Have you heard of FleaHab? It's a new exercise-based recovery program track at the Providence Recovery Center in Santa Cruz, California, run by Darryl “Flea” Virostko, a big wave surfer and three-time Mavericks champion. Now, before you get too cynical about this as another addiction treatment gimmick combining a 'tangential' but attractive consumer activity with the market cache of a noted sports figure, consider the emerging science.

Mr. Virostko hopes that FleaHab will be his anchor in the dry terrain of sobriety. Addicts in the program will replace the high of drugs with the endorphin rush of strenuous physical activity, he says. He recently took a group surfing to try his hand at teaching. “It’s like I’m learning to surf again,” he said. “Seeing them so excited reminds me of when I first started...” according to a quote in "Surfing as Rehab for Those Fighting Addiction".

As you may remember from some of my OPEN MINDS live reporting earlier this summer, I spent a fabulous week at the "State of Mind" conference held at the Chautauqua Institution, where we explored "the techniques and current research findings related to mental health disorders and brain injury..." One big takeaway was learning that there is only one way to generate new brain cells—through extreme physical exercise—and to 'turn them on' requires extreme mental challenges. Another interesting takeaway was that almost all psychotropic medications perform better for consumers when combined with an exercise program. These findings are all the more relevant for consumers who can now use new brain scanning technology to watch their brain change as they recover from mental illness, progress in recovery from their addiction, or work to improve cognitive functioning.

I left my week in New York with some distinct thoughts about the future of behavioral health treatment programs. In a decade, it will likely be considered malpractice to provide behavioral health treatment without a rigorous exercise program. And, the programs that provide consumers access to the technologies that allow them to 'see' their brain recovery are the programs that consumers will select. To that extent, FleaHab is on the right path.

August 24, 2009

I just finished reading the briefing by Center for Technology and Aging (click to view) about the seven technologies that will improve chronic health care and increase independence. They
list these seven technologies as:

1. Medication Optimization. Technologies designed to help manage medication information, dispensing, adherence, and tracking.
2. Remote Patient Monitoring. Technologies designed to manage and monitor a range of health conditions
3. Assistive Technologies. Devices and equipment that help individuals perform a task or prevent injury.
4. Remote Training & Supervision. Technologies used to train and supervise health and long-term care workers, and the potential for continuing education and quality assurance.
5. Disease Management. Patient-centric, coordinated care processes for patients with chronic conditions and conditions that have a significant self-care component.
6. Cognitive Fitness & Assessment. Technologies that measure cognition or include cognitive practice regimens.
7. Social Networking. Technologies that enable the building of communities of interest that help older adults communicate, organize, and share with other older adults and care providers.

How will these technologies affect the consumers you serve? This is a great question for your next strategic plan...

Check out some tech-related resources from the OPEN MINDS Circle Industry Library:

• Expand Cognitive Functioning Via New Technologies: Key Considerations for Trying These 'New Wave' Technologies in Your Current Model
• The Role of Remote Patient Monitoring in Reducing Insurance Costs
• The Treatment Technology Showcase: Disruptive Innovation in the Behavioral Health Field
• Behavioral Health Opportunities in Chronic Disease Management
• Home and Community-Based Services: Examining the Evidence Base for State Policymakers - Symposium Proceedings of the Symposium