SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Department of Mental Health hosted “Tech Fest” Tuesday to introduce assistive care providers to life-changing technology.
“People in need of technology many times are not aware of it,” explained Wayne Crawford, Executive Director for Missouri Inclusive Housing. “We have to get the word out to the community– it is affordable, it is available, it can add to your independence.”
Advancements in technology for independence support Missouri’s Technology First initiative to equip the elderly, wounded veterans and those with disabilities with the gadgets necessary to live independently.
“An individual should look at technology to keep themselves independent so they don’t have to rely on staff for their 24 hour a day support and services,” said Crawford.
While technology is rapidly growing and helping individuals every day, some providers remain skeptical as to how effective the devices are.
“I know that Missouri is kind of pushing the remote care right now, and we want to find out if it is truly going to benefit our individuals,” said Erica Wilson of Share and Care based in Clinton, Mo. “I am here to weigh the options.”
Many Tech Fest participants could agree on one thing– digital record-keeping has greatly improved providers’ ability to track patient care.
“It makes it a lot easier to monitor the care of our individuals to find out when a staffer is saying [a patient’s] blood pressure has been off, I can go back very easily and look at the last week, month, three months worth of blood pressure readings to see if there is a trend,” said Wilson.
