What is Aging in place?

Aging in place is the ability to live in one's own home for as long as confidently and comfortably possible, without having to uproot oneself or move into some form of an assisted living facility. For many aging seniors, this can mean the difference between enjoying their lives in dignity on their own terms, and feeling forced to a lifestyle change that can be upsetting and disorienting.

Aging in place has grown in popularity in recent years and is celebrated by the National Aging in Place Week and the National Aging in Place Council, which promote the positive outcomes of seniors having a choice in their care and living arrangements.

Aging in place often requires that families of aging seniors install design adjustments that can ease movement throughout the home, or provide assistance to aging seniors living alone. BeClose is one such technological innovation. Its unique system of discreet, easy-to-install, wireless sensors are placed throughout the home and communicate with a base station unit which, in turn, transmits the information from those sensors to a secure online center at BeClose.com. Their caregivers can log on to monitor the activity and daily routines of their loved ones or choose to receive alerts to their email or mobile devices if irregular behavior patterns are detected.

This simple solution offers independence for seniors who are eager to remain in their homes, and peace of mind for caregivers who want to know about changes in the patterns of their loved ones, but are not living with them day in and out.

Back to top

Why BeClose?

BeClose can enable seniors to stay in their homes and maintain the independence they seek while providing peace of mind for caregivers who are worrying about a fall, a skipped meal or whether daily medication is being taken.

The system of unobtrusive, wireless sensors placed throughout the home allows families to customize the type and amount of monitoring they want, providing safety while optimizing privacy and independence.

According to a recent report released by AARP (2010) and the National Alliance for Caregiving, 30% of Americans are caregivers; spending about 19 hours a week providing care for an aging loved one. Time spent included tasks ranging from bathing, dressing, cooking and looking after an elderly parent or a loved one, often while balancing care of children, working, and living busy lives of their own.

Current trends on aging in place, costs and caregivers

Americans are spending upwards of $300 billion per year on caregiving

The fastest growing segment of the population, now at 40 million, are individuals 65 and over

The housing crisis and recession have forced the elderly to stay in their homes longer

Aging in place is high in demand, with 87% of seniors wanting to receive care at home rather than elsewhere

Of the current senior population living at home, 85% are receiving informal care of some kind

Nearly half of all caregivers (45%) work full time

The majority of aging seniors (87%) would give up privacy in order to stay at home

Monitors such as BeClose are accepted as OK by majority of seniors (56%)

Sources: Clarity 2007 Aging in Place Study (Seniors and Baby Boomers) Prince Market Research, AARP Healthy@Home Study, US Census Bureau

Back to top

The BeClose Difference

BeClose is a monitoring system that connects caregivers to care receivers through BeClose.com. By using easy-to-install sensors in the home of an aging family member or loved one, caregivers are able to continually check the progress of a loved one’s daily activities by logging in to an activity dashboard at BeClose.com on their computers or by receiving alerts to mobile devices, allowing for real time monitoring, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The system allows caregivers to detect changes in behavior patterns and gives them the information that can help them intervene before an accident happens. The system is fully customizable, allowing caregivers to scale up or down their levels of monitoring and alerts based on the capabilities of their aging in place loved one.

Unlike ungainly pendants that rely on the elderly to activate them if something happens, the motion sensors of BeClose provide continual information about activity in the home – staying in bed, using the bathroom, stove, doors and windows or other personalized activities you choose to monitor.

Simple wireless sensors will alert caregivers to unusual activity patterns and send real-time information to computers and mobile devices.

Aging seniors are able to keep their routines and stay in their homes while still feeling connected to family and friends. They are able to maintain privacy and safety without cumbersome pendants that may or may not be activated by the aging senior in times of crisis, whereas the whole picture in the home can indicate a problem that may need intervention.

For seniors who aren’t ready, moving to an assisted living facility can feel like too much, too soon. For seniors who have been in one place for years or decades, neighborhood ties become severed, treasured possessions are put in storage and day-to-day independence is exchanged for a schedule that is focused on a group.

BeClose’s system will:

• Allow seniors to keep their home, routine, and social networks
• Allow caregivers to find peace of mind by gaining visibility into their loved one’s activities of daily life
• Provide complete customization: buy only what you need to monitor progress consistent with your family’s situation

Back to top

How to install BeClose

Installing the BeClose system is as easy as starting up a laptop, or recording a show on your DVR. Simply plug in the base unit, place the sensors in selected locations in the home either with adhesive or by placing them on surfaces (no holes to drill), and then log in to the BeClose.com dashboard to see your system at work! The BeClose.com dashboard has preset notifications already created for you to choose from or you can build your own in our easy-to-use interface to receive alerts and notifications to your email or your mobile device.

Support

At BeClose, we are here to support you in setting up and answering any questions you might have. We can be reached at 1-866-574-1784 or by email at support@BeClose.com.

Back to top

BeClose: Costs & Benefits

I. Small Home/Active Lifestyle Package ($299)

This includes:

• 1 Base Station
• 1 Motion Sensor
• 1 BeClose Button
• 1 Window/Door Sensor

II. Large Home/Additional Needs ($399)

This includes:

• 1 Base Station
• 2 Motion Sensors
• 2 BeClose Buttons
• 1 Window/Door Sensor
• 1 Bed Sensor

In addition to these base costs, there is a monthly service fee of $79.

Benefits

There are three primary benefits to BeClose:

• Real time, 24/7 monitoring
• Emotional benefits of ‘independence’ for seniors and ‘peace of mind’ for caregivers
• Cost effectiveness

Information delivered wirelessly to caregivers 24/7

When caregivers simply aren’t living with an aging loved one, BeClose can detect the following activities in real time, 24/7 that can help you assess the health and safety of the care recipient:

• Have they gotten out of bed?
• Have they left the door open or unlocked?
• How many times are they getting up at night?
• How long were they in bed?
• What time did they go to bed?
• Did they fall?
• Have they eaten?
• Did they take their medication?
• Is a window open?
• Is the garage door open?
• Are there other changes in everyday behavior?

Emotional benefits:

• For Caregivers – (Peace of Mind) - Caregivers can access/monitor activity online throughout the day or on the go with a wireless device. Alerts and updates are available for mobile devices.
• Multiple users can share in the cost and management of the system and any alerts that require a call to action.
• Caregivers can become more attuned to daily rhythms and patterns of seniors, offering a connectedness that can enhance overall wellness and comfort as well as anticipating necessary treatment.
• For Seniors (Independence) – Seniors can stay put, not having to give up their home or make upsetting transitions before they are ready
• Unobtrusive sensors detect activity that is outside of daily rhythms and can communicate with your caregivers, without relying on seniors’ ability to communicate a problem

Additional Uses for BeClose for at-home monitoring

In addition to an aging in place senior, BeClose is an ideal monitor for the following situations:

• When assistance is needed after a hospital or rehabilitation stay
• For those who suffer from a chronic condition or disease (diabetes, dementia, congestive heart failure, etc.) when more monitoring is needed
• As care recipients demonstrate lifestyle changes such as diminished appetite or sleeplessness
• If the care recipient has recently changed medication

For a variety of situations, when a caregiver wishes they could be there, BeClose can help relieve a caregiver’s worry and provide baseline information about living in the home.

Back to top