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'Someone' To Watch
Over Aging Parents

Neal Check

Special to the Jewish News

W

hen George and Ira Gershwin
wrote "Someone To Watch
Over Me" in 1926, there were
no advanced technology options available
to assist families in "watching over" their
elderly loved ones at home.
Today one-third of American house-
holds are home to one or more residents
60 years of age or older. Americans are
enjoying longer, healthier lives well into
their golden years, and most prefer to live
independently at home for as long as they
can — what AARP refers to as "aging in
place."
So how can family members gain peace
of mind without hiring "in-home" assis-
tance for their parents or grandparents?
Perhaps technology can keep you "close
by."
The CloseBy Network (www.
closebynetwork.com ) is a subsidiary of

Card Access Inc., a leading developer of
wireless communications products for
the medical, military and home consumer
markets. As they say, necessity is the
mother of invention. Jim Stout, chief
technology officer of Card Access, couldn't
find a solution to help him stay connected
to his aging parents who lived in another
state, so his company developed a series
of wireless sensors, Internet controllers
and software to help self-monitor and
assist in his parents' needs. The result was
a very flexible, easy-to-install system that
was less about spying and more about
monitoring and reporting the activities of
loved ones.
Today, CloseBy Network uses a combi-
nation of sensors and software tied to a
Web application. Families choose what to
monitor, how to receive the information
and who should be notified. Depending
on sensor location, you can be notified
when your loved one leaves and returns,
gets out of bed, opens the refrigerator or

medicine cabinet, and if he or she is mov-
ing normally about the house. You also
can receive an alert if there is no activity
within a specified time, or if your loved
one pushes the "contact me" button for
help. The system also can alert you to any
dangers, such as the stove being left on.
Information gathered by the sensors
is then transferred to CloseBy Network's
secure Web server. Here the data is stored
and analyzed.
Alerts are generated, based on informa-
tion that has been requested by the family
members (Care Network), and sent via
email or a text message.
Family members also can monitor
real-time information or view reports
over the Internet. Only members of your
Care Network have access to this informa-

tion, and you have full control over who
sees the information and what they see.
That connection is through a secure SSL
browser connection — the same kind you
would use for online banking transac-
tions.
The average costs for assisted living has
soared to almost $40K per year. This tech-
nology is not a replacement for full-time,
in-home health care if that's what your
loved one requires, but it can be a very
effective way to keep aging parents in their
homes and yet connected — "Someone to
Watch Over me

❑

Neal Check is the owner of SoundCheck LLC in

Southfield, which specializes in custom home
theater, audio, lighting and automation. More

info at www.soundcheckllc.com .

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