Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Mix & Matchbox Podcast – Episode 5
In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the demand for innovative solutions that enhance self-sufficiency and independent living has never been greater. Enter Hearo, a pioneering remote support platform designed to revolutionize the way care agencies provide services to individuals in need. In this in-depth blog post, we’ll explore how Hearo is bridging the gap between traditional care models and the growing need for more integrated, autonomous systems that empower both care providers and care recipients.
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The Origins of Hero: From Communication to Comprehensive Care
The story of Hearo begins with a simple yet profound goal: to improve voice and video communication for remote teams. As co-founder Myke Bates explains, the initial concept was to create a seamless platform that would allow individuals working across different locations to easily connect and collaborate, without disrupting their workflow.
“We started down that route and actually had something pretty good on our hands,” Bates recalls. “It garnered some interest, and we found ourselves in an accelerator program here in Springfield, Missouri, with the e-factory. That’s where the Hearo story started.”
It was during this accelerator program that Bates and his team received a pivotal investment and guidance that would shape the future of their company. Their key investor had a vision for addressing a significant void in the care provider market – the need for a remote support platform that could empower agencies to administer monitoring and care without the need for constant in-person presence.
Bates and his team quickly pivoted, slapping together a rough prototype that combined their existing voice and video communication capabilities with sensor technology and remote monitoring features. The concept was an immediate hit, garnering interest from state-level Department of Mental Health officials who saw the potential in this innovative approach to care provision.
“It was at that point that we had decided, ‘If they’re showing interest in it, we know we’ve got something on our hands here,’” Bates explains. “And so really all the eggs went into the Hearo basket at that point, and the rest is history.”
Empowering Independence and Enhancing Care Provision
At the heart of Hearo’s mission is a deep commitment to improving the lives of individuals in need of care and support. By providing a remote support platform designed specifically for care agencies, Hearo aims to bridge the gap between traditional in-home care models and the growing demand for more autonomous, technology-driven solutions.
“These individuals are existing on a vast spectrum of needs, and a lot of times, they don’t need people – care providers in their home – as often as they are,” Bates explains. “Prior to technology existing or the market being ready for it, they had no other options. The only option was you either have somebody in the home or you don’t, and there’s isn’t an in-between space. And that’s really what Hearo is – an in-between space.”
This in-between space not only empowers individuals with greater independence and autonomy but also benefits the care providers themselves. By leveraging Hearo’s remote monitoring and support capabilities, care agencies can reduce the need for overnight staff, freeing up resources and allowing them to serve a wider range of clients more efficiently.
The Benefits of Hearo’s Remote Monitoring & Support
- Increased independence and autonomy for care recipients
- Reduced burden on care providers, enabling them to serve more clients
- Cost savings for care agencies and state-level funding mechanisms
- Improved quality of life for families and loved ones of care recipients
But the benefits of Hero’s platform extend beyond just the immediate care recipients and providers. Bates explains that the ripple effects of this technology can be felt at the state level, where funding mechanisms and capacity challenges have long been a pressing concern.
“These companies are finding it hard to even hire enough people, and when they have enough people, paying them well enough to want to hang around – there’s so many things stretching the system thin,” Bates says. “And so, you know, even though we’re talking about like funding mechanisms and state stuff, at the end of the day, these are all people too. Making their jobs great, being able to fulfill their calling to help individuals – this provides a mechanism now for them for their net to be cast in a much wider way than without technology.”
Prioritizing Privacy and Accessibility in Remote Care
As a technology-driven solution, Hearo is acutely aware of the importance of privacy and security in the realm of remote care. Bates and his team have made a conscious effort to differentiate their platform from the more consumer-oriented, off-the-shelf technologies that have become prevalent in the smart home and IoT (Internet of Things) space.
“We set out with the goal of not using any of those type of technologies,” Bates explains. “Again, from the security standpoint, from a logistical standpoint – for those type of devices, to even utilize them, what’s the first thing you need? Well, you need a Google account or you need a Facebook account. We can’t expect that people have those things set up, and nor should we want them to go set up those accounts just to use our technology.”
Instead, Hearo has built its platform on custom-developed hardware and software, ensuring that all data processing and storage remains within their secure, purpose-built ecosystem. This approach not only safeguards the privacy of care recipients but also simplifies the deployment and management process for care agencies, who no longer have to worry about the complexities of integrating consumer-grade technologies.
The Importance of Accessibility
Accessibility is another key priority for the Hearo team, as they recognize the diverse needs and abilities of the individuals they serve. Bates recounts a sobering experience at an early trade show, where the team was confronted with the challenges faced by individuals with a range of disabilities – from sight to hearing impairments.
“That was a very sobering experience and then led directly to a bit of an obsession about how we can be serving these individuals better,” Bates says. “And that has remained a constant. There will always be areas where we can improve, but we were fortunate enough to have directly experienced that.”
This commitment to accessibility has become a guiding principle for Hearo, shaping the design and development of their platform to ensure that it can be seamlessly integrated into the lives of individuals with diverse needs and abilities.
Expanding the Horizons of Remote Care
As Hearo continues to evolve and refine its remote support platform, the team is aware of the vast potential for their technology to be applied in a wide range of healthcare and social service settings. While Bates is understandably cautious about revealing specific future plans, he emphasizes that the company is constantly exploring new ways to leverage their expertise and innovations.
“We construct our product and every new feature that we create for it with that specific thing in mind,” Bates says. “And that’s perhaps as much as I can say on that matter.”
Opportunities for Advancement in Hospice and Special Needs Communities
One area that Bates sees as particularly ripe for Hearo’s technology is the realm of home hospice care and support for individuals with special needs. The ability to provide remote monitoring and support, while preserving the privacy and autonomy of care recipients, aligns closely with Hero’s core mission and values.
As the company continues to refine its hardware and software solutions, Bates is confident that the future holds even more exciting possibilities. He encourages interested parties to keep a close eye on Hearo’s developments in the coming years.
“We are pretty heavily set on solving a lot of those issues, and I would just say keep an eye on the moves Hearo as a company is making over the next couple of years,” Bates says. “We are aware that there’s a lot that can be done, and we’re pretty certain that we have some good answers.”
An Exciting Future for Remote Care
In an era of rapidly evolving healthcare needs and the growing demand for more autonomous, technology-driven solutions, Hearo’s remote support platform stands as a shining example of how innovation can empower both care providers and care recipients. By bridging the gap between traditional in-home care models and the promise of greater independence and self-sufficiency, Hearo is poised to transform the way we approach the provision of essential services.
To learn more about Hearo and stay up-to-date on the latest developments, be sure to visit their website. Together, we can shape the future of healthcare and empower individuals to live more self-sufficient, independent lives.
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