Brandon Daveler
The star of the American Association for Homecare’s (AAHomecare) new video campaign is a Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) consumer who holds multiple American patents for assistive technology.
On March 31, AAHomecare launched an advocacy toolkit that includes two videos, both featuring Brandon Daveler, Ph.D., a biomedical engineer for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Daveler, who sustained a spinal cord injury in a motocross accident in 2005, earned a master’s degree in rehabilitation science and technology and a Ph.D. in rehabilitation science, both from the University of Pittsburgh. The Human Engineering Research Laboratories said Daveler’s dissertation — Development and Evaluation of Pneumatic Powered Mobility Devices — resulted in a United States patent. Daveler currently works on prosthetic devices, robotics, wheelchair technology, and transfer technology for people with disabilities, including veterans.
Daveler, a quadriplegic, said in the video that he uses a wide range of home medical equipment (HME) and CRT, including a power wheelchair, a hospital bed with an alternating pressure air mattress, a cough-assist device, urological supplies, and a ventilator/sip-and-puff system. “The list goes on and on,” he noted.
AAHomecare said Daveler’s story “is a testament to the freedom, independence, and purpose that HME makes possible.”
Two videos created for different applications
AAHomecare’s first video, nearly five minutes in length, is “a compelling story for communities, customers (end users/caregivers), and the public, designed for social media and outreach to illustrate how HME transforms lives,” the organization said.
A shorter version of the video, created as “a concise, policy-driven message,” can be shared at meetings with funding sources and legislators, AAHomecare added. Both videos also feature commentary from Skip Katich, vice president of government relations for Blackburn’s, the provider who’s worked with Daveler for the last 20 years.
“We’ve taken care of generations of families, whether they’re pediatric or geriatric patients,” Katich said in the video. “These are our neighbors, this is our community, these are the people we want to continue caring for.”
“We make a difference because we’re trying to keep the patients in a home,” Katich added. “There are studies that have shown that by the patient being home, they receive better care. This is keeping them out of institutions, keeping them out of hospitals. From wound care to urological supplies to incontinence supplies, everything that we’re providing to the patient, by keeping them in a home, they live a much better lifestyle.”
“Without home-based care, I don’t know where he’d be,” Jeanette, Daveler’s longtime caregiver and nurse, said in the video.
The videos are the centerpieces of a new Value of Homecare Toolkit, now available on AAHomecare’s website.
The toolkit also includes a pdf of talking points, a Value of Homecare brochure, and social media graphics with the association’s #WhyHomecareMatters hashtag.
“Our industry is more than equipment,” said Tom Ryan, AAHomecare’s president/CEO. “We improve independence, provide dignity, and maximize health outcomes where people prefer to live: home. These videos are a testament to the incredible role our industry plays in the health-care continuum and why policies must support continued access to care.”
The association urged industry members to share the longer “mini documentary” video on social media, and to use the shorter video with legislators and policymakers.
“The HME industry has an incredible story to tell,” said Ashley Plauché, AAHomecare’s senior director of brand marketing. “HME changes lives every day, and this campaign provides additional tools we can use to ensure our role and impact is recognized, valued, and protected.”
