"Weekend Today" Show Features New Solutions for Caregivers: Innovative technology connects distance caregivers to loved ones

Bruce McIntyre
Caregiver Technologies, Inc.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Ken Nixon developed AttentiveCare to help his mother remain independent on her farm for more than two years despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Now his inspired solution for distance caregivers is attracting national attention.

The April 8 airing of NBC's "Weekend Today" Show featured two of Nixon's clients, highlighting the improved relationship between Kai Rippy Habalow of Los Angeles, Calif., and her 96-year-old father Raymond Rippy, Fort Smith, Ark.

"The comfort of seeing (my father) in real time is priceless," states Habalow. "No amount of third party information regarding his well-being can come close to looking into his eyes and seeing his movements."

AttentiveCare is an Internet-based caregiver support system that enables family and friends to provide informal care for their loved ones from anywhere in the world. With features such as videoconferencing, activity reminders, slideshows and journaling, AttentiveCare helps care networks on both ends of the spectrum — allowing caregivers to better coordinate their efforts, and enabling care receivers to function more independently while keeping closer ties with friends and relatives. The software is designed to work even if the care recipient is unable to operate a computer.

"Caregivers face some daunting challenges," Nixon says, "especially distance caregivers. I know. I've been there. And I've seen how our technology can help people meet those challenges in such a way that it enriches the lives of everyone involved. We want our users to feel good about how they are helping their loved ones…it's important to us that they realize they can still play a significant role in the caregiving process."

Mrs. Habalow enjoys the closeness Nixon's software affords her and her father. "It doesn't matter how far apart we are," she says. "He sees me in my home and knows I am there for him. It helps him feel less isolated. That's one of the best attributes of AttentiveCare."

According to "Caregiving in the U.S.," a 2004 study by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP, America is home to an estimated 44.4 million people who provide some form of care for a chronically ill, disabled or elderly relative or companion. The National Institute on Aging's 2006 publication "So Far Away: Twenty Questions for Long-Distance Caregivers" places the number of adult long-distance caregivers around seven million. With so many people affected, elder care is rapidly becoming one of the nation's most pressing socio-economic issues.

AttentiveCare is shaping the future of caregiving by delivering an easy-to-use, cost-effective intervention strategy that is beneficial to both the caregiver and the care receiver. Nixon's company Caregiver Technologies is located in Oklahoma City, Okla., and provides subscription-based support services for family care networks using AttentiveCare software. An AttentiveCare program license costs about $200. Customers pay a monthly subscription fee of about $60. Most of the firm's clients represent distance caregivers who support an elderly family member suffering from mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer's.

"Nothing can compare with how blessed you feel as a caregiver when you give a sense of belonging and self-worth to someone you love," says Nixon. "That's what drove us to develop AttentiveCare, and that's what we hope to pass on to others."

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