Charles Lea Center Reduces Costs Using SimplyHome
SimplyHome has partnered with The Charles Lea center in Spartanburg to provide technology in their new independent apartment program. SimplyHome installed systems that monitor 24 different individuals between 3 different apartment complexes in Spartanburg County. "The use of SimplyHome will allow us to reduce staffing at several of our locations as in the past we needed a staff person to “sit” with the person and now we don’t," says Pam Prevatte, Charles Lea Center Director of Communications. " Our consumers do not want people staying with them – SimplyHome allows them the independence they crave and you can’t put a price tag on quality of life," she says.
The housing program is called (HUD) housing. In the United States, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is responsible for enforcing the Fair Housing Act of 1968, along with supporting community development, increasing home ownership, and fighting housing discrimination.
The systems SimplyHome put in place for these 24 individual include motion sensors, door and window sensors, paging buttons, stove sensors, bed sensors, and wheelchair sensors that are all used to alert staff if a possible problem occurs. The sensors are looking for inactivity in the apartments that might indicate a fall or outside doors opening during night time hours. When a system rule is broken, a staff member immediately gets a phone call, text message, and announcement in the office so they can take appropriate actions. For example, one resident was used to being interrupted several times a night to be turned in her bed. She now has a paging button that she can push only when she wants to be turned, which gives her the choice and the independence she deserves.
SimplyHome is proud to be a part of such a great organization with such innovative thinkers. Our technology, along with Charles Lea staff, helps provide these individuals with maximum independence.
What is the Charles Lea Center?
The Charles Lea Center is a haven for more than 1,400 individuals - newborns to seniors - and their families, at two campuses and 62 group homes in Spartanburg County. As a vital community resource, it provides services that often cannot be found elsewhere in the Upstate. The Center employs approximately 625 individuals, of whom most work directly with consumers. This staff is is committed to providing the most compassionate services and developing opportunities that wlll lead to an improved quality of life for all consumers.
For almost 40 years, the Center has been the place to turn for innovative services and expert care for individuals with disabilities and chronic medical conditions in Spartanburg County. It has grown from an agency with 275 consumers and a budget of $500,000 in 1971 to a budget surpassing $27 million. The Center is the county's second-largest nonprofit (after Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System) and is a driving force in Spartanburg County's economy.
To learn more about the Charles Lea Center visit their website at www.charleslea.org. To learn more about SimplyHome technology or to request a free assessment visit www.simply-home.com or call us toll free at (877) 684-3581.