Imagine! Hosting Technology Best Practices Provider Meeting

Tomorrow, members of Imagine!’s SmartHomes team will be hosting a Technology Best Practices Provider meeting. The meeting will be held in advance of the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disability’s 13th Annual National Conference scheduled for and the 2013 ANCOR Technology Summit & Showcase scheduled for Wednesday, October 2, and Thursday, October 3.

The goals of this meeting are to: identify and share technology best practices in the field of IDD; identify areas of collaboration in support of our individual business practices; and identify areas of collaboration in consumers/client technology.

The hope is the meeting will help all participant organizations to: improve our current services; discover common interests to influence the development of technology; share research; discover opportunities to partner on grants; develop and advocate for a technology agenda; and potentially share training.

In addition to Imagine!, provider organizations from around the country are scheduled to participate, including representatives from Ohio-based Wynn-Reeth, Inc., New York-based Living Resources, Connecticut-based Ability Beyond Disability, Minnesota-based Hammer, and ANCOR.

We’re looking forward to the gathering, and have high hopes for a productive and mutually beneficial experience!

Making Zucchini Bread

From the left, staff member Claudette, and Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome residents Gerald, Rae, and Donna making zucchini bread. Claudette and Rae are helping Gerald pour oil into the dough. What a great team effort. Also, Donna is reading the recipe to the others so they know how much of each ingredient they need.

No TV, No Problem For SmartHome Residents

This blog post came to us during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder last Monday night during the Denver Broncos versus Oakland Raiders football game. The residents have been without TV since the flood, but their computers are working and they took advantage of that to keep tabs on the Bronco game. The photos demonstrate that being without a TV has not dampened their spirits. We hope you enjoy the photos and captions below.

 

Before the football game, Gerald and Donna wanted their picture
taken by the donor plaque in their home. They celebrated their
fourth wedding anniversary this month. 

Lana is standing behind Donna and Gerald, all eyes focused on
the screen to see what was going to happen next.

Donna shouted, "WE ARE WINNING!  YEA!" 

At this point the score was Denver 10 and Oakland 0.
The score is displayed near the center of the screen with an orange background.
Below the score it gives where the ball is, what down it is, and how many yards
to go for a first down.

If you look closely you can see that the score had just changed
to Denver 17 and Oakland 0.  Go Broncos!

John Thanks Flood Volunteers

This photo came to us last night during a visit to the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome. John wrote a thank you note to the people who came by to help clean up the basement of his home after it was damaged by four feet of water. The note says, "Dear guys, T(h)anks for working in the basement in the SmartHome."

Technology Tuesday

Welcome to “Technology Tuesday.” Imagine!’s SmartHomes team has moved fully into the second phase of our project, where we are using the SmartHomes technology in unique ways, taking it into other settings, and sharing it with clients beyond just those living in the homes. We want to share those stories with you. We hope these stories will be short and easy to read insights into how technology is changing the lives of everyone served by Imagine!, not just those living in the SmartHomes.

Residents at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder are testing a new computer-based medication task minder developed by Imagine! staff members that will allow the residents to take more control over their own medication administration. Created in collaboration with Imagine!’s Innovations nursing department, this task minder program helps to train residents by providing self-directed step-by-step instructions for administering their own medications. The program is designed to be flexible enough so that each individual is able to have personalized prompting based on their own skills set. The potential benefits of this training program are many. Individuals who are able to administer their own medications need less costly supervision and are able to live more independent lives. Here’s a video of the Med Minder Task Prompting System in action, with Lana practicing using the system with some pretend medications.



Can’t see the video? Click here.

John Checks In With A Flood Update

This post came to us from John in an audio email. John is a resident at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder, which received significant damage in the basement (about four feet of water). John wrote to let us know that he and his housemates are safe.

“The water on the basement was downstairs after the heavy rain that fell. Iris Street got a bit of flood. I know it’s really crazy but right now the basement is fixing up so I just got to let you know what’s going on. I am home safely, so that’s the good thing.”

SmartHome Flood Superhero Shout Out!

Imagine! SmartHome flood superhero shout out – during the worst of the floods, Site Supervisor Chantelle Tweeten stayed 36 hours at the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome, away from her young daughter and family, to ensure coverage and safety.