If only the elderly could stay HOME: GrandCare Featured in Inc. Magazine

Hot Market: The Aging Population
Baby boomers are hitting old age—and they are terrified of nursing homes. If only there was some way to keep the elderly in their homes and healthy.

By Leigh Buchanan | Nov 1, 2010
By 2030, 71 million Americans will be over age 65, according to the U.S. Census. Currently, 30 percent of elderly Americans who are not in assisted living live alone, and 90 percent say they want to grow old in their homes, according to AARP. Home health care, much of it for the elderly, is one of the fastest-growing segments in the country’s fastest-growing industry.

The Inspiration: In 1993, Charles Hillman, an engineering consultant, was living on a farm in Wisconsin. His great-aunt Clara, then in her late 80s, occupied a cottage 100 yards from the main house. One day, Aunt Clara called to complain she was cold. Arriving at the cottage, Hillman found all the windows flung wide; his aunt said she had opened them because the room was smoky. “I went down into the crawlspace and saw her furnace was on fire,” recalls Hillman. After extinguishing the blaze, Hillman asked his aunt why she hadn’t mentioned the erratic temperatures and strange noises that had been emanating from beneath the house for days. Says Hillman: “She gave the answer that boomers caring for aging parents hear all the time: ‘I know you’re busy and didn’t want to bother you.’ ”

The Business: GrandCare Systems, based in West Bend, Wisconsin, makes technology that helps seniors live independently. Sensors installed around the home monitor motion (tracking, for example, if the resident appears to be wandering or fails to rise from a chair or bed and how often doors open and close); check room temperature; and allow remote reporting of blood pressure, pulse, weight, and other health indicators. A communications base, accessed through an ordinary television, delivers content that includes weather and spiritual offerings and enables communication with family, friends, and caregivers.

How It Got Started: After rescuing Aunt Clara, Hillman had to wait for the technology to catch up to his idea for a system to help seniors and their caregivers avoid similar situations. He bided his time by studying the market. He joined the boards of a local long-term-care organization and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. “As we would discuss finances and state reimbursement, it was pretty clear that institutional long-term care was not a sustainable model,” says Hillman. “Also, the view of nursing homes has really changed. People fear them more than death.”

As he prepared to launch the business in 2004, Hillman joined a consortium of companies developing technology for the aged. The consortium’s large corporate members — including Intel and Philips — were generous with their survey data. That research helped Hillman determine how to price his offerings, market simultaneously to seniors and their personal and professional caregivers, and design products that wouldn’t simply be unplugged or ignored. “People are used to getting information from their television and their telephone, so that’s where we started,” says Hillman, who purchased sensors and other hardware components from GE and hired programmers to develop software linking it all together.

The company launched in 2005 and spent several years testing the system in the independent-living units of long-term-care facilities. Those facilities may become his customers as well, Hillman says.

The Result: GrandCare released its new core system, HomeBase, last summer, and had sold several hundred units by mid-August, after the product was featured on CBS’s The Early Show. The company, which expects to become profitable this year, has seven employees — chiefly programmers — and markets through a network of almost 200 independent dealers. It has sold systems in every U.S. state, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Comment by GrandCare Systems:
thanks for the wonderful article Inc. Magazine!!! The GrandCare System was released into the market in 2006 and has been installed by authorized dealers ever since into private homes, long term care facilities, independent apartments and group homes. Our latest model, the GrandCare HomeBase allows families to not only assess activities of daily living and tele-wellness, but also has an easy-to-use INTERACTIVE touchpad for the LOVED one to be able to see pictures, messages, emails (and post simple responses using the onscreen key pad), online family videos, two way interactive web chat via skype, check weather reports, play games like trivia, solitaire, tic-tac-toe and more. It’s simple for the LOVED one to use and requires ZERO computer knowledge or experience! Authorized family and caregivers can access info easily from any Internet Connected computer and send communications through the GrandCare web portal.

Thanks again to Inc. Magazine and Leigh Buchanan for covering the ever-important issue of staying safe, independent, healthy and HAPPY at home!!

The GrandCare Team
www.grandcare.com
262-448-6147
info@grandcare.com

AgeTek Alliance Newsletter

AgeTek Newsletter
From the Chairman Peter Radsliff

NEW AGETEK WEBSITE PROGRESSING
Great progress has been made on the new AgeTek website. Not only has the board website subcommittee vetted three website development firms and their bids, we have developed an architecture for the site and a basic framework is now ready for initial review on a test site. Our intent is to have the site up before this Holiday season and to have it be an important place on the Internet to showcase solutions for aging in place. See later in this newsletter for a request for content for your company’s listing.

PRE-CES WORKSHOP & GENERAL MEETING
AgeTek was invited to co-sponsor a special Silvers Summit workshop the day before CES. This workshop is being run by the Silvers Summit people but the AgeTek board provided assistance in the development of the curriculum. There is a cost for this workshop, and AgeTek is not involved with that, but, Silvers Summit has generously offered to let us use the facilities after the workshop for an AgeTek meet-n-greet followed by our Annual Meeting. I encourage all AgeTek members to dedicate one or
more of their employees to sign-up for the workshop (be sure to ask for your AgeTek discount – you save $50!). But whether or not you attend the workshop, BE SURE you attend the AgeTek meet-n-greet and Annual Meeting from 5:30 P.M. — 8:30 P.M.

Sign-up here: http://bit.ly/silversworkshop or, see the workshop flyer which is appended to this newsletter.

LAST CHANCE TO JOIN AGETEK PAVILLION AT CES
There is still one spot left in the AgeTek Pavilion at CES. This is a collection of exhibitors sharing a multi-booth space under the AgeTek imprimatur. My company is participating so that we can take advantage of what I believe will be greater interest from press and attendees to the AgeTek name than I could get alone. I suggest you look at this again if you haven’t already made plans for CES. It could be a cost-effective and no hassle way for you to get the most out of CES.

AARP’S NEW DIRECTOR OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
I had a chance to have dinner this week with a number of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Mary Furlong and AARP’s new Director of Thought Leadership, Jody Holtzman. It was a lively conversation where Jody and Jeff Makowka presented AARP’s plans to extend their brand to be as much about living well as it is about aging well. Jody is an influential guy with a ton of good ideas. He said that it is a major initiative for AARP to find out how to best support technology entrepreneurs that serve their members plus they expressed strong support for AgeTek itself. It was a great meeting, albeit early in the process,
but I came away truly impressed with what was said. Thanks to Mary Furlong for being sure to include AgeTek in the event.
Here’s wishing you a strong Q4,
Peter Radsliff
Chairman of the Board
Aging Technology Alliance

From the Secretary
Michele Ahlman
EMAIL
To all AgeTek Regular Members:

It’s hard to believe we are well into the 4th quarter of 2010. I’m still working on getting my head around the idea that we are already 10 years into the 21st century!

It’s voting season! Not just for some of our D.C. friends but for AgeTek as well. Attached is a ballot for our 2011 Board. Please take a moment to review and complete right now! Ballots must be completed and postmarked by October 28th. Or, if sending electronically, they must be received by October 29th (see email and fax instructions on the ballot which is appended to this newsletter). The tally will be complete by Nov 5th. Results will be posted on the web site.
We look forward to an exciting 2011!
Thank you for your participation.

Kindest Regards,

Michele Ahlman
Secretary of the Board of Directors
Aging Technology Alliance

From the membership committee chair
EMAIL

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Growth & Membership Committee to personally welcome all the new AgeTek members to the organization. Since the last newsletter you received, the following new members have joined: Halo Monitoring, National Alliance for Caregiving, VRI, Posit Science, BeClose, Happy Elder Corp., At GuardianAngel, Inc., and HB Building and Design, Inc.
The membership committee is not only working hard to enlarge our member base for the benefit of all of our members; we also want you to know that we are here for all of you and welcome your suggestions.

Our goals are simple – we want to increase the number of our members substantially over the next few months as well as ensure we are continuously meeting and exceeding the expectations of both new and old members.

How can you help? Please reach out to any member on our committee (Scott Collins, Joe MacAdams or Karen Routt) and share any thoughts you have regarding your membership. We are currently reaching out to all individuals and companies who have shown interest in joining the Alliance and will soon embark on an e-mail outreach campaign as well.

If you have any non-proprietary lists of companies who might benefit from membership in AgeTek please share them with us. We promise to take good care of your information. If you have any potential members you would like us to contact just let us know and we will take it from there. You can e-mail me directly
Thanks again for being a member of the Aging Technology Alliance.
Warmest Regards,
Shana Duthie
Committee chair, Growth & Membership Committee

From the board: awareness
EMAIL
The Awareness and Promotion committee is responsible for making sure there is real value to members by promoting the value of regular member products and services to the outside world. Examples include procuring discounts and strategic consolidations at tradeshows, creation and promotion of member directories, et al. It is also responsible for creating opportunities for associate members to access the regular members to promote their wares.

With the new website coming, this is a great opportunity to have another vehicle to drive awareness to your company and product. We are looking for committee members and a chairman for this all-important function. Please let me know if you wish to participate and in what capacity. It’s time to step-up and help the Alliance with your talents to provide awareness and promotion for all of our members.

Sincerely,

Laura Mitchell
Board Sponsor, Awareness & Promotion Committee

You are Invited to register for an exciting pre‐CES Workshop:

The Silver Tsunami’ is Coming:  Is Your Company Ready?
Wednesday  Afternoon ‐‐  January 5, 2011, Las Vegas
AgeTek member companies: $99, non‐members $149

If you plan to target one of the largest and fastest‐growing markets;
specifically the Boomer
Consumer and their elder parents, you will have to get ready and get
the inside information.  Learn from companies and thought‐leaders how
to develop a plan for success.

Boomers and their parents continue to be the most powerful consumers in the marketplace, despite an increasingly challenging economy.   In the United States alone, there are more than 108 million people over age 45, a group with more than $2.5 trillion in annual spending power. The 78 million boomers born between 1946 and 1964 make up 28% of the U.S. population and own more than 77% of all financial assets, and the number of Americans age 65 and older is set to double by the year 2030.  Your company cannot afford to miss this market opportunity.

Agenda:
1:00 – 2:00pm   Branding Your Products to the Boomer/Senior Consumer –
Create the Plan. Learn how to create a brand and message that
resonates for the boomer/senior market. What is the most powerful media vehicle to reach this audience?  Plus,
how do you create advertising on a shoestring budget that creates response?  We
want you to walk away from this session with a plan you can implement when you get back
to the office.
2:00 – 3:00pm  Channel Roulette:  View from inside the Retail, Catalog
or VAR Channels

Learn from the channel‐side when a new vendor shows up to pitch their
wares, what is the magic formula that will get them to want you on the shelf or in
the catalog or offer your services.   The panelist will discuss what motivates them to
chose a brand or product, how they test new product concepts, what defines successful
sell‐through and how does pricing play a role.

3:00 – 4:00PM   You know Social Media is Hot… But How do you Make it Pay off?
If you plan a social media marketing strategy it is essential that it
includes mechanisms to assess business value.  It might be a value placed on increased
product awareness, or solid sales leads or cost savings in reduction of print advertizing
cost.   ROI is easier to obtain if there is a goal set for the social media campaign.
Regardless of how value is determined, social media needs to be validated as a profitable
marketing channel. Learn from companies that have leveraged social media to their benefit.

3:00 – 4:00PM   Creating Partnerships and Strategic Alliances
The marketplace is rich with potential partners for strategic
alliances. Potential partners can be competitors, more often they are other businesses that provide
complementary goods and services.  Sometimes powerful partnerships can be created between
companies that have seemingly little in common. .  Hear from companies
that looked both inside and outside this market for alliance partners.   Learn
what to look for in a potential alliance and how to make this happen.

5:30 ‐8:30pm – 1st AgeTek Industry Alliance Annual Meeting and Networking Event
For more Information:  suminfo@silverssummit.com

HealthTech Marketing Group takes on GrandCare Systems!


http://www.healthtechmg.com/docs/HealthTech_Brochure.pdf

Searching for Technology to assist with care for the Aged:

(Taken from the HealthTech Marketing Group Literature)
For Families
Caring for a senior can be a challenging, expensive, and frustrating experience. Allowing them to remain safely living where they prefer is our focus. As the leading provider of Aging-in-Place solutions, we ensure that your loved one is monitored, from a safety and health perspective giving you peace of mind. And our communications tools, computerless e-mail and photo sharing, ensure they are able to stay connected without learning new skills.

For Facilities
Keeping a watchful eye on your closed-door residents is challenging yet can be critical to their survival. HealthTech provides solutions that allow the senior to be safe in their private room, and the facility completely connected to their situation. As the leading provider of technology solutions for seniors, we ensure that your residents are monitored, from a safety and health perspective, and are able to function without ongoing attention.

For Agencies
Being able to protect your clients without being there is what HealthTech provides for home health providers. Our Aging-in-Place solutions allow the senior to be safe at home, while keeping you completely connected to their situation 24/7. You can increase their survival rate while lowering their cost of service. We ensure that your clients are monitored, from a safety and health perspective, and are able to function without ongoing attention.

For Professionals
Wouldn’t it be great to allow your patients to stay home and provide daily health updates to you? With HealthTech solutions you can reduce office visits while improving patient care/case management. You are always connected to them, ensuring that you are in the loop at all times. Being able to protect your clients is what HealthTech is all about.
Our solutions allow the senior to be safe at home, while keeping you completely connected.

About GrandCare
Using a combination of remote environmental and passive physiological sensing, RULE-BASED intelligence and networking technologies, GrandCare Systems allows the caregiver to remotely and passively monitor a loved-one without compromising dignity or privacy. This reduces caregiver stress by providing peace of mind all around. GrandCare recognizes the importance of an active body, mind and soul by simultaneously addressing the loneliness and social isolation associated with aging. Family can easily stay connected by virtually sending communications to the loved one’s TV or TouchScreen. This not only improves the quality of life for an individual living alone, but also enhances memory.

GrandCare System Features
• Activity Monitoring including:
– Door Openings, Weight, Meds, Blood Pressure, Sleeping Patterns and Wake-ups
• Wellness Reports
-Weight, Blood Pressure, Pulse
• Rules-based Communications
– Phone, E-mail and Text
• Family and Staff Communications
and Scheduling Systems
How GrandCare Works
The GrandCare system connects to any television set with audio/video
inputs and any full-time Internet connection. The GrandCare sensors are
discreetly placed around the residence and report sensor activity to the
system. Caregivers can view the data on-line and set up conditions to receive automated alerts via e-mail, text messages or phone calls. Family can send communications and cognitive assists right to an interactive touchpad or dedicated
channel on the loved one’s television set.

GrandCare is now working together with HealthTech Marketing Group!

About HealthTech:

HealthTech Marketing Group launched more than a decade ago as Marketlink, an international provider of market launch services for high-technology startups. Our success has spanned many categories of technologies, from networking, security and storage to mobile and wireless. In 2009, we made the decision to launch a healthcare focused initiative, specializing in the rapidly growing senior market. The aging baby boomer population, combined with expanding mortality rates of Americans, has created an enormous and rapidly growing market for Aging-in-Place technologies. With the new
focus on health care initiatives, HealthTech Marketing Group was launched. HealthTech provides aging-in-place technologies to the adult children of the senior community, to facilities and agencies that service and house seniors, and to professional caregivers including doctors and service providers. And for the supplier base, we provide an ideal environment to aggressively launch your solutions through our provider clients and directly to the senior community. HealthTech Marketing Group is headquartered in Novi, Michigan. We have amassed a U.S. sales force in excess of 180 professionals located across the country and our long-term goal is to create a group of 400+ professionals, touching every community. HealthTech Marketing Group…Technology Solutions for the Aging Community!