Each year the CE Pro 100 Integrators Summit recognizes outstanding processes in the custom electronics integration industry through its Best Practice Awards program. The awards program is open to all CE Pro 100 Summit Guests and winners were announced at this years expo held in Los Angeles. This year, SimplyHome is honored to have been profiled for best practice in the category of New Technology Implementation.

SimplyHome has implemented technology supports for individuals with developmental disabilities or who are aging in place allowing people in these environments to remain living in an independent setting. In doing so, we have developed both proprietary platforms and integrated off-the-shelf solutions into our product offerings. This has been applied to residential homes, apartments, condos, and group homes. We have applied a unique approach that combines extensive health-care experience with leading technology solutions to solve management, funding, and human service problems.

Our technology is used to make staff and family caregivers more efficient and connected as they serve aging or developmentally disabled individuals. If there are potential problems in the home, then immediate notifications are sent out in the form of text message, email, or phone call. Some common events that cause concerns for families are: falls, missed medications, stove being left on, restless sleeping, and missed meals. Over time, the information that is gathered is also used to look at health trends and prevent hospital emergency admissions. Key indicators include frequent falls, quick weight gain or loss, dangerous glucose levels, or dangerous blood pressure readings. This technical information- gathered through technology supports-is invaluable when combined with health-care experience.

We have realized incredible results-especially on the cost savings and management functional areas. In performing a case study of the first eight individuals we transferred into the community from facility settings, we moved each person's daily reimbursement rate from about $240/day to below $98/day. This has been maintained for more than five years. The technology solutions we apply have a positive ROI for customers in less than one month-when compared with 24 hour staff supports in a nursing home, assisted living, or home health setting. We always remind ourselves, however, of the most important indicator of success, which is the increased quality of life and sense of self-worth for everyone we serve. One customer said it best after moving from a facility care setting into her own home: "For the first time in my life, I can finally go outside and get my own mail instead of having it brought to me."