LAS VEGAS —
For the second consecutive
year, digital health care
products are being spotlighted at
International CES with a Digital
Health TechZone and Summit,
as well as a Silvers Summit
that includes health products
aimed at seniors. In particular,
remote health-monitoring solutions
abound this year.
Ideal Life
is showing its
wireless remote health-monitoring
products with two-way
cellular communication.
The suite of products includes
the Ideal Life Pod,
which is the system’s Bluetooth-
enabled gateway, and
add-on monitors for blood pressure,
glucose levels, oxygen saturation
and heart rate, as well as a body
weight scale, a chair scale for very large or
frail patients and a pedometer for weight
management.
Ideal Life claims to be the first monitoring
system to offer almost universal mobile
connectivity through compatibility with
phones and devices from Apple, Cricket, Google, HTC,
LG, Nokia, Motorola, RIM, Samsung and Sony Ericsson,
on networks from carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US
Cellular, Verizon and Virgin Mobile.
iPomdevices
is at CES marketing its Sonamba wellbeing
monitoring system for seniors.
Sonamba is an in-home monitoring system featuring a
7-inch touchscreen LCD display, built-in motion/sound
sensors, automatic status text messages to caregivers,
an emergency “panic” button, photo display, alerts, reminders
and games. It monitors motion and sound activity,
sending out periodic “all is well” or “attention needed”
alerts to designated caregivers’ cellphones. If the
panic button is pressed, Sonamba will notify the primary
caregiver; and if the primary caregiver is not available,
it can be set to call 911 next. Meanwhile all designated
caregivers will be notified via text messages.
Sonamba retails for $549 with a $39 per month subscription
fee and a range of flexible payment options.
IVT
will demonstrate a 3G-based version
of its turnkey Mobile Health
Solution (MHS) for portable
devices aimed at combatting
three major chronic diseases:
hypertension, heart disease
and diabetes.
IVT has ported its NHS software
to Windows Mobile and
Android platforms and can
support 3G systems including
CDMA, 1x EVDO, TD-SCDMA
and W-CDMA.
By using the device kit a user
can measure blood pressure, cardiac
activity, blood-glucose level
and blood-oxygen level. The results
are displayed on a cellphone and sent
to the user’s Personal E-Health record
on a remote server where the data is saved
and analyzed in real time. The procedure is
fully automated and the test results can be automatically
forwarded to a third party via short
messages, allowing a user’s family or caregiver
to monitor the user’s medical condition.
Also exhibiting a monitoring solution at CES
is
Lifecomm
, a wellness-solutions company
providing a wearable mobile personal emergency
response system (PERS). The device features automatic
fall detection, activity monitoring and emergency
services.
Lifecomm is a partnership between Hughes Telematics,
Qualcomm and American Medical Alert.
The wearable lightweight medallion has one-touch
access to an emergency assistance call center. Inside
the device, a cellular modem will enable wireless
voice and data communications, and an embedded
GPS combined with other sensors will enable locationbased
tracking and monitoring of the person wearing
the device. A personalized web portal for the user and/
or caregiver will provide access to information about
user activity and location.
TabSafe
is displaying its web-based medical management
system that not only monitors patient health but
also dispenses medicine.
The TabSafe Medical System links to a website where
data is transferred so family and medical personnel can
monitor a patient’s behavior and vital signs.
In addition the device securely stores and dispenses
all medications at designated times —the system alerts
patient and caregiver if the medication is not taken on
time — and allows caregivers to monitor and refill prescriptions
remotely. It also can dispense “as needed”
medicines such as pain relievers, monitoring the output
to reduce the chance of overdose or too frequent
usage.
Alerts for caregivers are accessed via the web or by
cellphone messaging. A smartphone app is in the works.
And finally,
Independa
, a San Diego-based startup,
will launch the first phase of its Remind Plan at CES.
Remind integrates smart calendar technology with automated
telephone-based event reminders, medication
tracking, reminder services and more.
The Independa system will offer remote vital-signs monitoring,
medications reminders and logs, appointment reminders,
ambient temperature readings, flood and opendoor
alerts, crisis response and a quick chat feature.
The Independa team will demo the Remind Plan, as
well as Angela, a tablet device that will expand the
system’s capabilities to another level of control by mid-
2011.
