Al is an 82-year-old retired police officer from Lunenburg, Mass, a member of the Retired State, County And Municipal Employees Association Of Massachusetts, Mass Retirees.
Participating in the Ibis Health Program has made Al more aware of his health and well-being, including steps he can take to improve his overall quality of life. Read Al’s story:
Only a few months into 2023, Al already has big plans he is looking forward to this year. The 82-year-old retired police officer from Lunenburg, Mass., intends to visit his daughter in Tennessee for a few weeks. An avid film enthusiast — his favorite movie is the 1953 classic “From Here to Eternity” starring Burt Lancaster and Frank Sinatra — Al also hopes to attend the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, held in Hunt Valley, Maryland, in September.
But like many people his age, Al has some health issues he needs to monitor, including his weight, to keep feeling his best. A few years ago, the former Fitchburg State University Police officer learned about the Ibis Health Program through an article in the Mass Retirees monthly newsletter. The groundbreaking virtual chronic care management program from Senscio Systems is designed to help retirees like Al take better care of themselves at home, engaging them in daily dynamic planning to gain greater control over their own quality of life.
Al decided to give the Ibis Health Program a try.
“It sounded like something I could [use to] keep an eye on my health without running to the doctor’s every day, to be aware of things that might be going wrong before they got to be a problem,” said Al, whose last name is being withheld for privacy. “Medicare was picking up the tab for it, so I didn’t have to.”
Signing up for the program, Al received a continuously connected tablet equipped with Senscio’s proprietary AI platform, which works to anticipate and flag risks for health decline before they occur. He uses it every day to check and record his blood pressure, temperature, and blood-oxygen levels. It also reminds him to take his medications, and helps him track any activities or exercise, such as walking.
Once a month, Al receives a call from an Ibis Health member advocate, who checks in to see how he is doing. The advocate goes over the data he has recorded through the tablet, and sometimes offers suggestions, Al said.
“There’s always praise for the things that you’re doing well. And then never a putdown for things you weren’t doing so well, just a gentle hint that maybe we could do a little better,” Al said. “The gal I’ve had from the start was just amazing. … She was just such a caring person. I’ve never met anyone like her really, that was that concerned about me.”
That care and concern became especially important in March 2020, when Al contracted Covid-19 right at the beginning of the pandemic. At the time, not much was known about the virus, vaccines and treatments were of course not yet available and it was scary. Al said his Ibis Health member advocate and the company’s Director of Ibis Services, Ami O’Grady, who is a registered nurse, was on the phone with him daily, checking in on him.
“At my age, and living alone, I was scared, I was nervous,” Al said. “They were just fabulous. …They held my hand and babysat me through it, and I got through it fine with their help.”
Participating in the Ibis Health Program has made Al more aware of his health and well-being, including steps he can take to improve his overall quality of life.
“If I’m running a temperature or something like that, which I wasn’t aware of, that’s always a big help. Same thing with the blood pressure, if that’s up higher, I’ll try to relax or whatever I have to do to get it down,” Al said. “Overall it’s a help. It’s not like going to the doctor’s every week, but it’s reminders, little nudges here and there, for the things that you need to be aware of.”
This is a true member story, with thanks to Al for sharing his experience using the Ibis Health Program.
