It’s 2022, and we’re still trying to figure out who is checking in on America’s most vulnerable older adults at home.
Take this story for example.
Your Mom, Adira, is 83 and living alone for the first time in 45 years. Dad died a few months ago, and they counted on each other for everything. You live across the country, and pandemic travel restrictions have kept you away. You’ve noticed that her jolly disposition is declining as fast as her health. Arthritis and memory loss is getting worse, and you can see the detrimental impact loneliness is having on her mental well-being. Transportation to medical appointments has been halted, and the only people who call her are scammers; which makes it harder to trust anyone. Her social and medical needs aren’t being met, and she’s desperate to hear from somebody who cares. That’s where Blooming Health (BH) comes in. We created a tool to connect older adults at home, like Adira, to communities that care.
Our Solution
Our HIPAA-compliant communication system links older adults at home to trusted community-based organizations (CBOs) that can check in on individuals like Adira, daily. CBOs can also provide culturally sensitive services to older adults, including in their own language, which makes older adults feel heard and safe. As Greg Olsen, Acting Director of the NY State Office for the Aging puts it, “CBOs are like the family older adults need.”
By using BH’s solution, CBOs can continuously and seamlessly communicate through text, phone calls, or email messages. CBOs use the BH solution to send a personalized, direct message to individuals who need immediate attention; the kind of personal attention Adira, and so many more like her, deserve and are waiting to receive. Check out our product video here.
Customized care and personalized communication are what older Americans need, and is one that BH’s solution can provide. Without BH’s solution, CBOs wouldn’t have the infrastructure to communicate regularly with older adults, and BH’s technology makes this possible. CBOs use this unique platform to check in to ask: “How are you?” or “What do you need?” as well as send messages about upcoming social programs for older adults.
CBOs are like the family older adults need
– Greg Olsen, Acting Director of the NY State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA)
What’s more? BH empowers CBOs to be the first response teams that America needs. Not only are they on the front lines and receive notifications in real-time to those who are at risk, but they also have the resources and capacity to respond when someone needs a meal, transportation to a cancer treatment appointment, or prescription delivery.
CUSTOMER BENEFITS
We asked users how they have benefited from BH and the response is incredible. Paula told us that friends are thanking her for telling them about BH. Stella said she loves the platform and that text notifications help her remember upcoming events and trivia questions keep her mind sharp. Saul shares that he’s always eager to get a text from the community because he knows someone on the other side is listening. In an apathetic and burnt-out America, when CBOs use BH, older adult engagement and responsiveness increase 3 times, and folks like Adira, Paula, Stella, and Saul feel like somebody actually cares. Furthermore, CBO staff have more capacity to do meaningful work since they save ~2 hours/day by using the BH solution (See our 2021 Year in Review video here).
Feedback from Staff at our CBO Customers:
“I can’t imagine not having the Blooming Health service. It is like an additional staff member in the team who covers for us, even when one of us goes on vacation.”
– Program Director, A CBO Customer
“Older adults received the pantry and program reminders in a timely manner. This in turn saved me time and also reduced the stress of getting things done in time.”
– Program Coordinator, A CBO Customer
As you can see, BH’s technology arms CBOs with the power and tools needed to quickly identify and meet the social needs of older adults; and is proving to be the leading force to enable healthy aging for older adults at home.
Partner with us today to make this life-saving solution available to folks like Adira, because they need us now more than ever.
Disclaimer: Names of older adults used in this article have been anonymized to protect the privacy of individuals using the BH solution.
To learn more about how we can help improve the older adult engagement of your organization, please reach out to us at team@gobloominghealth.com