Electronic Caregiver partners with retirement community

Electronic Caregiver (ECG), the national health technology company based in Las Cruces is partnering with Western Home Communities (WHC) in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to offer its virtual caregiver platform, Addison Care, to members of the organization’s Fortified Life program.

Fortified Life is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) “without walls,” ECG said in a news release. “Members receive home-based services to help them age independently, wherever they call home. And now, Addison Care will be one of the services offered to members who need it.”

“The WHC and ECG partnership represents a shared understanding of the need for versatile approaches to wellness,” said ECG Lead UX/UI Designer Morgan Beasley. “Our management platform allows WHC the visibility they seek when working with their program members to maintain health, while their members get to enjoy and benefit from additional program assistance via Addison Care.”

Addison Care, released in January 2023, features a 3D-animated virtual caregiver that acts as a constant companion for the aging and chronically ill, ECG said. Clients can interact with Addison through voice and touch via a Lenovo IdeaCentre all-in-one computer or Yoga convertible tablet in their homes.

Through Fortified Life, Addison Care will provide customized reminders along with regular active living and wellness surveys to keep members healthy, safe and connected, the news release said. Fortified Life members will also have access to Addison’s fun features.

“We are constantly thinking about active aging and what that looks like,” Fortified Life Director Amanda Lynch said. “We really are always on the cutting edge – clearly, with Addison and our partnership. We feel that by having a virtual presence with folks, they are going to feel better longer and be able to age in place, which really is our main goal.”

Initially, Addison Care will be available to 25 Fortified Life members, but that number is expected to grow over time. The end goal is to offer Addison Care as a solution to any member who enters the program that it is a good fit for. In the future, Western Home may also extend the offer to non-Fortified Life residents.

Since 2021, WHC has also offered ECG’s Premier medical alert device to Fortified Life members who can benefit from emergency response services.

ECG, founded in 2009, is a privately held digital health technology and services company headquartered in the ECG Tower in downtown Las Cruces.