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VRI Press Release

June 23, 2006

"HOSPITAL PATIENTS GET DAY OF INDEPENDENCE BEFORE DEPARTURE"

Inpatient Rehabilitation at Clinton Memorial Hospital has initiated a new program which allows patients to spend some time on the unit independently in order to better prepare them for discharge and a return to their home environment. Since the patients and their caregiver(s) will actually be able to leave the unit on their own, they needed a way to contact nursing in the event of an emergency.

"They have access to the independent living facilities kitchen and bathroom, which is away from the nurse's station" says Teresa Stephens, manager of Inpatient Rehabilitation and Subacute Care. "I contacted VRI and they were willing to donate the device and service so we could offer this unique step in the continuum of care."

The six-bed Inpatient Rehabilitation unit and its professional team of CMH healthcare providers is designed to help patients regain independence after they have experienced a life-altering surgery, disabling injury or illness. It offers a board-certified medical director, weekend admissions, in-house professionally certified staff, and professional management of the full continuum of care. Patients have access to CMH's own home care professionals, state-of-the-art diagnostics, and immediate access to a wide-range of specialists.

The state-of-the art inpatient CMH Rehabilitation Services clinic includes a training kitchen, training bathroom, car transfer simulator, therapy gym, wound treatment room and a speech therapy treatment area.

VRI, a Dayton-based company, is a nationwide provider of in-home personal emergency medical alarms, medication adherence, and vital sign data gathering. VRI has been in existence since 1989 and has served the patients of Clinton Memorial Hospital since early 1992 as part of its personal response program.

The new program allows patients to engage in various activities of daily living (e.g. bathing, cooking, dressing) within the hospital just like they were at home. This gives the patient, family caregiver(s) and the CMH care team peace of mind that the patient can function independently and safely at home.

The VRI personal emergency response and medication adherence monitoring services will be fully functional for these independent patients, allowing them to contact help should they need it just as if they were using the system in their own homes.

Being able to access help in a home emergency for those that live alone or may be left home alone is significant in regards to maintaining their independence. According to a June 1996, 12 week study by the New England Journal of Medicine, the conclusion was, "For elderly people who live alone, becoming incapacitated and unable to get help is a common event, which usually marks the end of their ability to live independently." In the study less than one in three were able to return home to live independently.

CMH also utilizes VRI's medication dispenser reminder which can be monitored for adherence by VRI's Care Center via the personal emergency response device. The medication device reminds the patient via an alarm when it is time to take the next dose of there medication, and then only gives the patient access to the exact dose which should be taken at that time.

VRI is notified if the patient doesn't take action to remove the dose within 30 minutes, to further assure proper adherence with the medication regiment. Why is this significant? According to a 1990 Archives of Internal Medicine article, almost 30% of all hospital admissions for people over the age of 65 are directly attributable to medication non-adherence.

Further, approximately 40% of people entering nursing homes do so because they are unable to self-medicate in their own homes, according to a 1988 feasibility study of Biomedical Business International.

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