Technology and Its Benefits to Helping Adult Children, Caregivers and Seniors Live Better Lives

We wanted to share another great blog article by Mark Phillips, Product Manager at GE Healthcare IT.

Can Technology Help Adult Children, Caregivers and Seniors Live Better Lives?

Mark Phillips

Every day the aging population is growing at a significant rate, and at the same time, technology is taking off at a remarkable pace. So why not combine the two to help adult children take care of their aging loved ones without sacrificing their independence?   He has successfully addressed the key needs the Aging and Technology industry faces and has defined them as below:

      • Support seniors in living their absolute best life where they want to live it!
      • Keep families and caregivers connected, even across long distances
      • Support and promote socialization
      • Promote safety and peace of mind
      • Assist with activities of daily living
      • Help coordinate the myriad of care activities
      • Enable easy interaction with community services and businesses
      • Are easy to setup, intuitive, and easy to use
      • Are affordable to acquire and to keep

Phillips goes on to describe the issues that caregivers and their aging loved ones face and then gives some viable techology solutions as a vehicle to provide better, individualized, and more efficient care. GrandCare is mentioned as a stand out solution “these guys are the blaze, the trail pioneers in the market…”  GrandCare’s VP of Business Development, Laura Mitchell, is described by Mark as “a tireless champion for aging in place technology and who has delivered many blogs and webinars to help spread the word”.

Check out Mark Phillip’s complete blog Here.

CEA Announces GrandCare Systems as Innovation Entrepreneur Awards Winner

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct 16, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)(R) today announced the winners of the first annual Innovation Entrepreneur Awards, sponsored by its new flagship publication, It Is Innovation (i(3)) and CEA’s Small Business Council. The Innovation Entrepreneur Awards honor excellence in business and recognize visionaries leading companies with revenues under $30 million.

“We had a standout group of finalists for the inaugural year of the Innovation Entrepreneur Awards,” said Gary Shapiro, CEA’s president and CEO.

Charlie Hillman, CEO GrandCare Systems, accepts the CEA Innovation Entrepreneur Award at the 2012 CEA Industry Forum.

“Congratulations to ecoATM and GrandCare, winners of the 2012 Small Business Awards; and Sandy Gross, winner of the 2012 Small Business Executive Award. Each of the winners epitomizes the entrepreneurial drive and spirit of innovation that powers our industry and the American economy.” To select the inaugural class for the Innovation Entrepreneur Awards, a panel of media and industry professionals met at CE Week to judge the nominations. From the group of seven finalists selected by the judges, one executive and two small businesses were announced today at CEA’s Industry Forum as the winners.

“Innovative companies like GrandCare are moving our economy forward. It’s a great example of how the consumer electronics industry is allowing seniors and people with disabilities to use technology to enhance their lives and allow caregivers to have access to their loved ones anytime.”

-CEA CEO & President, Gary Shapiro

The 2012 winners are:

  • Small Business of the Year: ecoATM – Originally called reMobile, ecoATM was founded in 2008 by Tom Tullie as an automated eCycling Station for eWaste recycling. Its automated kiosk buys back used cell phones, MP3 players, iPods, iPads and game media and provides cash or an in-store credit. The company incentivizes consumers to participate in reselling and recycling to cut down on CE eWaste.
  • Small Business of the Year: GrandCare Systems – This innovative company integrates daily activities, telehealth monitoring, social networking, medication management and cognitive assists into a user-friendly touch-based system for seniors. Charlie Hillman, founder and CEO, originally created the system to help his great-aunt live independently. The system connects to the Internet allowing caregivers to communicate with their loved ones.
  • Small Business Executive of the Year: Sandy Gross – Gross is co-founder of Polk Audio, Definitive Technology and his latest business, GoldenEar Technology. At Polk he was in charge of marketing and product concepts. In 1988, Gross left for a stint in Hollywood, then founded Definitive Technology in 1990. The company designed high-end models of center channels and surround sound speakers. He retired as president in 2009, and started his third loudspeaker company, GoldenEar Technology, in 2010. Gross is often called upon by other entrepreneurs, in the early stages of developing their companies, for advice.

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Knute Nelson Home Care opens in Little Falls

Recently opened in Little Falls, Minnesota, Knute Nelson Home Care offers skilled nursing services, home health care and various types of therapies for its clients. This non-profit organization focuses on providing services ranging from personal care like cooking and cleaning, to mental health assessments and ensuring a safe environment for the clients. One of the key features of the Knute Nelson Home Care is the utilization of advanced technology.

The most innovative of Knute Nelson’s technology is GrandCare which ties the technologies available, plus more, into one package.

“It includes a computer touch screen which has the medication reminders, Lifeline or PERS right there,” said Diede. “It will help manage our clients weight and blood pressure. It will show exercises for physical therapy, with a real therapist doing the movements right along with the client. Another feature is allowing family members to upload photos of the family to their loved one along with showing videos of a grandchild’s sporting event or recital in real time. There are also Skype capabilities.”

The full article can be found at mcrecord.com

Laura Mitchell Selected to Speak at The Annual Z-Wave Fall Summit

Digital Health Technology: Powered by Z-Wave

October 22-25 2012, Edison, NJ

In an economy where markets are drying up left and right, there’s one market that we can guarantee will only grow:  The Aging & Technology Industry.  Every day, 10,000 people turn 65 and this trend will continue for the next 20 years. These boomers are demanding a NEW and sustainable “AGING IN PLACE” model of care.

Delivered by a true integration expert, the solution combines standard protocol-driven ZWAVE technologies – complete with wireless tele-medicine, brain fitness and socialization features.  Laura will discuss the future of this booming industry, the players involved, the GrandCare Systems model and why ZWAVE plays an integral role.

The Annual Z-Wave Fall Summit event brings together Alliance members, press and technology representatives from around the world to learn more about the Z-Wave ecosystem and promote its market leadership. The Fall Summit will include the final training sessions of the year, as well as a tour of the Z-Wave Interoperability Lab, plenary presentations by noted industry analysts, and the Member/Press evening reception and awards.

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JOIN CEDIA WEBINAR “Technologies and Opportunities that can Keep Your Bottom Line off Life Support”

Join us LIVE October 18th 1-2 pm ET

Home Health Care: Technologies and Opportunities that can Keep Your Bottom Line off of Life Support

Featuring Jeff Makowka (AARP) and Laura Mitchell (GrandCare Systems)

Space is limited, click here to register now. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. 

If you haven’t noticed, home health care is for real. It’s almost impossible to make a daily commute without seeing a vehicle sporting some type of graphic advertising “in home care.” According to Aging in Place Technology Watch, the Aging/Technology industry is projected to be greater than $20 billion by 2020. As the current population for the United States continues to age, many consumers are demanding a brand new model of health care; they want it brought to them.

This one hour webinar will break down the market, explore available technology solutions, such as Crisis Management, Activity & Smart Home monitoring, Digital Health, Medication Management, Brain Fitness and Socialization technologies and the expertise required to become involved. Join GrandCare’s Laura Mitchell and AARP’s Jeff Makowka as they pin point the integrator’s role in this landscape and tips for redefining your business model.

At the end of this session participants should be able to:

  • Outline the impact the aging population is having on health care in the home.
  • Describe the different technologies currently being leveraged to enable elderly consumers to stay in their homes longer.
  • Explain the financial opportunities presented by this emerging industry.
  • List critical items to consider when integrating home health offerings into an existing integration business.

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