Guide for:  Seniors

Connected Life provides simple and powerful ways for Seniors to stay connected with their family and others in their care circle.

Seniors use the Life View app on their iPad. This app provides a unique experience just for Seniors, designed to be intuitive and simple. The app can be run in standard Interactive mode or in an AutoPlay mode for seniors to simply watch and enjoy. A family member can update this preference in their own Settings page (see the Family Members quick start guide).

• 

  Features for Seniors

•  

  Included features (detailed below):

  • Interact with the family using Family Fun, a family social network for sharing photos and fun notes. All family members, including the Senior, can participate.
  • View the Senior's Calendar for upcoming visitors, doctor's appointments, care center activities, etc.
  • Get automatic reminders about the next visitor scheduled.
  • View Reminders from family or care providers.
  • Initiate a Video Call with the press of a button.
  • View Community Connections posts from care providers, care center, or community senior service organizations.
  • See the latest Weather information.
  • Use Connected Life in a variety of iPad and TV configurations
  
  

  Future features (details will be added soon):

  • View Birthdays and Anniversaries list for family and friends, with automatic reminders when someone's special day occurs.
  • View a Contact List for keeping in touch with children, grandchildren, friends, doctors, etc.
  • View the Dining Menus if the Senior lives in a care center that uses Connected Life.
  • View a Resident and Staff Directory if the Senior lives in a care center that uses Connected Life.
  • And more to come...!
• 

  Helping your Senior get started

• • Choosing the right setup for your Senior
  • Please read this article as you consider which options will be the right setup for your loved one.
  • Get your Senior set up and ready to go

  Once you've decided which configuration is right for your loved one, see the appropriate guides to get them set up:

  • Connected Life on a portable iPad
  • Connected Life on a dedicated TV
  • Connected Life on a shared TV
  • Interactive Connected Life on an iPad stand
  • AutoPlay Connected Life on an iPad stand
  • Install the Life View app

  If you are configuring your Senior's iPad for SeniorSafe mode, then follow the instructions in the SeniorSafe Guide

  

  Else, download and install the Life View app onto your Senior's iPad. Search for "Connected Life View" in the app store (use quotes for best results). Place the app in the iPad bottom dock to make it easy to find.

  Start the app on your Senior's iPad and login using the username/password you set up for them at registration time. (Also available in your Care Circle area when you log into your own mobile app or the Connected Life web portal.) Once logged in, your Senior can stay logged in and should not need to worry about logging in again later, even if they leave the app and come back.

  • Install the Skype app

  FaceTime will automatically be available on your Senior's iPad. But you'll need to install the Skype app also, to enable your Senior to enjoy video calls with Care Circle members who are enabled with Skype calling (e.g. for members with Android devices).

  Download and install the Skype app. Then create an account for your Senior loved one and sign in. They will now be all set for future video calls, whether FaceTime or Skype.

  • Choose Interactive or AutoPlay mode

  To select Interactive or AutoPlay mode, login as yourself to the Connected Life web portal or in your own mobile app, and go to Care Circle, select your Senior loved one, and set the Tablet Mode. You can also change this at anytime in the future.

  While you are there, you can also configure their FaceTime address (so that others in the Care Circle may initiate video calls to them), upload their picture (head shot), and manage other options.

  Click to see screen shots

  • Print the Quick Start Guide for your Senior
  • If your Senior will be using an iPad in Interactive mode, we suggest printing the special Reference sheet for Seniors for them.
  • For Seniors using Connected Life on a Shared TV, print this Reference sheet for them.
  • For Seniors using AutoPlay iPad who may engage in Video Calling, print this Reference sheet for them.

  For other options, a reference guide is not necessary. Once a family member starts the Life View app and logs in the first time with the Senior's username/password, the Senior can simply watch and enjoy.

• 

  Seniors using the Life View app in Interactive mode

• • Going to the next page

  Many features involve multiple pages. To go to the Next or Previous page, Seniors can swipe left or right. They may also use the arrow buttons at the top.

  
  • Alerts of new content to view

  When new content is available that you haven't viewed yet, an alert icon will be shown on the button to let you know. When you tap that button to start viewing, the alert icon will go away again.

  
  • Logging out

  Seniors should not need to ever log out, and if they do, may be confused about killing the app and logging back in.

  However, there is a hidden method provided. Tap the Connected Life logo in the top left and get taken to a page that has a logout button. And in case a Senior taps the logo by mistake, the page encourages them to go back to the Home page with a large Home button.

  If the Senior taps logout, the next page also encourages them to stay logged in with a large green button. But if a family member is assisting, then a logout is indeed possible, just in case it's needed.

  Click to see screen shots

   

• 

  Using the features for Seniors

• 	Home Tap this button to see a greeting screen that will also tell you the date, time, and current temperature. Click to see screen shot
  	Family Fun Tap this button to view pictures and messages from your family members. Tap the green New button at the top to share one of your own photos or to write a note to your family. When adding a photo, you can either choose an existing photo from your library, or after tapping "Choose file", you can take a picture with the iPad to send. Tap the comment button below the photo or note to see others' comments. You can also add your own comment. Click to see screen shots
  	Calendar Tap this button to see upcoming your upcoming calendar. Seniors are empowered and have more confidence in seeing what is coming in their day. And they will look forward to the next visitors. If there are several events today, a detailed view is shown. If the upcoming events are more sparse, a list of upcoming events over the next several days is shown. Seniors can also see a monthly calendar and tap a day with events to see details. This single calendar will include events from the family, from care givers, and from the care center, as applicable. Click to see screen shots
  	Reminders Tap this button to see reminders that have been sent by your family or care providers to help you remember things to know today. Click to see screen shot
  	Video Call Tap this button to see reminders that have been sent by your family or care providers to help you remember things to know today. Click to see screen shot
  	Community Connections Tap this button to see content from your care providers or community senior services organization. If none of these apply to you, this button will not appear. Click to see screen shots
  	Weather Tap this button to see a summary weather forecast, a detailed weather forecast, and weather almanac information. Click to see screen shots
  	Contacts  (future feature) Tap this button to see a contact list for family, friends, doctors, etc. As family members move, get an new mobile phone number, or whatever, the Senior can always have the latest information as updated by their family. This empowers the Senior and gives them confidence when they need to contact someone. Click to see screen shots
  	Birthdays & Anniversaries  (future feature) Tap this button to see a list of birthdays and anniversaries of family and friends, both current and deceased. The Senior benefits from having the latest information as new grandkids are born, married, etc. Seniors enjoy remembering the special people in their lives, on their special days. Click to see screen shot

Guide for:  Family and Friends

Connected Life provides convenient and powerful ways for you, as a family member, to stay connected with others in your family, your Senior loved one(s), and others in your Senior's care circle.

• 

  Features for Family members

•  

  Included features (detailed below):

  • Interact using Family Fun, a family social network for sharing photos and fun notes. All family members, including your Senior, can interact!
  • Create Calendar Events for your Senior's calendar, for upcoming visits, doctor's appointments, coordinating with other family and care providers.
  • View all Calendar Events on your Senior's calendar, and receive notifications, to stay aware of all the activities in their day and to help coordinate care with others.
  • Send Reminders to your Senior. You also choose when reminders start/stop being visible.
  • Engage in Care Talk conversations with others in the Care Circle, not including your Senior loved one, for topics related to the care of your Senior.

  • Initiate easy Video Calls with your Senior or others in the Care Circle.
  • View a SeniorView preview, to see how your content will appear to your Senior.
  • Get notified via text messages when there is updated content from others.
  • Update your preferences in your personalized Settings
  
  

  Future features (details will be added soon):

  • Update a Contact List for your Senior and family, a single shared list of all the latest information for relatives, friends, relevant doctors, etc.
  • Update a Birthdays and Anniversaries List for your Senior and family, a single shared list for remembering the special dates and people.
  • And more to come...!
• 

  Helping your Senior get started

• • Choosing the right setup for your Senior
  • Please read this article as you consider which options will be the right setup for your loved one.
  • Get your Senior set up and ready to go

  Once you've decided which configuration is right for your loved one, see the appropriate guides to get them set up:

  • Connected Life on a portable iPad
  • Connected Life on a dedicated TV
  • Connected Life on a shared TV
  • Interactive Connected Life on an iPad stand
  • AutoPlay Connected Life on an iPad stand
  • Install the Life View app

  If you are configuring your Senior's iPad for SeniorSafe mode, then follow the instructions in the SeniorSafe Guide

  

  Else, download and install the Life View app onto your Senior's iPad. Search for "Connected Life View" in the Apple or Google app store (use quotes for best results). Place the app in the iPad bottom dock to make it easy to find.

  Start the app on your Senior's iPad and login using the username/password you set up for them at registration time. (Also available in your Care Circle area when you log into your own mobile app or the Connected Life web portal.) Once logged in, your Senior can stay logged in and should not need to worry about logging in again later, even if they leave the app and come back.

  • Install the Skype app

  FaceTime will automatically be available on your Senior's iPad. But you'll need to install the Skype app also, to enable your Senior to enjoy video calls with Care Circle members who are enabled with Skype calling (e.g. for members with Android devices).

  Download and install the Skype app. Then create an account for your Senior loved one and sign in. They will now be all set for future video calls, whether FaceTime or Skype.

  • Choose Interactive or AutoPlay mode

  To select Interactive or AutoPlay mode, login as yourself to the Connected Life web portal or in your own mobile app, and go to Care Circle, select your Senior loved one, and set the Tablet Mode. You can also change this at anytime in the future.

  While you are there, you can also configure their FaceTime address (so that others in the Care Circle may initiate video calls to them), upload their picture (head shot), and manage other options.

  Click to see screen shots

  • Print the Quick Start Guide for your Senior
  • If your Senior will be using an iPad in Interactive mode, we suggest printing the special Reference sheet for Seniors for them.
  • For Seniors using Connected Life on a Shared TV, print this Reference sheet for them.
  • For Seniors using AutoPlay iPad who may engage in Video Calling, print this Reference sheet for them.

  For other options, a reference guide is not necessary. Once a family member starts the Life View app and logs in the first time with the Senior's username/password, the Senior can simply watch and enjoy.

• 

  Accessing Connected Life

•  

  All the family member features described on this page can be accessed by both the mobile app as well as the web portal. Anytime, anywhere convenience.

  • Download the Connected Life mobile app
  

  You can download our app from the Apple or Google app store. Search for "Connected Life View" (include the quotes for best results)

  • Access Connected Life web portal

  In addition to our mobile app, you can also log into Connected Life on your PC or Mac. Go to my.ConnectedLifeUSA.com or click the Sign in link at the top of this page to get started.

   

• 

  Connecting with others in your Care Circle

• • Invite your family members

  The more friends and family are involved, the better off you and your loved ones will be. Read this article for how you can build your Care Circle.

  In your mobile app or our web portal, go to Care Circle to manage and grow your care circle. It's easy to invite others to join.

  • Connect with your Senior's care providers

  If your Senior has a care provider or lives in a care center, go to Care Circle and invite them to join your Connected Life care circle. If you don't find them in the list of Care Providers, you can invite them by using their email address.

• 

  Using the features for family members

• 	Updated content alerts The red bell alert informs you there is new content waiting for you to see. Tap that menu button to see the latest updated information.
  	Family Fun Share photos and write fun notes for your Senior and everyone in the Care Circle. Engage in back-and-forth social interactions with your comments. Your activity in Family Fun can make a difference in your Senior feeling less lonely and isolated, and instead, feel engaged and connected with their family. Please ensure you've uploaded your photo avatar (sign in and select Care Circle), to make these more personal for your Senior. Family Fun posts are shown newest first. If someone adds a comment, that will bump that post up to the front. Note that comments are not visible to Seniors who are using the Life View app in AutoPlay mode. Click to see screen shots
  	Calendar Add events to a shared calendar for your Senior and their care circle. Very helpful for care coordination among family members and other care providers -- no more texts about who is visiting when, or when is Mom's next doctor appointment! Family members near or far can get text notifications when the calendar is updated, to always stay in the loop. You can choose to add a recurring event, such as picking Mom up for church every Sunday at 9:30am. You can also save time by cloning previous events and simply changing the date. Consider adding notes to your events, to make it more interesting to your Senior. This is very empowering for your Senior. They will appreciate knowing what is coming in their day and week ahead. And they will look forward to their next visitor. If your Senior lives in a care center that uses Connected Life, all the activities are blended into the Senior's single calendar view. And if the care center is not yet a user of Connected Life, encourage them to get started! Or you can manually add in the relevant events from the care center's calendar, into your own Senior's calendar. Click to see screen shots
  	Reminders It's easy to create reminders. These can remind about important tasks, or upcoming activities, or can simply be fun notes such as "Frank's family are on vacation in Florida this week". Reminders are scheduled with start and stop dates, so you can create them to appear in the future, as well as automatically stop them after they're no longer needed. You'll also see the reminders from care providers, so you are informed. They will be grayed out and will be view-only by family members. A reminder is automatically added for calendar events today or tomorrow that are noted as a visit. This gives your Senior something to look forward to. Click to see screen shots
  	Care Talk Use this when you need to communicate with other members of your Care Circle about anything related to the care of your Senior loved one. This can include other family, friends, and professional caregivers. With Care Talk, you, your family, and your care manager can discuss your senior’s challenges openly and confidentially. Your Senior loved one does not have visibility of these interactions. You can post notes or optionally include a photo as well. Click to see screen shots
  	Manage our Care Circle Managing the Care Circle for your Senior loved one is a key aspect of the power of Connected Life. This includes: Inviting more family and friends to join. Simply provide their name and email and an optional message. Inviting your Senior's professional care providers to join. If they are not yet users of Connected Life, we'll encourage them to get started! Add a picture (head shot) for yourself and your Senior loved one. This is really important for video calling, for Family Fun notes, and others. It makes all your interactions much more warm and personal for your Senior love one. Provide the video calling address (FaceTime or Skype) for yourself, as well as for your Senior Set your Senior's iPad to either Interactive or AutoPlay mode Set the automatic night time (dark) hours for your Senior's iPad, if they are using AutoPlay mode. During night hours, the iPad goes dark so it doesn't disturb your Senior. View profile details of others in your care circle. Click on someone's name to see details. You can also start a video call from that screen, as long as your device is compatible with their video calling address type (FaceTime or Skype). For example, an Android or Windows device will be unable to call a FaceTime user, so the video call link will be grayed out. View your subscription/account information ... and more Click to see screen shots
  	Video Call Use this page for a convenient way to start a video call with another member of the Care Circle, as long as they have added their FaceTime or Skype address to their profile. Note that Apple devices (iOS and Mac) can make both Skype and FaceTime video calls, once you have downloaded the Skype app. Android and Windows devices can only make Skype calls. In that case, anyone who has configured their video address as FaceTime will be grayed out when you are on an Android or Windows device. You can start including new members for video calls once you have invited them to join your care circle, even if they have not yet accepted your invite. You can click on their profile in Manage Circle Circle to add their picture and video calling address. Click to see screen shots
  	SeniorView Use SeniorView to see all content as your Senior would see it. You can see how it will look whether your Senior is using the Life View app in Interactive mode, as well as using AutoPlay mode. Click to see screen shots
  	Birthdays & Anniversaries  (future feature) Add and update your family's list of birthdays and anniversaries, with easy updates when new grandkids are born, etc. This not only brings fond memories to your Senior when the automated reminders are created on those special days, but also serves as a very convenient and helpful single shared source for your Senior (in Interactive app mode) and the entire family. No more need for everyone keeping their own lists! Click to see screen shots
  	Contact List  (future feature) Add and update a list of important contacts for relatives, friends, doctors, etc. This is so convenient for the entire family, to have one shared contact list that everyone keeps up-to-date when kids move, get married, etc.! No more need for everyone keeping their own lists! This can be very important for Seniors using the iPad Interactive mode, to know with confidence how to reach people when needed. Click to see screen shots

Guide for:  Geriatric Care Managers / Home Care Providers

Connected Life provides convenient and powerful ways for you, as a geriatric care manager or a home care provider, to stay connected with your Senior clients and their families.

• 

  Features for Care Managers / Home Care Providers

•  

  Stay Connected Essentials features (detailed below):

  • Send Reminders to a given client or publish to all your clients. You also choose when reminders start/stop being visible.
  • Create Community Connections content and publish to all your clients. These can be photos or just text content.
  • View Reminders that a given client would see, to help coordinate your care with their care from others.
  • View a SeniorView preview, to see how your content will appear to your Senior clients.
  • Get notified via text messages if anyone else in your office updates content.
  • Update your preferences in your personalized Settings
  
  

  Premium features:

  • Create Calendar Events for a given client's calendar, or publish calendar events to all your clients.
  • View Calendar Events that a given client would see, to help coordinate your care with their care from others.
  • And more to come...!
• 

  Accessing Connected Life

•  

  Note that all the care manager features described on this page can be accessed by both the mobile app as well as the web portal. Anytime, anywhere convenience.

  • Download the Life View mobile app

  You can download our app from the Apple or Google app store. Search for "Connected Life View" (include the quotes for best results)

  • Access Connected Life web portal

  In addition to our mobile app, you can also log into Connected Life on your PC or Mac. Go to my.ConnectedLifeUSA.com to get started.

   

• 

  Connecting with your clients and their families

• • Inform your clients of your ConnectID

  This enables them to connect to you, so they can can view your shared content and so you can start directing specific Reminders to them (and Calendar Events in Premium packages). They can also grant you permission, in their Settings, to view their own Reminders (and Calendar Events, in Premium packages). Your clients will each have their own family accounts and they must opt-in to connect with you in these ways.

  When you created your account, you were were assigned a ConnectID. If you forget your ConnectID, it can also be found in your Settings => About Our Group Members.

  Your client families can enter this ConnectID to request to be connected with you, when they first sign up. Or they can also enter this later, by going into their Settings => Content Sources and Sharing.

  • Other staff in your business can create their Connected Life accounts

  If there are other staff in your business that will be Connected Life users, they can easily sign up and be part of your group account.

  Inform them of your business' ConnectID so that they can join as a member of your group.

   

• 

  Using the features for Care Managers / Home Care Providers

• 	Reminders Create reminders for a specific client, or publish to all your clients. You can also choose start/end dates and times. You can also view, if they have granted you permission, all reminders that a given Senior client will see from all their care circle. Click to see screen shots
  	Community Connections Publish Community Connections content to all your clients. These can be important information, fun photos, holiday well wishes, or whatever you'd like. Be creative! Your posts can be photos with optional captions, or can be just formatted text. Click to see screen shots
  	SeniorView Use SeniorView to see how your content will look to your Senior clients. You can see how it will look to clients using the Life View app in Interactive mode, as well as to those using AutoPlay mode. Click to see screen shots
  	My Seniors View the list of Senior clients who have opted in to be connected with you (by using the ConnectID you sent them) Click to see screen shot
  	Settings If you are in a business that has multiple staff members registered to use Connected Life, you can opt in to receive Text Message notifications when one of them updates Connected Life content. Go to your Settings => Preferences to opt in for these notifications.
  	Calendar  (in premium feature packages) Add an event to the calendar for a specific client (e.g. when you are coming to visit), or publish to all your clients (e.g. if you're on vacation for a week). Very helpful for care coordination among family members and other care providers -- no more texts about who is visiting when, or when is Mom's next doctor appointment! This is very empowering for your Senior. They will appreciate knowing what is coming in their day and week ahead. And they will look forward to your visits. You can also view, if they have granted you permission, the complete calendar that a given Senior client will see from all their care circle. Click to see screen shots

Guide for:  Senior Care Centers

Coming soon. Please check back.

Guide for:  Senior Service Organizations

Connected Life provides convenient ways for you to publish content to Seniors living in your community (and to their families).

• 

  Features for senior service organizations

•  

  Stay Connected Essentials features:

  • Create Community Connections content and publish to all Seniors using Connected Life that are subscribed to your content. These can be photos or just text content.
  • View a SeniorView preview, to see how your content will appear to your Senior subscribers.
  • Have multiple staff in your organization, each with their own username/login, all able to create and post content
  
  
• 

  Accessing Connected Life

• • Download the Life View mobile app

  You can download our app from the Apple or Google app store. Search for "Connected Life View" (include the quotes for best results)

  • Access Connected Life web portal

  In addition to our mobile app, you can also log into the Connected Life web portal on your PC or Mac. Go to my.ConnectedLifeUSA.com to get started.

   

• 

  Connecting with Seniors in your community

• • Inform your community of your ConnectID

  This enables them to connect to you, so they can can view your published content. They need to opt in by adding your ConnectID into their own settings, which will make your content visible to them in the Community Connections area of their Life View app.

  When you created your account, you were were assigned a ConnectID. If you forget your ConnectID, it can also be found in your Settings => About Our Group Members.

  You may consider publishing your Connected Life ConnectID on your website, so that all Connected Life users in your community are aware and can easily opt in / connect to your content.

   

• 

  Using the features for senior service organizations

• 	Community Connections Publish Community Connections content to all your community. These can be important information, announcements of upcoming events, fun photos, holiday well wishes, or whatever you'd like. Be creative! Your posts can be photos with optional captions, or can be just formatted text. Click to see screen shots
  	SeniorView Use SeniorView to see how your content will look to your Senior clients. You can see how it will look to clients using the Life View app in Interactive mode, as well as to those using AutoPlay mode. Click to see screen shots