In 2015, our mom, Carly, made me promise: "Don't put me in an old folks' home like the one your grandma was in. I want to stay in my own home." I responded, okay Mom, I promise...
When Mom started showing early signs of Alzheimer's in 2017, my wife and I moved out of our home, put our belongings in storage, and moved in with her to honor that promise. But by November 2019, after her doctor advised her that she could no longer drive, her spirits dimmed as she lost the frequent connections with her circle of friends.
Encouraged by her best friend, Jan, Mom reluctantly moved to an independent living community in January of 2020. Drawing from over twenty years in hospitality, including roles as Director of Special Events, Banquets, and Catering, she had high expectations for quality service. After just one week, Mom's verdict was clear: "The services here are amazing. It's like living on a cruise ship."
When COVID-19 hit in March 2020 and the community entered lockdown, we considered bringing Mom home. However, she chose to remain with her friends and the caring staff she had grown close to. What we didn't anticipate, was how significantly the pandemic restrictions would impact her medication management. Without our regular visits to provide oversight and support, consistent adherence became an unexpected and frustrating challenge.
The months that followed revealed a harsh reality, ensuring Mom consistently took the proper medications at the correct times each day became nearly impossible. Despite her fierce independence, pills were misplaced, dosages confused, and timing forgotten. This wasn't just our struggle; conversations with adult children of other independent living residents revealed this was a widespread challenge.
In early 2023, mom developed Lewy Body Dementia, so my sister and I decided to move her into a community that was closer to us. Mom was initially placed in Memory Care, but she grew very depressed there, so the management team allowed us to rent a two-bedroom apartment with enhanced services in the Assisted Living area of the community. This proved to be a fortunate situation as my sister and I took turns living in the community over the final two months of her life. During this time, my sister and I developed meaningful relationships with other residents, thier families and the caring staff throughout the community.
During moms last two weeks, we were both there 24/7, my sister slept in the extra bedroom, and I slept on the sofa.
Near the end of Mom's life journey, the Hospice team from Providence Health Services provided additional care, and they exceeded every expectation. The services included daily nurse encounters, a grief counselor, a loving priest who delivered Last Rites, and a harpist who brought a full-sized harp and played for our mom as she quietly rested.
On October 19, 2023, at 12:05 pm, our mother took her final breath as we sat beside her, holding her hands.
In the days that followed, as I cleaned out moms apartment, I reflected on our experience living within this care community, surrounded by administrative staff, caregivers, nurses, and dining team members who had become part of our extended family. I thought about the daily complexities they navigated: monitoring each resident's wellness, doing their best to ensure medication adherence while dealing with staffing issues, meal service challenges and managing the countless details that support vulnerable lives.
As I had many conversations with other families during my final days in the community, a shared truth emerged: we all carried the same constant worry about our loved ones' health and well-being. Yet we also shared something else, gratitude for the people who had chosen to dedicate their lives to caring for those we loved most.
The lived experience my sister and I shared inspired me to honor our mother and start our new company, CarePath Health.
At CarePath Health, we believe every senior deserves quality care delivered with dignity, autonomy, and respect. Our services are designed to make life not just easier, but genuinely better.
Senior Living community leaders know that maintaining resident independence while ensuring optimal health is both their greatest opportunity and most significant challenge. CarePath Health offers a market-proven solution that enhances medication adherence and wellness capabilities while alleviating the strain on existing staff.
The Challenge Every Senior Living Community Faces
Finding and retaining qualified Medication Technicians who can safely manage medications, monitor vital signs, and perform other wellness management tasks for community residents is becoming increasingly challenging, while residents’ needs continue to grow.
Current Med Tech Responsibilities Can Include:
Monitoring for problems or changes and reporting to appropriate parties
Administering or assisting residents with self-administered medications and treatments
Communicating with physicians and implementing orders
Coordinating with home health, hospice, and pharmacy services
Measuring vital signs and performing other health service tasks.
Our Solution: Amplifying Your Team's Impact
CarePath Health's intelligent medication adherence and wellness monitoring platform serves as a force multiplier for your existing medical staff, enhancing their capabilities and efficiency.
How CarePath Works: Our Ontological Knowledge System analyzes demographic information, including age, race, gender, and medical history, Bluetooth-connected device data, including BP monitors, glucometers, weight scales, thermometers, a pill box, and digital health questionnaires. This data provides care teams with precise, actionable assessments.
Nurses receive stratified notifications that help them prioritize care, transforming crisis management into proactive wellness care.
How CarePath Can Transform Your Operations:
Scale Beyond Current Staffing Limitations - One Med Tech can effectively monitor more residents with our intelligent notification system, maximizing your existing team's capacity.
Reduce Recruitment Pressure - Your current team becomes more efficient, and less stressed, which helps improve retention.
Enhance Job Satisfaction - Staff spend less time on reactive tasks and more time building meaningful relationships with residents, the work that drew them to senior care in the first place.
The Bottom Line - While you're working hard to find Med Techs who can "make a real difference in seniors' lives every day," we help your existing team make an even greater impact. Your community transforms from a care facility into a proactive wellness environment where residents thrive, families gain peace of mind, and your staff operate more efficiently.
Measurable Results:
Enhanced peace of mind for residents, family members, and caregivers
Dramatically reduced EMT and ambulance encounters in your community
Improved staff efficiency and care quality through intelligent prioritization
Better staff retention through more meaningful, relationship-focused work
Competitive advantages in resident acquisition and family satisfaction
Moving Forward Together
We believe every senior deserves quality care delivered with dignity, autonomy, and respect. CarePath's services are designed to make life not just easier, but genuinely better, for residents, families, and the dedicated professionals who serve them.
Having experienced this journey as both a son and a live-in observer of senior living operations, I understand the daily challenges you face. I'd love to explore how we can collaborate to enhance the quality of care and support available to families and their cherished loved ones in your communities.
Frank Ille
CEO
CarePath Health