Our Mission

This Web site provides a searchable, Web-based database of technologies for use in long-term care settings.

How is technology defined?
On this site, technology is defined as specialized equipment or product systems that may be commercially acquired and used to improve the quality of care, quality of life, or efficiencies of care delivered in residential care settings. This definition of technology excludes mainstream technology (e.g., cell phones, remote controls) and universal design applications (e.g., lowered light switches) but potentially includes both high and low technology applications (e.g., sensor-based monitoring systems and anti-slip footwear), with preference given to existing technologies that are more sophisticated and more recently developed .

Which long-term care settings are considered?
Preference is given to technologies of interest to residential care settings. Residential care settings include nursing homes, assisted living facilities, board and care facilities, day care facilities, and continuing care retirement communities. However, some products also may be appropriate for community settings.

How is product information organized?
Care Issues. The information in the database is organized on three levels. The first level includes care issues that are of significance to persons in long-term care. Care issues were selected based upon several criteria, including:

• the prevalence and relative importance (in terms of monetary and other societal costs) of the underlying clinical issue being addressed by the technology;
• the recommendations solicited from experts in the field of aging who served on the project's technical advisory group; and
• feedback from focus groups conducted with administrators and direct care staff in long-term care facilities.

The technical advisory group and focus groups also helped to determine the level of technological sophistication to be represented, the most appropriate terminology to be used, and the type of product information that would be most useful to the target audience of the Web site.

Product Types. The second level of information classifies products within each care issue into product types.

Products. The most basic level of the database provides information about specific products within each product type. In selecting products, preference was given to a) existing, as opposed to emerging, products, b) more recent, as opposed to older, products, and c) more technologically sophisticated, as opposed to low-technology, products.

Technology product information was obtained through literature and Internet searches, long-term care buyer's guides, and by speaking with technology manufacturers and vendors at various conferences. The search for new products was concluded after exhaustive Internet sweeps yielded no additional products following two hours of browsing by a professional librarian. Product information includes entries such as product names, product descriptions, and manufacturer contact information. Within a product type, various features may be directly compared across products.

What other information is available?
One of the primary goals of the Web site is to educate consumers about key issues to consider before purchasing a technology. Three educational features are available on the site:

Key Issues to Consider. This feature provides for each care issue examples of quality of life, quality of care, and organizational issues to be considered internally among staff members. The information is designed to guide choices across product types. This feature can help you decide, for example, whether a low-tech approach best meets your facility's needs and philosophies, and can help you evaluate the tradeoffs of a particular approach with respect to residents' quality of care and quality of life.

The quality of life domains mentioned in the key issues were developed by Rosalie Kane under contract by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Kane et al., 2001). Quality of care domains are drawn from the Minimum Data Set, which currently drives the system of care planning and reimbursement in the nursing home. Organizational considerations relate to issues such as staff efficiencies, costs, and change management.

Questions for Vendors. This feature provides consumers with useful questions to ask vendors and manufacturers about their products. Questions are specific to a given product type.

Resources and Related Readings. Finally, we offer consumers additional resources including related Web sites and a list of evaluative studies for each care issue and product type.

References
Kane, R.A., Kling, K.C., Bershadsky, B., Kane, R., Degenholtz, H., & Liu, J. (2001). Measuring quality of life outcomes of nursing home residents: Development of scales based on the residents' responses. Unpublished manuscript. Division of Health Services Research and Administration, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.

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