SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Electronic Caregiver®, a national virtual care and health technology company, has partnered with AlphaOne Ambulance Medical Services Inc. to provide peace of mind and protection for seniors – the portion of the population most vulnerable to COVID-19. 

Sacramento resident Dot Boyd, an independent partner of Electronic Caregiver, offers the company’s lifesaving technology to those living in the Greater Sacramento Area. Electronic Caregiver’s products include telehealth and remote patient monitoring services, which have become vital tools in slowing the spread and impact of COVID-19. The partnership will give Electronic Caregiver clients in Sacramento County the option to connect with AlphaOne as their preferred emergency medical service at the touch of a button via Electronic Caregiver’s technology. AlphaOne specializes in senior care and is trusted by many Sacramento County seniors as their go-to service. 

“Electronic Caregiver’s products protect the older adult population and activate paramedics in medical emergencies,” said AlphaOne Business Development Manager Mike Ryder. “Our partnership will allow them to activate paramedics trained in geriatric Emergency Medical Sciences (GEMS) providing a level of care our older adults prefer.”

AlphaOne provides assessments at no charge, which can be a huge value to seniors who often live on a fixed income. The company also specializes in dementia care and works with many of the county’s memory care communities. 

“Taking the time needed to properly evaluate our residents with advanced needs is a great tool in providing specialized care,” Ryder said. “Oftentimes older adults prefer to not have all the unnecessary apparatus show up in a medical emergency and trust our staff to treat them with dignity and respect while providing the care they need. We are often the preferred provider to many of the assisted living, independent living, skilled nursing communities in our area.”

Electronic Caregiver clients in Sacramento County can have the added benefit of AlphaOne when they subscribe to the Premier, a mobile security and care support system, or the Pro Health, a chronic care and remote patient monitoring system. Clients who need urgent medical care can push the emergency button on either of these devices to directly connect with AlphaOne, saving them valuable time in looking for their phone or having to manually dial a number. 

“In the independent living communities where people may not have a personal emergency response system (PERS), every individual is on their own,” Boyd said. “And so, for them to know that when they push their button AlphaOne will be dispatched gives them a lot of peace of mind.”

Along with 24/7 emergency response, the Premier includes care plan reminders, activity monitoring, geolocation and pocketMD telemedicine. PocketMD provides clients with remote access to not only a licensed physician, but also a psychologist, pharmacist, dentist, dietician, sports medicine specialist, alternative medicine specialist, pediatrician, and ophthalmologist. 

Electronic Caregiver client Joann Charamuga, who lives in an independent living community in Sacramento, said she enrolled in the AlphaOne program via her Premier subscription. She enjoys the sense of security and reduced financial costs that come with using AlphaOne as her primary emergency response service.

For those with chronic conditions or who would like access to remote patient monitoring services, Electronic Caregiver’s Pro Health is ideal. The smart health hub is easily set up in the home and can be paired with several Bluetooth devices, including a glucometer, spirometer, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter, weight scale and non-contact thermometer. Both the pulse oximeter and thermometer have been identified by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) as tools patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 can use to monitor their condition and help guide them on important medical decisions. 

The Pro Health also includes 24/7 emergency response, medication reminders and pocketMD.

“Right now, because of the COVID-19 scare, people are ignoring serious or chronic health issues because of their fear of picking up the virus at their doctor's office or at the hospital,” Boyd said. “Sadly, the reports are in that they're waiting until it's too late and too many are dying from non-COVID-19 illnesses as a result.”

“With the push of a button, any time of the day or night, my clients can consult with a doctor, and avoid sitting in a waiting room with other sick patients who may have virus symptoms,” she said. “I wish we had this when I was my mom's primary caregiver because we could have avoided trips to the emergency department when there were no other options on a Friday night or over the weekend.”

In addition to seniors, Electronic Caregiver’s technology can benefit patients of all ages. For information about Electronic Caregiver and services offered in the Greater Sacramento County Area, contact Dot Boyd at 916-799-1660 or [email protected].