Partnering For Progress

One of the goals of our SmartHomes project is to partner with for-profit companies to develop new technologies that improve the quality and efficiency of services to individuals with developmental and related disabilities.

One of our longest and most fruitful collaborations along these lines has been with CaraSolva. CaraSolva’s Product Suite is designed to automate and simplify the daily tasks performed by nurses and professional caregivers.

Over the past three months, Direct Care Professionals at Imagine!’s SmartHomes and other residential settings field tested CaraSolva’s Mobile MedSupport on the Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Below, you can read a press release issued by CaraSolva about the testing process and the results from the test (SPOILER ALERT: the results were very positive!).

Thanks, CaraSolva, for leading the way in demonstrating how for-profit and not-for-profit organizations can work together to find new solutions using technology to better serve some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Imagine! completes Quality Assurance of CaraSolva Mobile MedSupport on iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Direct Care Professionals at Imagine!, over a period of three months, tested CaraSolva Mobile MedSupport on the Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. They reported that the tablet touchscreen interface and the ability to move easily around the care home was an enjoyable experience and allowed them to dispense and report meds more rapidly and accurately resulting in reduced medication errors.

Imagine! is based in Lafayette, Colorado and provides support services to more than 2,600 people of all ages with developmental delays and cognitive disabilities including autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome.

Mobile MedSupport is the version of CaraSolva’s popular MedSupport product, optimized for use on touchscreen tablets. MedSupport prompts and allows caregivers to report outcomes for medications, vitals, treatments and other care tasks.

CaraSolva Mobile MedSupport is now available and will be free of charge to current customers for a 3 month period.

Kevin Harding internationally recognized guru of Smarthome technology waxed ecstatic about this step forward for mankind. “This is probably one of the coolest pieces of technology that I’ve seen. Way better than the transporter on the Starship Enterprise.”

Globally known Intellectual Disabilities Business Development Tsar, Greg Wellems, stated, “Frankly this is a huge leap. It would not surprise me to hear CaraSolva and Imagine! mentioned in the same sentence as Microsoft, Google, and KT’s Barbecue.”

Donna's Diary - July 2011

Back surgery didn’t keep Bob and Judy SmartHome resident Donna from completing her online diary this month! She’s a real trooper – and the support (and nice gifts) she got from some of her roommates sure helped keep her spirits up. Read all about it below – and be sure to wish Donna a speedy recovery!

Well, although the past couple years have been the best years of my life, right now life is a little bit painful. I’m just sitting here in my PJs after getting home from the hospital last night after having back surgery yesterday. I had a space between my vertebrae that’s not supposed to be there and they fixed it. I can’t believe they got me in and out of the hospital in one day.

When I got home last night, I didn’t expect anything but my sweet roommate Mandy have me a plant, and her mom gave me a box of chocolates. Of course my husband Gerald is giving me some extra special love and attention, which means a lot to me. Today before he left the house he gave me a big hug. I think this is harder for him than it is for me.

I’m going to lay back down in my cozy bed now because as you can imagine, I don’t feel very well. I’ll be OK though and will write more next month.

Check Donna’s previous online diary entries here.

International Tourist

We continue to draw international interest in our SmartHomes project.

Yesterday, Thilakam Rajendran, Managing Director of India-based ARUNIM, took a tour of the Bob and Judy Charles SmartHome in Boulder.

According to their website, ARUNIM strives towards creating opportunities for people with moderate to severe disabilities following an entrepreneurial approach to ensure that persons with disabilities can actively participate in the global economic growth.

Ms. Rajendran’s tour is yet another example of how more and more organizations are looking to Imagine!’s SmartHomes as a new, efficient, and sustainable model for providing services for individuals with developmental disabilities

Thanks for touring, Ms. Rajendran!

Haven’t toured our SmartHomes yet? Sign up for a tour now!

Green Efforts Reap Rewards

For Imagine!, creating a new, sustainable way of assisting some of our most vulnerable citizens meant creating a comprehensive plan for increasing efficiencies while improving services at the same time. The development and construction of our SmartHomes was the result of this planning, and using green technologies and building techniques was a natural extension of this effort.

Those efforts are certainly paying off.

Comparisons with one of Imagine!'s conventional group homes indicate that the Charles Family SmartHome's high efficiency furnace is yielding savings of approximately 50% in both costs and natural gas use. For example, we saved 116.29 (in therms per month) and saved $3.37 (in dollars per day). See the chart below for more details (you can click on it to make it bigger).

It is good to know that we can be good stewards of the environment and save money in the process!

Senator Bennet Staffer To Visit SmartHome

As part of our ongoing efforts to bring the message to the highest levels that technology offers new and efficient ways to deliver services to some of our most vulnerable citizens, we have scheduled an Imagine! SmartHome tour Tuesday for James Thompson, Regional Director for US Senator Michael Bennet.

Mr. Thompson’s tour follows on the heels of last month’s tour by US Representative Jared Polis.

It is encouraging to see that our ambitious and promising project has caught the attention of our federal legislators. We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, Mr. Thompson!

Tetra Tech Runs For SmartHomes

Lat month's Tetra Tech Run for Imagine! was a resounding success! The funds raised went to support the Charles Family SmartHome in Longmont.

Here’s a report from the event from Julie Vlier, an Imagine! Foundation Board member and the organizer of the event:

The weather was great for the Tetra Tech/Imagine! event. We were decked out, wearing some super T-shirts, too, thanks to Forrest (Fleming, Imagine! Foundation Board member) and Instant Imprints (see pictures below). All-in-all we received $673 in contributions!

After the event we convened at Left Hand Brewery and Eric (Wallace, Left Hand owner and former Foundation Board member) was kind enough to get us set up with cool beverages and a contribution to Imagine! for the drinks that were sold to our group! We also enjoyed Georgia Boys BBQ, and are planning on another $25 (+/-) from this new Longmont business.

Thanks to all involved, especially Julie for making it all happen. We really appreciate it!

Julie Vlier, Tetra Tech Manager of Water Resources, Imagine! Foundation board member, and the event organizer, is second from left.

Gerald The Trailblazer

Did you know that before we built our SmartHomes, resident Gerald Stopa was Imagine!’s 2007 Consumer of the Year? Check out the video below, which was made at the time. It shows him using some of the technologies that were later adapted for use for other residents. Gerald has always been a trailblazer, and we’re sure glad he acts as an ambassador for our SmartHomes!