(PORTLAND, OR) — Regence announced that Lively is now offered to all members through its Advantages program. Lively is an activity-sharing product that creates a smart home that supports the independent lifestyle of older adults.

Regence Advantages offers savings on health-related products and services that help members manage their health, including child health and safety, allergy relief products, gym memberships, hearing aids, weight management program discounts, and laser eye surgery. This program saved Regence’s members over half a million dollars in 2013, and usage has more than doubled in the past two years, largely due to the variety of programs offered. Regence has just launched a new category of Advantages discounts to meet the growing demand for health services and products that serve older individuals and their families. Lively is the first product to be offered in the new Caregiver and Senior Care products category.

According to a 2012 Pew Research Study, demand for expanded health benefits is a trend expected to grow significantly with almost half of U.S. adults intending to care for an elderly family member at some point. One out of every six U.S. employees also serves as a caregiver today.  Trying to balance family caregiving and work responsibilities is a significant challenge, which AARP estimates has cost U.S. employers up to $33.6 billion per year in lost productivity, or $2,110 as the average cost to employers per full-time working caregiver.

“Our Advantages program aims to bring healthy living into greater balance by offering value-added services like Lively. We are excited to introduce this as part of our new category of products designed to serve the long-term care needs of our older members and their families," said Bill Bradley, vice president of Product Development for Regence.

Lively’s Activity Sensors & LivelyGram

Lively uses stylish passive sensors applied to everyday objects in the home to measure daily activity levels and automatically notify family members, or other designated caregivers, when anything may be amiss. Lively’s system is easy to set up and does not require any home Internet connection or phone line. Lively also provides older adult customers with a regular printed mailer, or LivelyGram, of photos and short messages submitted from social networks, like Facebook, that shares activity and events from younger family members.

“An entire ‘sandwiched’ generation is juggling stressful responsibilities with the pressure of raising families, full time jobs, and the needs of elder loved ones,” says Iggy Fanlo, Co-founder and CEO at Lively. “We are elated to hear from families that our technology brings a greater feeling of safety by allowing for timely intervention if anything goes wrong, and cultivates stronger connections between all generations in the family.”

Pricing and availability

Regence members will be able to purchase Lively for 10 percent off of its retail price. Families can learn more on Lively’s special Regence web page at http://www.mylively.com/regence

or call Lively directly at 888-899-3953 to purchase this product at the discounted price. Other consumers can visit Lively’s website to learn more and purchase at http://www.mylively.com.

About Lively:

Lively was founded by Iggy Fanlo, David Glickman, and Keith Dutton in the summer of 2012 and is headquartered in San Francisco. With collective backgrounds that include working at some of the world’s most innovative consumer product companies, they’ve formed a vibrant team of talented individuals who share a passion for changing the way older adults stay connected across generations. For more information, please visit www.mylively.com

About Regence

The Regence affiliated companies serve more than two million members through Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield (selected counties in Washington). Each health plan is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The Regence affiliated companies are committed to improving the health of its members and communities and to transforming the health care system. For more information, please visit www.regence.com

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