Innovator of the Year profile: Caregiver technologies
The Journal Record
The creation of Oklahoma City-based Caregiver Technologies and launch of its Internet-based caregiver support system blossomed out of the love three sons had for their mother, who had Alzheimer's and lived on the family farm hours from each of them.
Ken Nixon, a 30-year veteran in the information systems technology industry, teamed up with his brothers, Wade and Vic — one a networking specialist for Cisco Systems and the other a Methodist minister who serves on the board of the Arkansas Alzheimer's Association — in the initial pilot implementation of the technology.
"The pilot experiment with our mother literally exceeded our expectations," said Ken, who has taken the lead in developing proposals, heading up the research and development effort and creating the company to commercialize the technology.
His brothers continue to help promote the technology on an informal basis and provide assistance when requested.
AttentiveCare is an Internet-based caregiver support system that enables care to be provided remotely over the Internet. The caregiver and care receiver require a basic personal computer with a Web cam with a broadband Internet connection.
"Caregivers and care receivers can communicate over the Internet with audio and video allowing the care receiver to maintain their independence longer while staying in familiar surroundings. Care receivers view pictures, are reminded to take medicine, receive family news and remain a part of the extended family. The care receiver needs to do nothing except to respond to voice and images on the screen. The caregiver controls the software," Ken said.
Assuming the caregiver has an existing computer, the one-time setup cost is less than $1,000 with a monthly cost of less than $100 that includes the broadband Internet connection and AttentiveCare monthly technical support services. One of the unique features is the care receiver does not have to have any computer skills to effectively interface with the system. The caregiver can remotely control basically everything about the receiver's system: the setup, customization, sound volume, microphone sensitivity, pan and tilt of the Web cam.
Ken said one of the main benefits to the system is cost avoidance.
"If you can keep an individual from going into an assisted living center by one month, it will pay for the setup and operating cost for an entire year! And, that is not the primary benefit. What is the value of the caregiver having peace of mind to know the person they care for is safe at home; the caregiver having time for one's self; keeping the person you care for connected to family; reducing the caregiver's level of stress; providing a sense of belonging, a sense of self-worth, and sense of accomplishment to your loved one?"
More than $1 million has been raised for the research development and commercialization of this product with primary funding coming from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology and National Institutes of Health. Revenues are expected to reach $250,000 in 2006.
Caregiver Technologies will market AttentiveCare directly to individual caregivers as well as through business partnerships with retirement centers and in-home care providers.
Although the original research and development focused on care giving for persons with Alzheimer's, the system can be used in other care-giving situations to allow people to help care for their loved ones without having to be there.
Copyright © 2006 The Journal Record. Reprinted with permission from The Journal Record. 2007.