Senior citizen communication system
View Patent ↗A system and method is disclosed whereby a patient at a senior care facility can send and receive messages via the inter-net. Tools are provided to manage the patients, the patient's relative contact, mail and photo collection. Relatives can be designated to suggest changes to the contacts and edit the contents of the patient's contacts files. The messages may be audio, video or text and the user friendly system helps the patients navigate through the process. Notification is provided so that the relatives and patients know when a message had been received. Further notification is provided if a prolonged period lapses after receipt of a message to a patient and the message has not been read.
1. A method for communication between patients in a live-in facility and their relatives, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a host computer;
(b) providing at least one terminal at said live-in facility having a data entry keyboard, mouse and screen, said terminal accessing said host computer;
(c) providing a host operator who is designated as the administrator who can add, delete and edit the relatives and patients by assigning them user names and passwords;
(d) identifying each of the patients, relatives and other operators by assigning a user name and password which is stored in the host computer;
(e) associating the relatives of the individual patients with the patient and designating one relative of each patient as the legal guardian of that patient who may contact the administrator to suggest changes in the relatives who may access the patient;
(f) providing a secure web page accessible from terminals located at said live-in facility and computers operated by the relatives;
(g) providing a menu in said web page for choosing options to send or review messages sent to and from the relatives and patients;
(h) providing a message notification on said web page notifying the relatives that a message has been sent from a patient;
(i) providing a message notification on said web page that a patient has received a message from a relative; and
(j) providing an option in said menu to add, delete or edit the patient's and their relatives.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said menu on said terminal is addressed by touching the screen.
3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing hardware and software on said host computer to create, read and display text messages, video messages, audio messages and photographs.
4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the photographs are saved in a special separate file for and accessible by each patient.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein each patient is notified in writing when they have received a message.
6. The method according to claim 5 wherein each message to each patient is marked when accessed.
7. The method according to claim 6 wherein selected the the legal guardian is notified when a message to a patient has been unaccessed for a specified period of time.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the legal guardian is notified by a message on the web site when the legal guardian logs onto the website.
9. The method of claim 5 wherein the host computer prints out automatically prints out a notification when a patient receives a message and said notification is delivered to the patient.