The vision for Enhanced Care came from a deeply personal experience. My parents are in their 70’s and live 1,500 miles away. My father had a near fatal heart attack in 2000 and underwent triple bypass surgery. He has high cholesterol and arthritis but is otherwise very active. My mother has high blood pressure and, in 2001, fell while on a walk and was in a wheelchair for 2 months. She also suffers from osteoporosis, arthritis, and is at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes but is otherwise very active. They take what seems like an un-imaginable number of medications.

I gave birth to my first child in September 2003. On the way to the hospital, I called my parents to share the news. That call was the first in a long series of calls that night – every two hours except while I was in labor. I gave birth to Will at 10:41pm, by which time I had already left 6 messages. By 1:00am, I was out of my mind with worry, as it was not like them to not be at home. I spent the next 2 hours calling area hospitals. I then called my brother, who lived 45 minutes away from my parents. He arrived at the house but the door was locked, windows closed – everything looked fine but my first thought was “Carbon Monoxide!” My brother did not have a key. I called the police and, after the third call, they sent a patrol over to the house. The police were very hesitant to knock the door down due to the extensive – and no doubt very expensive – damage it would do. They recommended that I wait until morning and see….

The rest of the night was a blur…I was exhausted and elated from giving birth, torn between the happiest moment of my life and the agony of worry. The last time I did not hear from them in over 12 hours was when my father had had his heart attack and nearly died at the hospital. At 3pm the next day, my parents called. They had spent the night at a relative’s house.

The anxiety and worry I felt was terrible, despite my joy in meeting my healthy son for the first time.  It was the "not knowing" that was, for me, the most excruciating. 

With this experience came the passion to find practical, affordable, effective solutions that would empower the entire family to feel safe, secure, and in control knowing that their independent elderly and/or disabled loved ones are protected.