Eriksmoen Cottages eriksmoencottages

1. Eriksmoen Cottageswww.eriksmoencottages.com Information Squared- Shehbaz Ahmed, Kyle Danovsky, Maxwell Grailer, Shawna Johnson, Amber Locy IS340, Section 3, Spring 2014

2. Adult Foster Care • “Eriksmoen Cottages of St. Cloud is a premier corporate foster care provider serving both physically disabled adults and individuals with health needs.” • Eriksmoen Cottages provides foster care, as well as assistance integrating residents into the community, so that one day, they will be able to live independently. • Established in late 2000 by registered nurse, Linda Eriksmoen, Eriksmoen Cottages provided in home adult foster care to residents in the Twin Cities. • Expanded during 2008-2011 into St. Cloud and opened 5 houses during that period. • Provides care for 22 residents in the St. Cloud area

3. Information Systems in the Company • This company uses the Carasolva network to track client data and to store client information. • Important client data (medication administration times, daily activity, and outcomes) are input onto the computer into the Carasolva Network. This data is then processed and turned into a searchable record of the clients activity for that day. • Carasolva is a very clunky network and goes down quite frequently. However clunky it may be, it is necessary. The state of Minnesota uses this information so that it can continue to aid these residents. It is also a very useful tool for staff to see what medication still needs to be administered and also to check what kind of mood the residents are in (so that staff can adjust their care plan accordingly).

4. IT Related Problems • Currently no working website. (Plans have been in the air, and pieces were started, but no integrated solution was designed). • Computers are outdated • The only way to request information for company is by phone.

5. Main Focus: Develop Website • The main problem with this company is the fact that they don’t have a working website. Since a good portion of the care is funded by the state, there isn’t much money to throw around. If, however, they did develop a website, they would gain more recognition and clients. • The possible solutions… • Create and maintain a website by themselves. • Pay a company to create and maintain the website. • Keep things the way they are.

6. Solution When it comes to technology, the owners are not well versed. They do not possess the necessary skills to create and maintain a properly working website. So we recommended that the best option for Eriksmoen Cottages is to hire someone to make their website and maintain it. In this site, they should include… • Contact information for owners and site directors • Background of company and explanation of what kind of care is provided • Descriptions, pictures, and cost of the houses that are currently taking residents • Reviews from previous residents/ residents’ families • Important documents ready to download/print • Secure access for the employees to the company resources

7. Implementation Having followed our suggestion, Eriksmoen Cottages had recently renewed their website. http://www.eriksmoencottages.com http://eclmn.com The project is still under construction and not all functionalities are currently operational. • They also created a Facebook page.

8. Questions