A few years ago, my father passed away.  Soon after, my mother became chronically ill.  As an only child, I was suddenly faced with having to gather information on a variety of health related topics I knew nothing about:  the symptoms of a stroke, Medicare, guardianships/conservatorships, traveling with a loved one in a wheelchair,  selecting a nursing home and assisted living facility, cleaning out and selling a home…. The list goes on and on.

For some time, my job here at Organic seemed far removed from the responsibilities that I faced outside of work.  By day I specialized in digital research and by night I was a caregiver.
To share information with other caregivers, a former coworker and I started a blog: www.SeniorHelpForum.com.    

In the recent past; however, I have seen the lines between my work life and that of a blogging caregiver grow closer and closer together. In the short amount of time that our blog has been live (a little over a year), I have seen incredible advancements in the tools that the healthcare industry is developing and offering to the general public. They are even embracing social media and mobile technology.

Three of my favorites are:
1.   The American Heart Association’s iPhone Application:  This iPhone App provides users with illustrations, videos, information storage, recent information updates and American Heart Association guidelines.  Topics include: choking, CPR, bites, bruises, burns, seizures, diabetic emergencies.

The information is stored on your iPhone or iPod touch so that you will have access to the information even when you are out of cell phone range. During the recent earthquake in Haiti, a gentleman managed to save his own life with the use of this app. See a February 2, 2010, post on Senior Help Forum for links to articles about this heartwarming story.

2.   Tweeting in the Operating Room: In January of 2009, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan became the first hospital to tweet a live surgery (@HenryFordNews).  
The lead surgeon, Dr. Craig Rogers, and his chief resident, Dr. Raj Laungani tweeted  updates throughout the surgery (CNN.com, February 17, 2009).  According to CNN.com, “at the end, Rogers had the last tweet. ‘The robotic partial nephrectomy was a success. ‘Thank you for joining us today.’” The entire Twitter stream was then uploaded to YouTube.  
(By the time I wrote this post, it was no longer available on YouTube.)

Throughout 2009, several other hospitals around the country embraced Twitter and began tweeting, as well.  On November 23, 2009, I followed a Hip resurfacing surgery on The Detroit Medical Center’s Twitter and Facebook feeds. It was fascinating!   

3.   Care Pages:   I first heard about CarePages.com when a family friend became ill in September of 2009. This website allowed me to: log-in and leave the patient a message, see updates on her progress, invite others to visit her page(s), etc.  

The site’s capabilities are much more robust than what I experienced. The site describes itself as, “an online community of millions of people coming together to share the challenges, hopes and triumphs of anyone facing a life changing health event. Through personalized websites, members relate their stories, post photos and update friends and family instantly. In turn, people who care send messages of love and encouragement. CarePages.com also offers a variety of resources and support tools for living a more compassionate life.  These include blogs, discussion forums and the ability for users to find others in similar situations. The mission is simple: to ensure that no one goes through a health challenge alone.”

As digital marketers, we should be both thrilled and incredibly proud of the remarkable advancements our industry is tackling in the area of health and eldercare. What are your favorites?

Laura McGowan