When pursuing his PhD, Ken Dupin studied countries around the
world and found they focus more on care in the home for their aging
relatives and less on nursing homes.
Dupin's research inspired him to create a company — N2Care
— and a solution — the MEDCottage, a mobile
self-contained care unit that can be placed on any property.
According to Susan Conn, the company's director of operations, the
concept involves a modular 288-sq. ft. caregiving compartment
containing a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, all with smart
features.
The mobile unit is, according to Conn, “not a home health
care package, but a home health care environment.”
The unit features an isolated entrance and UV and disinfectant
systems, as well as a pathogen protection system that permits the
containment of pathogens in a designated area for disease control.
Environmental features include controlled water temperature and
water levels in the tub and sink, a door opening system and wall
interior monitoring.
The MEDCottage can be located anywhere, says Conn (such as a
family caregiver's backyard, she suggests) as long as water,
electricity and waste management can be directly tied into the
plumbing.
Though utility connections increase bills, Conn says, that cost
pales in comparison to the costs — both financial and
emotional — of loved ones living in nursing homes.
“The MEDCottage saves a half to a third of nursing home
costs. The average nursing home is around $6,500 a month; this
would come in at around $2,000 a month depending on features you
want,” Conn says.
So, why is leasing a MEDCottage a better option than outfitting
a room in a pre-existing house? “Many immediate needs cannot
wait for a new construction,” Conn says. “Also, many
homes are not ADA-compliant with specialized features that are
specifically designed to promote and extend independence. Stairs,
narrow hallways and bathtubs with standard heights are all factors
to consider when you are thinking about the safest environment for
a loved one with a disability.”
MEDCottages give residents privacy, but lets them remain close
in proximity to their caregiver. “If the resident is mobile,
he or she can come in the house for meals, etc., but if they
aren't, you have full access to them by walking to their
cottage,” Conn says.
The heart of the cottage is the family communications center,
giving caregivers and patients dynamic interaction. For example,
the smart toilet weighs the user and can record body temperature,
blood pressure and perform a urinalysis. All that information is
accessible via the Internet through passwords.
The communications center also includes a Web cam, voice
communication by computer or cell phone, a movement locator
(through an ankle or wrist bracelet) and medicine consumption
monitoring and notification.
Conn says the MEDCottage project was developed for the baby
boomers — all 78 million of them.
Dupin recently publicized his message by sending 100 bedpans to
national leaders including President Obama, cabinet members,
senators and representatives with a sticker that declared,
“We're not going to nursing homes, not ever!”
The first MEDCottage should be available for lease around spring
2010, Conn says. N2Care is currently building a prototype and,
soon, a “test resident” will make himself or herself at
home in the mobile unit for three to six months as part of a pilot
program.
