comes wirelessly for easy set up. SimplyHome with VRI packages all the necessary equipment together, programs the pieces and sets the rules before the equipment is shipped to ensure that they system works right out of the box. All that is needed is to place the appropriate sensors in the designated areas. The monitoring of these products is handled by the VRI Care Center.

Once installed, changes can be made by logging into the Simply Home portal where you can view current rules, request changes and view data on the clients activity. This entire system utilizes cellular connectivity over a GSM network to provide around the clock monitoring by the Care Center.

Along with the in home monitoring, VRI has partnered with SimplyHome to provide monitoring for their PERS systems, utilizing Bosch products and the integration into their home monitoring solutions. The Bosch unit enables the user to contact the VRI Care Center or the clients care giver in the event of an emergency.

SimplyHome’s technology can be utilized for a variety of different client needs including the disabled and developmentally disabled, home health providers, assisted living facilities and long term care facilities. The product can be configured into many different formats depending on the clients needs.

SimplyHome’s “Extreme Home Makeover” experience is one that they will never forget. It allowed their technology to be broadcast on a large network and gave people the opportunity to see assistive technologies on a large scale.

You can get hands on with the SimplyHome products at the VRI Care Partner Conference in Vegas this year and see this new technology in action. If you can’t make it to Vegas, you can visit them on the web at www.simply-home.com.



The release of the MXD PERS represents the latest addition to VRI’s “Digi” family of PERS systems. The MXD will allow us to support clients who have either traditional telephone service or digital phone service also known as VoIP.

The form of the MXD is compact allowing it to fit on small surfaces. The outer case is made up of a number of eye-pleasing curves that is topped with a large easy to see half moon shaped help button.

The Help button is illuminated with a single multicolored light which is referred to as the Status Light. This light acts as a nightlight to allow you to find the help button at night but it is not so bright as to keep you awake. The Status light will also tell you if it is detecting a condition like an AC power failure, telephone service interruption, or both by flashing at different rates and changing colors to give a visual indication of the type of condition.

The Reset button found on the back of the unit also allows you to check the unit’s condition. When pressed under normal conditions, the Reset button will cause the unit to announce, “System ready”

with a recorded voice. If the unit is detecting a fault condition it will announce the type of fault with messages like “Please check telephone connections” and “Please check power connection” making diagnosing problems easy.

One of the most common problems encountered by Tech Support is that the unit is not plugged in or it is plugged into a dead power outlet. The MXD helps diagnose this problem by playing a series of musical notes. Notes starting with low and ending with high tones indicate that the unit is connected to power. Notes starting high and ending with a low note indicate that the MXD is not plugged in or is experiencing an AC failure. These notes will be heard anytime the power transformer is connected to or disconnected from an AC outlet. Also, the power can be tested remotely, even when it is in alarm. A dispatcher can press a key on their telephone to hear the notes that will let them know if the unit has power or not.

One thing that is missing from the unit is a physical power switch. It automatically powers on when you plug the unit into power. The advantage to this is that the unit can’t be accidentally switched off. Powering down the MXD is done by selecting it from a list of spoken menu options.

Programming pendants is also made easy by the spoken menu

system. Up to 16 pendants may be programmed to the MXD and you be guided through the process by the recorded menu.

Other features include:*A dispatcher adjustable

microphone to hear clients more clearly.

*Clear sound.*Rechargeable battery that can

power the unit for up to 80 hours during a power outage.*AC power monitoring.*PHB with a range of up to 600 feet.

For more information and pricing on the new MXD unit, please contact a member of our Care Partner Support team.

TheMXDDigi PERS.

VRI Adds New Digital Unit to Product Line

EQUIPMENTE


NewFACESWe are happy announce additions to the Care Partner Support and Customer Service Department. Join us in welcoming Sandy Allred, Jennifer Armstrong, Leanne Johnson, Denise Killian and Mickell Simmons.

Also, congratulations to Scott Young, who in June of 2011 was promoted to our CS/DS Level 2 position, and in October of 2011 was promoted to the position of Customer Service Lead.

Likewise, congratulations to Danielle Fair & Grace Estep, who were recently promoted to CS/DS Level 2 Positions. Those of you who have worked with Danielle and Grace have experienced their friendly service and “can do” attitude and know full well that their recent promotions were well-deserved! Just Beachy

I am back in Ohio for Christmas with the family and missing the warmth and wonderful view of the Gulf of Mexico I’ve been enjoying for the last couple months. It’s cold and raining as I write this which means heading to the Y instead of a nice run or ride along the beach road. With any change in life there are always those pluses and minuses, negatives and positives, which go along with it.

One of the more difficult things for me has been adjusting to “beach time”. No, it’s not a new time zone you weren’t aware of, but a kind of relaxed lifestyle that seems to exist that says, no hurry, it can wait, enjoy the day my friend. Seems that was fine when I was vacationing it’s a bit of a frustration for me.

As I continue to reduce the time I’m serving VRI, I’m getting more time with family. It’s not the end but a new beginning. The rumors that I have faded into the sunset completely are false as I continue to work a couple days a week on VRI items and plan to stay involved on a reduced basis at least for the next 3 to 6 months.

I hope to see everyone at the next care partner conference in March. If you need me, my cell phone number hasn’t changed, 937-608-0325, and you can still reach me at my [email protected], I just may be a bit slower to respond than in the past as I’m adjusting to my new time zone we call beach time.

Have a very blessed 2012.Darren

Care Center StatsIt goes without saying that our Care Center staff at VRI handles a lot of volume. If you are fortunate enough to visit VRI, you’ll see that it is always busy with alarms. New numbers were just released on how busy our Care Center was in 2011.

Response TimePriority AlarmsDaily AverageHighest Day

4.94 seconds588,612 ytd1,695 ytd2,833 alarms

rehab, etc as their will be fewer visits to these places by Lifeline employees.

Mobile PERS has been the talk of the industry as of late. We expect that there will be a number of device hitting the market in the next couple quarters including a new device from us that will be added to our portfolio of mobile PERS devices.

Lifeline’s Auto Alert has been rumored to be a hit. VRI has had fall detection for over 10 years. We have a new fall detection device in house that works beautifully. It currently works only with our cellular PERS unit but will be integrated with another DIGI unit in January or February.

Industry UpdateAs many of you have seen in the news, American Medical Alert Corporation (AMAC) was bought byTunstall, a UK based PERS provider. We believe that this will have minimal impact on the PERS industry in the US as AMAC has indicated that they will keep their managment team and continue on a “business as usual” course.

In October Lifeline let go of all (45-50) of their referral development sales people. They have restructured the sales team to have larger areas of coverage and are focused primarily on account managing their large programs. This should be an opportunity for all of us who market directly to home health, hospitals,


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