This web site is dedicated to two population segments:
- The caregivers for Homebound Seniors.
- The Homebound Seniors themselves.
The former, for their very hard work and dedication. The latter, for their difficult stage in life. The Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of the Medical Directors Association, and the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society all agree that the Homebound Seniors are the ‘most underserved’ of all segments of the Medicare population.
I experienced the ‘underserved’ judgement when my mother-in-law was in an Assisted Living Facility. My mother-in-law was very frail because of severe arthritis. She not only had mobility problems, she could hardly use her arms and hands. The Director of this ALF pointed out to my wife and I (in front of my mother-in-law) “We only have two or three residents who are as bad off as your mother.”
Well, that comment told us a lot of why we had had several problems getting attention to some needs. There are few ‘Bedridden’ seniors (about half of the ‘Homebound’ senior population – which represents 6.5% of Medicare patients) in Assisted Living Facilities. And with the ALF having to serve dozens of other residents, the unique needs of the Bedridden seniors, who usually have multiple serious afflictions, are not always recognized.
That observation then caused us to recognize that this same ‘small incidence’ fact was responsible for problems that we had had with hospitals, doctors, nurses, etc. They only interact with someone who has as many afflictions, or in more technically defined terms, as many problems with Activities of Daily Living, as my mother-in-law.
To give an example, my mother-in-law had severe swelling in her legs. A doctor recommended compression stockings, of course. We got the measurements, went to an excellent medical supplies store, and ordered the stockings. The clerk asked us how many hours she spent in bed. When we told him almost all of them, he said she needed T.E.D. stockings. Otherwise she would be at risk of an embolism.
That prompted me to wonder – how many product developments are out there that could benefit the Homebound Seniors and their caregivers. I found out that there are many, and a large number of them have been developed by children of Homebound Seniors, who see the problems first hand.
So, the objective of this site is to inform the caregivers of these Homebound Seniors about new products as they come on the market. We hope that some of them will benefit the Homebound Seniors, and you, the Caregivers. To increase the chances of that we will regularly report on new products that could benefit Homebound Seniors. Catch up on new products for caring for Homebound Seniors by signing up for our newsletter!