So it gives them notifications when needed, it helps them understand when inventories are running low of any medications, or you’re running out of refills.” “But it also removes a lot of the friction points that that caregivers have to struggle with. “The hardware helps create an objective point of truth for the automated sorting and dispensing and on device reminders that are both visual and audible,” Vepuri said. But she had some hospital readmissions that could have avoided had Hero existed at the time, Vepuri said. His mother suffered a heart attack, and she thankfully recovered. But when it comes down to it, when you’re taking more than five meds, it becomes a full-time job pretty quickly, particularly depending on how complex your chronic disease conditions are.” You would think a physician would be able to handle any level of medication complexity. Back when my mother who was a physician, a geriatrician herself, started struggling with multiple chronic conditions. that get between people and their health, Vepuri said. Hero was founded on the premise of removing barriers - costs, access, human behavior, policies, etc. The Hero subscription also includes caregiver features, including alerts if a loved one misses a dose.
Hero’s donation will cover 100% of subscription costs for three years, providing 50 Navajo Nation members with its full suite of features, including a smart pill dispenser, medication management app, automatic prescription refill and delivery, and 24/7 live support.
This medication management machine is very near and dear to my heart to help our caregivers.” “This machine is helping caregivers alleviate a lot of that stress because you worry you worry if they’re going to take their medicine,” she said. There are hundreds of thousands of people on the Navajo reservation, and getting services to them isn’t easy. Tsosie, who is based in Window Rock, Arizona, said the all-volunteer group has helped step in to help elders even as many tribal government operations shut down during the pandemic. Tsosie believes the donation will help prevent unnecessary trips to the hospital for elders who have trouble sorting out and taking their medications. He said in a statement that Hero will help restore some balance. Since its founding in late March 2020, Protect Native Elders has distributed more than $1.3 million in supplies to more than 70 tribal communities across the continent.ĭmitri Novomeiski, cofounder of Protect Native Elders, helped start it to bring resources to communities that were underserved and underresourced. The all-volunteer team is focused on personal protective equipment (PPE) and critical supply relief, advocacy programs, and initiatives involving such resources as food and water to support indigenous sovereignty.
Protect Native Elders is a grassroots Native-led organization that provides rapid support to Native American communities in COVID-19 hotspots, bringing health care technology to the Navajo Nation free of charge, said Val Tsosie, distribution lead and eldercare adviser at Protect Native Elders, in an interview.