Brain injuries are compartmentalized into two diagnoses:  traumatic and non-traumatic.

Non-traumatic brain injuries might be from a stroke, while traumatic brain injuries are from a blow to the head, such as from falls, assaults, motor vehicle accidents, sports/recreation injuries, abusive head trauma, gunshot wounds, workplace injuries, child abuse, domestic violence, and military blast incidents.

Some interesting data on TBIs:

In 2018, there were approximately 223,050 TBI-related hospitalizations.

There were 60,611 TBI-related deaths in 2019.

3.2-5.3 million people in the U.S. live with a traumatic brain injury disability.

The highest number of TBI-related hospitalizations were from people 75 and older, which represents 32% of total hospitalizations.

Males were nearly two times more likely to be hospitalized and three times more likely to die from a TBI than females.

Falls are the #1 root cause of traumatic brain injuries at 35%.

3.2-5.3 million people in the U.S. live with a traumatic brain injury disability.

People with a TBI are 11 times more likely to die from Opioid misuse.

While no two brain injuries are alike and vary in severity, intensity, and length – outcomes for individuals suffering from brain injuries share some commonalities. Cognitive impairments are typically experienced by TBI patients and include:

• memory and recall challenges
• trouble focusing and paying attention
• learning disabilities
• coordination challenges
• managing fatigue

These impairments are not only difficult/frustrating to deal with; they can make the process of returning to normal life activities frustrating for TBI patients and can ultimately take a toll on their energy and mental well-being.

Enabling technology can be a great way to overcome the challenges these impairments cause and speed up the recovery process by proving:

Task prompting/reminders
Task instruction in different formats dependent on severity of TBI
Health & wellbeing check ins to monitor critical factors in rehabilitation process (between visits)
Pre-employment screenings for return-to-work readiness, job interests and skills

CreateAbility has several technology solutions that assist in the rehabilitation of TBI patients. You can learn more about each by following this link:  https://www.createabilityinc.com/supporting-people-with-brain-injuries/

Questions about enabling technology and how they can help you serve your TBI clients more effectively and optimize their person-centered care plan for better outcomes?  Call us at 317.728.6670.

The post CreateAbility Celebrates National Brain Injury Awareness Month appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

INDIANAPOLIS, June 8th, 2021 – CreateAbility Concepts, Inc., a technology company located in Indianapolis, was recently awarded a portion of the Second Chance Grant provided by the State of Florida’s Department of Justice for the replication and use of their MyBrain technology.  CreateAbility’s MyBrain will be utilized as technology solution that will ultimately, help reduce the rate of recidivism in youth ages 14-18.     

Modern research identifies traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in approximately 50% of youth who have been in juvenile detention centers or prison.  The neurocognitive changes that occur from TBIs can commonly result in substance abuse problems, disrupted relationships, employment issues, and extra challenges in learning. When not managed effectively, these issues decrease the efficacy of reform efforts. The Second Chance Grant was designed to proactively survey and monitor the youth offenders’ health, well-being, and other factors before they act out, re-offend and/or break the conditions of their release.   

CreateAbility’s Role in the Second Chance Youth Re-entry Program: 
Using a tablet, the youth offender will use CreateAbility’s MyBrain app for surveillance. For example, MyBrain will provide regular, intervallic measure of pain level, opioid use, anger and irritability, mood, substance misuse, affect dysregulation, sleep-related impairment, cognitive functioning, level of TBI-related disability, social isolation, and self-efficacy for managing one’s own emotions.  

These assessments can be delivered in a way that matches the youth’s ability, such as via an App with a built-in screen reader, a simplified web form, or as a chat bot. When the youth scores high in a risk area, interventions are provided to help them self-manage their anger, anxiety or depression. Alerts are sent to staff if certain answers indicate an immediate need, such as suicidal ideations, or the youth is obtaining drugs from a different source than the pharmacy. 

MyBrain technology was created in 2018 and now serves as the foundation of CreateAbility’s avatar-led assessment system called Evalu8Now. Evalu8NOW is currently being used in the private TBI sector as well as the intellectual disabilities community.  

Please contact info@createabilityinc.com for more information on what MyBrain technology can do for your data collection and person-centered care plan initiatives.   

About CreateAbility Concepts, Inc. 
CreateAbility strives to improve the dignity, security, and quality of life for people who are trying to maintain varying degrees of independence, but who need assistive technologies. Our mission is to create innovative products that help them flourish beyond their current capability. Our interactive health and safety monitoring software solutions help caregivers deliver an affordable blend of care, 24/7 that nurtures independence. We serve caregivers, agencies, and organizations devoted to helping older adults, people with intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, and behavioral health issues. 

Contact: 
Kerri Pinger 
Marketing & Communications Manager  
CreateAbility Concepts, Inc. 
info@createabilityinc.com 

***************************** 

The post CreateAbility Concept’s MyBrain Technology Accepted into Florida DOJ’s Plans to Reduce Recidivism appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

It increases data integrity.  
When engaging in an in-person survey, the people taking the assessment tend to “filter” their answers to please (or not upset) the survey administrator. In written surveys, the survey recipient may become overwhelmed, challenged, or bored with the test-taking process and answer hastily in order to finish.  

Avatar-led assessments provide a neutral environment for people to focus on the question at hand and answer in an honest manner without any hesitations or fears. Also, studies have shown that self-reported daily data is more reliable because there is less reliance on the memory of the person served. 

It increases data collection consistency and efficacy. 
Assessments/surveys are administered in the same methodology each-and-every time they are given. There are no changes in tone or inflection therefore, providing a less leading and more unbiased method for disseminating critical questions to the people you serve.   

This translates to more accurate results that opens the door for higher quality person-centered care planning, as well as better organizational management.  
 
It’s less intrusive to the person being served.  
When the person being served is trying to achieve more independence, another check-in or questionnaire might become both taxing and intrusive into their daily lives.   

Avatar-led assessments can simply “pop up” during the course of their day or week – and not feel less like supervision or a chore.   
 
Its customization features make it more accessible to a wider audience.  
For those who tend to get agitated with certain conditions or people, avatar-led assessments allow for the person being served to voice their opinion on when they prefer to take their survey as well as who administers it.  Having the ability to customize their avatar lessens their agitation with the survey and increases their engagement. For those who have autism, avatars are available that do not make eye contact with the test-taker and as the avatar speaks the survey and answer options, they can also be a great option for those who struggle with reading or have vision challenges.  

While real people cannot be replaced by technology in the overall care of people with intellectual developmental disabilities, you can most certainly bring in artificial intelligence to bridge gaps in the care/safety plans of the individuals served.  

Learn more about the wide range of avatar-led assessments available to your organization here.  

The post The Benefits of Avatar-Led Data Collection appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

P = Positive emotion

E = Engagement

R = Relationships

M = Meaning

A = Accomplishment

H = Health & Vitality 

The PERMAH approach to wellbeing is also mentioned in Art and Thane Dykstra’s “A NEW PLAN: Using Positive Psychology to Renew the Promise of Person-Centered Planning.”  As President and CEO of Trinity Services, Inc.  and contributors at High Tide Press, Thane and Art respectively, have an extensive history of working with people with intellectual disabilities and creating training resources for professionals within the industry. The PERMAH approach, which is referenced in the book, is a fundamental driver of FLOURISH, an app bore from a collaboration between CreateAbility Concepts, Inc. and High Tide Press to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through positive psychology.   

FLOURISH offers features that help clients define what they are grateful for (positive emotion), become more engaged in what they desire (engagement), set and achieve goals (accomplishment), increase confidence through achieved goals (meaning), improve the relationship between client and care provider (relationships), and experience more happiness (which is always good for your health). 

To learn more about how you can help your clients FLOURISH and lead happier, more meaningful lives, click here.

The post The Effects of Positive Psychology on Wellbeing appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

In a recent NIH report, the organization pronounces social isolation and loneliness in older people as a threat that poses health risks.

Dr. Steve Cole of NIH identifies risk factors in his article, “Understanding the Biology of Loneliness”:

Loneliness acts as a fertilizer for other diseases.

The biology of loneliness can:

• accelerate the buildup of plaque in arteries.
• help cancer cells grow and spread.
• promote inflammation in the brain leading to Alzheimer’s disease.

The CDC’s recent study on the same topic revealed that elders who experience social isolation have a 50% higher risk of dementia and other serious medical conditions than those who do not. They also stressed the importance of the health care system’s interventions as the main key to warding off social isolation and diminishing health concerns.

Naturally, seniors are more vulnerable to social isolation than other demographics. They are at an age where they are likely experiencing loss of siblings and friends. They experience more free time than their younger family members do and often times have excess time to fill. In addition, this is likely the age where people begin to experience health problems, which can be taxing.

Medicare is spending around $6.7 billion annually in costs stemming from social isolation. Take a look at the additional monthly costs to Medicare for a socially isolated enrollee and for an enrollee with selected chronic conditions:

Naturally, where spend is high – attention will follow. Many options are currently beginning to be explored and technology is one of them.  While we never claim that assistive technology will take the place of loved ones, we do believe in its power to serve as a communication hub that helps to connect others and strengthen relationships.

An example of an assistive technology that is both simple to use and combats social isolation for the elderly is avatalk.

avatalk is a fun and engaging way for people to check in on their loved ones and share pictures, memories, artwork, messages and more! The device is kept in plain view, on a table or the person’s credenza, and relatives can snap photos and share moments – and immediately download it to the senior’s tablet. Ultimately the device becomes a virtual picture show and a hub for new media of any sort and keeps them entertained and abreast of the goings on within their families/friends. People in the senior’s life can also utilize the quick-and-easy check-in system avatar offers:  simply ask any question with 6 answers or less via text – and it will interrupt the slideshow and pop up as a talking avatar on their device, ask the question, and provide the answers in button form so that they can response quickly and easily.

While care providers are also using avatalk as a way to bridge any gaps in remote monitoring and doing additional check-ins – many are getting comfortable utilizing avatalk and using the picture show platform to announce special events and share special messages and positivity; enhancing its purpose as a focal point in the home.

It is important that we not forget the mental health of our aging parents, friends and relatives as a key factor in their physical health and devote time to their happiness while still maintaining some presence in their lives when we are unable to be there in-person. Assistive technology provides a solution that everyone can use – and actually enjoy!

Until next time…stay safe and healthy!

The post Issues from Social Isolation in the Elderly Rising in Priority for Managed Care and LTC Facilities appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

But what do clinicians utilize to measure the progress, setbacks and successes of the mental health and well-being care plan of the people they serve and why is it so important?

At CreateAbility, we have been arming clinicians these fields with avatar-led, web-based assessments and interventions, called Evalu8NOW, and afforded them the ability to collect real-time data on their clients’ health and emotional well-being between in-person/face-to-face visits.

Evalu8NOW’s data is yielding several valuable factors that organizations are utilizing to reshape the way they typically interacted with clients. Clients are responding well to Eval8Now’s convenient and neutral surveying environment and clinicians are both extracting honest feedback – and receiving high rates of participation. Here’s a few examples of how they are utilizing its data for the greater good of their clients, as well as their business:

The system is allowing them to check in on a person’s treatment plan at a much higher frequency than previously practical, yielding setbacks and successes that they otherwise were not transparent to them. This additional information allows them to:

• Verify efficacy of treatment plans and monitor what’s working and what’s not.
• Integrate care, additional communications, and/or services that optimize the treatment plan.
• Identify key indicators that help staff ward off client meltdowns; also providing avatar-led interventions to keep them calm until staff can reach  out to them.
• Help ward off unnecessary ER visits.
• Increase efficacy of treatment plan by optimizing person-centric customizations; often times shortening the length of rehabilitation or treatment process.
• Increasing customer/patient satisfaction.
• Simplifies documentation and reporting.

Consider the following questions:

How could you harness the power of data in your business?
What would you monitor if you had eyes in the home?
What would benefit your treatment plan to monitor between check-ins with your clients?

CreateAbility has several out-of-the-box assessments for easy-implementation and quick deployment or, you can utilize the Evalu8NOW platform to work with our team to create your own assessment. We’ve created technologies that support your initiatives for 20 years and would love the opportunity to bring your vision to light.

Contact us at info@createabilityinc.com to explore what Evalu8NOW can do for you or to chat about your organizational goals.

The post Why Measuring Clients’ Emotional Well-being is an Important Part of Their Treatment Plan appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Results were as follows:

*Study results updated 10/2019.

To see new features of MeMinder 3.3, please click HERE.  

The post MeMinder Research Reflects Both Time and Monetary Savings for Job Coaches and Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Current State of Inclusion in the Workplace
Signed in 2014, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) aimed to improve services for individuals with a disability by helping them find and obtain competitive integrated employment (CIE). The ultimate mission of CIE is to provide opportunities that with instill consumers with ID’s the dignity of economic self-sufficiency within their communities while having a positive impact on the economy. The U.S. government has recently implemented changes to Fair Labor Standards Act; putting more monetary support into CIE efforts – while decreasing the usage of sub-minimum wage certificates to employers.

The impact of this is that supervisors who have not had the training in how to describe work assignments may now be forced to struggle with concepts such as task analysis and fading.

Need for Assistive Technology
These changes in legislation combined with the population of under employed ID consumers, will change the landscape of how we transition this population into sustainable employment. Historically, manual training programs have been led by supervisors who lack effective training themselves, and are challenged by both the time and instruction methodologies needed to effectively monitor employees with ID. While electronic coaches provide a low-cost solution to this dilemma; job coaches/supervisors have found them to be cumbersome to set up and maintain.
From the person-being served perspective, electronic coaches are needed to be able to overcome challenges maintaining task context and sequence. Electronic coaches provide them the visual and audio-only cues needed to stay on task and instill the confidence needed for job satisfaction.

The Employment Suite
CreateAbility, Inc. has been working with employees with ID and a variety of employers since 2003. Recognizing the changing climate of workplace inclusion, the company embarked on research and development of a solution to current challenges: Wearable Coach and WhenWear Advisor. Expanding the dynamics of their current MeMinder App, a talking to-do list/sequencing tool that helps guide consumers with ID’s or Down Syndrome through daily tasks, the company added the following solutions for a more robust (and user-friendly) solution in the workplace:

MeMINDER: This assistive technology provides additional features over-and-above standard electronic coaches in its ability to provide non-linear prompting that allows prompts to be delivered dynamically to help the worker achieve higher levels of function, improve task performance and greatly enhance independence without compromising safety or quality.

WhenWear Advisor: Built in CreateAbility Inc.’s exclusive BEAM cloud environment, this tool provides a platform for employers to establish daily regimes and training that is customized to the needs of each employee. Whereas training tools have been historically been challenging to change/manipulate, WhenWear Advisor is dynamic in its ability to efficiently convert work assignments into essential details required by the mobile worker with ID, and then wirelessly transfer the appropriate instruction to the targeted worker’s electronic coach. The technology offers drag-and-drop features that allow for both change and evolution of the work environment, the employees abilities, and changes in the workflow in real-time.

CreateAbility, Inc. has recently entered Phase II of development on Wearable Coach and WhenWear which is focused on enhancing the supervisory experience and automation feature, perfecting the integration, and adding preprogrammed jobs to the task list library. In addition, rigorous testing of the solutions is in full effect.

Demonstrations of this product will launch end of summer 2019 with product deliverables being available winter 2019. For more information on software demonstration for your consumer and/or business, please email info@createabilityinc.com.

****************

About CreateAbility, Inc.
CreateAbility strives to improve the dignity, security, and quality of life for people who are trying to maintain varying degrees of independence, but who need assistive technologies. Our mission is to create innovative products that help them flourish beyond their current capability. Our interactive health and safety monitoring software solutions help caregivers deliver an affordable blend of care, 24/7 that nurtures independence.
We serve caregivers, agencies, and organizations devoted to helping older adults, people with intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, and behavioral health issues.

Contact:

Kerri Pinger
Marketing & Sales Support Administration
CreateAbility, Inc.
kerri@createabilityinc.com

The post Changes in the Fair Labor Standards Act Opens New Opportunities for CreateAbility Inc.’s WhenWear Assistive Technology Solution appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

The need for this assistive technology is bore from years of government research that demonstrated that of the one million lower extremity joint replacements (LEJRs) performed each year, over 200,000 patients resided in rural areas and over half of the total number of LEJRs performed has surgeries performed at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The cost of these procedures for hospitalization alone cost the government over $9M per year and are expected to grow over 60% over the next decade. Meanwhile, the number of physical therapists needed to meet the rehab process requirements is set to increase by only 60% in this time frame; leaving a sizeable gap in the rehabilitation services needed to ensure proper recovery and that the Medicaid/Medicare funds were justifiable.

Rural patients (especially older adults) are at higher risk for an ineffective recovery from these surgeries due to lack of access to rehabilitation facilities, transportation, compliance enforcement, and inability to follow complex post-op rehabilitation instructions.
CreateAbility Concepts, Inc. was chosen by the USDA to receive a grant for the development of Mobility Coach, an assistive technology that will improve rural patient-provider interaction by post-surgery progress, monitoring physical therapy, and determining next steps to achieve the best possible outcomes for these rural patients. Patients will be armed with a device, software, appropriate monitors, and step-by-step visual demos that will:

• Provide daily exercise instruction to the patient
• Measure, record and report patient compliance data and pain medication usage
• Empower the patient to prescribe and push new exercises on prescribed basis
• Facilitate interactions between the patient and the PT in the form of Q & A’s as video     consultations

Phase One demonstrated the feasibility and utility of a prototype wearable sensor. Phase two milestones are currently under way and consist of the development of final requirements, enhance the Mobility Coach prototype design, perform extended field evaluations, and finally, develop the final software.

According to Steve Sutter, the principle investigator on the project, “Physical Therapists and Orthopedic Surgeons tell us repeatedly, that exercise post replacement is crucial to achieving the desired goal of pain free mobility and return to functionality. Mobility Coach measures the patient’s range-of-motion and number of reps completed. Results are presented to the patient, and the cloud for remote monitoring.”

Demonstration units will be shipping later this summer.

Mobility Coach, when launched, will be used by clinicians, physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons as an invaluable tool that will save time and money through faster recovery and reduction of expensive interventions. Mobility Coach will provide them with a high-level dashboard that will display the progress (or lack thereof) of all active patients, allow them to match methods to each patient individually, monitor and analyze predictive analysis, and initiate/answer questions in video visit sessions.

****************

About CreateAbility, Inc.

CreateAbility strives to improve the dignity, security, and quality of life for people who are trying to maintain varying degrees of independence, but who need assistive technologies. Our mission is to create innovative products that help them flourish beyond their current capability. Our interactive health and safety monitoring software solutions help caregivers deliver an affordable blend of care, 24/7 that nurtures independence.

We serve caregivers, agencies, and organizations devoted to helping older adults, people with intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, and behavioral health issues.

About the USDA

The USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management.

We have a vision to provide economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agriculture production that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve our Nation’s natural resources through conservation, restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands.

Our strategic goals serve as a roadmap for the Department to help ensure we achieve our mission and implement our vision.

************

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Kerri A. Pinger

Market & Sales Support Administrator

CreateAbility, Inc.

kerri@createabilityinc.com

The post CreateAbility, Inc. Enters Phase Two of Development on USDA Backed Mobility Coach appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.

Fear not. Clients, loved ones and healthcare professionals that use our technology can have peace of mind that their information on our systems is safe.

You may have heard that there is a major flaw in the security of the World Wide Web — one that has even Internet security firms feeling a little panicked, according to a recent article “Heart Bleed Bug Could Compromise Large Part of the Internet”.

We want you to know that CreateAbility’s systems and the data in them are safe.  Since our technology babysits your loved ones, we take this very seriously.

Fatefully, the most popular open source cryptographic library and data transport layer implementation that is used specifically to encrypt traffic on the Internet has a bug in it.  This bug enables hackers to steal password information by causing systems to spew the “secure” information held in RAM – allowing attackers to steal the information.

CreateAbility’s systems keep all of the user account and password information is an encrypted database, and not in RAM.

You can read more about this in the link below, but essentially a massive vulnerability has been found in OpenSSL by a team of security engineers at Codenomicon and Neel Mehta of Google Security (he’s essentially a super Ninja warrior when it comes to protecting data).

In geek speak – OpenSSL is the open-source software package broadly used to encrypt Web communications. The flaw allows attackers to steal the information that is normally protected by SSL/TLS encryption, which is used to protect Web applications, e-mail communications, instant messaging (IM) and some virtual private networks (VPNs).

Essentially, that means a lot of Internet users are affected. And potentially, passwords, private communications and even credit card information could be available to hackers courtesy of this newly-discovered bug.

For more nformation about Heart Bleed, See:

http://beforeitsnews.com/business/2014/04/heart-bleed-bug-could-compromise-large-part-of-the-internet-2612796.html

The post Keeping Your Data Safe – Even in the Most Serious Attack on the Internet appeared first on CreateAbility Inc.