It is the caregiver – not the patient – who generally buys MedSignals. For many good reasons:

• Enjoy peace of mind knowing every day – from wherever you are – that your patient is taking meds on-time. If not, you can act immediately – before it becomes a crisis.
• No more weekly visits focused on refilling pill compartments. Enjoy your time together on more pleasant activities.
• Cost savings. The 50-cents-a-day for daily uploads – or less than $1-a-day for purchasing the pillbox AND its daily uploads – is a small price for the comfort of knowing. When compared to a hospital stay, an ER visit, or a nursing home care – all of which can result from improper medication adherence, this outlay is especially cost-effective.

MedSignals was developed with remote caregivers, as well as users, in mind. Millions of us must care for aging parents from great distance – and those challenges can be heart-breaking. Especially for caregivers, many features were added to MedSignals:

• Sends pill-taking histories daily BY TELEPHONE LINE, not internet or unreliable wireless. The device will attach to the patient's own home phone line (analog, not digital). The caregiver who needs to check charts can view them from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Refilling pill bins is as easy as dumping directly from the bottle. No worry about loading too many or too few! Colored dots --that match bin button colors --are supplied to affix to pill bottles to remind which pills go where. Stick-on writable labels are supplied for each bin to remember the drug by name.
• Simple to use. Elders gave MedSignals high ratings for ease and convenience in focus groups and clinical trials -- easy to program, operate the device, remove tablets from bins, hear instructions with each pill, and recall if they already took a pill.
• Remote programming. You can be far away, setting controls online, using a user-friendly form at MedSignals.com. Next time the device connects to the server, through 2-way communication, the new settings will download to the device. Device settings are based on the most recent changes. Accidental reprogramming on the device is difficult.
• Prescription or regimen changes can easily be programmed into the device.
• Verbal announcements aloud enable the user (and perhaps a long-distant caregiver listening by phone) to hear today's usage feedback for each bin. At the touch of a button, the user hears 3 pieces of information: (1) how many pills were taken today, (2) when the last lid opening occurred, and (3) how long until the next pill is due.
• An E-Z option of $29/month combines purchase and upload fees in level monthly payments. (A $49 down-payment and 12-month contract is required.)
• Spanish option. In fact, you can program the device in English and convert the display text and voice announcements easily to Spanish.

LINKS of interest to Caregivers:

HOW WILL BOOMERS PAY FOR LONG-TERM CARE? by Oxford Analytica, Forbes
07.20.07, 6:00 AM ET --Long-term care refers to regular assistance for people with chronic illnesses or mental or physical disabilities, both in nursing homes and at home. Unlike other health care services, long-term care is primarily intended to help with daily activities rather than to treat medical conditions. Overall demand for long-term care is expected to expand massively over the next 50 years, as the number of U.S. residents over age 85--who are most likely to need long-term care--is projected to rise from 5.3 million in 2006 to 20.9 million in 2050. Read More

CAREGIVERS USE TECHNOLOGY TO HELP FARAWAY FAMILY by Bob Moos/Dallas Morning News
06:52 PM CDT Sunday, August 19, 2007 -...Another entrepreneur, Vesta Brue of San Antonio, heard friends fret that their aging parents weren't remembering to take their medications. Her answer was a "smart pillbox" called MedSignals that beeps at the appropriate times, dispenses the prescriptions, tracks the use and sends the information to a Web site.
Read More

FEWER SENIORS LIVE IN NURSING HOMES by Haya El Nasser/USA TODAY
Despite the graying of the nation, the percentage of elderly living in nursing homes has declined, according to Census data released today. The downturn reflects the improved health of seniors and more choices of care for the elderly.
Read More