RSS Monitoring Using GrandCare to Help State of Ohio Give Better Care

 

The State of Ohio is one of GrandCare’s newest fans. And it’s not just because of our rock star good looks.

A recent segment on ABC 6 On Your Side highlighted GrandCare affiliate RSS Monitoring, and its successful implementation of GrandCare technology, to help save the State of Ohio a lot of money in taking care of disabled residents who need nursing care provided in their homes.

The State of Ohio is experiencing a shortage of home health aides. It’s cheaper for people to receive care in their homes, but the staffing shortage meant that people were getting less care than they needed, or care that wasn’t as good as it should be. That’s why, four years ago, RSS turned to GrandCare for a solution.

“The technology in that case takes the place of a staff person,” said John Martin, Director of the Department of Developmental Disabilities. “It’s one of those neat things where we’re both good stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars and it improved the quality of life of some of the folks we’re serving.”

The numbers of dollars saved are larger than you might imagine.

According to the ABC news report, “Martin said each person who uses that technology saves the state between $10,000 to $100,000 compared to the cost of having an around-the-clock home health aide.”

Residents are helped by a variety of GrandCare’s monitoring capabilities. Examples include:

“People with autism who function better with a predictable routine can have a sensor in their shower to make sure they’re getting their morning started on the right track. People who suffer seizures can have a sensor detect if they’ve fallen and might need help.”

The residents like the results.

“People help me out,” said Becky Ross who suffers from seizures and now has sensors on her floors to detect if she’s fallen. “I can be more independent (with the sensors).”

If the sensors in Ross’s home go off, she will get a video call to make sure she’s okay. If she’s not, emergency help will be sent to her home.

Currently 170 people have sensors like that installed in their homes. Thanks to the success of this four-year venture, Gov. Kasich’s budget would now expand the program to cover roughly 600 people.

GrandCare is proud to be a part of this effort. We created GrandCare as a way to improve the lives of so many people. And we’re delighted that in the process of helping their residents, Ohio has found that our systems can help save their taxpayers big money.

See the ABC News video

GrandCare Gets Its Kicks on Route 66

“If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on Route Sixty-Six.”

GrandCare is headed to western Illinois for this year’s Healthy Living Expo with GrandCare affiliate Gray Matters Alliance. This one-day event, held on May 19, is a great place to have fun, get facts on healthy living for seniors, and get free health screenings. And it’s a good place to learn more about GrandCare by stopping at Table 19.

But wait, there’s more! The event is being held at Gateway Classic Cars which means that, in addition to this fun and informative expo, you can enjoy the classic car show. There will be hundreds of cars to look at and more than 100 vendors to visit.

And wait, there’s even more! There’s a free continental breakfast, complimentary lunch, entertainment, games, and more. Even a Patsy Cline impersonator! There’s also free transportation. (Call 800-326-3221 for pickup locations.)

“It winds from Chicago to LA,
More than two thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on Route Sixty-Six.”

So, if you’re winding down Route sixty-six, or any highway, be sure to stop in at Gateway Classic Cars at 1237 Central Park Drive, in O’Fallon, Illinois. Get healthy, and enjoy the car show.

The event is sponsored by AgeSmart Community Resources. AgeSmart works to help older adults remain independent in their homes and communities. Through planning, funding, responding to community needs and providing answers on aging, AgeSmart Community Resources helps people age well their way.

Healthy Living Expo
Sponsored by AgeSmart Community Resources
May 19, 2017
At Gateway Classic Cars
1237 Central Park Dr
O’Fallon, IL
Table 19
Expo open 8:30am to 12:30pm
More information

Gray Matters Alliance was established to create empathy, patience and tolerance towards the elder population. They are committed to offering peace of mind for families while allowing their loved ones to remain engaged and maintain their dignity and at the same time provide caregivers with additional resources to do their jobs more effectively and compassionately. Find out more at their website (www.graymattersalliance.com.)

senior friendly homes

Finding the Perfect Home For Your Senior Years

GrandCare welcomes guest blogger Jim Vogel. Recently Jim’s mother realized it had become difficult to manage living in and maintaining her home. So, the search for a new, senior-friendly home for her began. As he helped her with the search, he learned a lot about what to consider when buying a home for an elderly person, and he wanted to share his expertise. Welcome, Jim. And thanks!

You’ve entered retirement – your golden years – and you’re living in a big house that’s getting expensive to heat and cool each season and difficult to care for and keep up.

That’s why so many seniors are downsizing from their old, big house into one that’s smaller, cheaper, and easier to live in. That can mean a literal house, or it could refer to a condo or retirement community patio house. Either way, here are some tips for finding the perfect home for your senior years.

Simplify Your New Life

It can be hard leaving behind your old home. After all, it’s your home. It’s full of memories and love. But that big house made sense to buy when you were younger. You had a family to shelter, and you had the income for it. With your income reduced by retirement, paying those ghastly utility bills can be a problem.

What should you look for in your new home? Here are a few things:

  • Because mobility can be a problem as you get older, go with a home or condo that doesn’t have any stairs. A few steps can be okay, but definitely keep to a one-level home or a condo with an elevator.
  • Not all condos are in giant buildings. You should be able to find patio homes: small houses in communities, often sharing a wall. These are often less expensive than a new home, and they can have great amenities like a community pool or tennis court.
  • Look for a house that’s very well taken care of. The last thing you need after making the move into your new home is costly repairs. Find owners that take great care of their home.

Watch Out For Common Mistakes

Although buying a new home as a senior is not complicated, there are some mistakes people often make that you should avoid.

The biggest is not going into this with a plan. Instead of just trying to find a cute, small house, think about all that you’ll be leaving behind. Then try to find that in your new house. In fact, one great idea is to spend a few days in the new town. There’s no better way of making sure your new home will be located in a great community.

Be careful about putting too much money down. You’ll need cash in your first few years, and all seniors need access to a financial reserve in case illness or injury strikes. Besides, you may have to make some emergency repairs to a new home.

Lastly, don’t forget to think about your future there. For example, you’re probably having no problem driving these days. But you know how that can change. If you buy a home in the typical suburban development, the nearest grocery store could be miles away.

Preparing That New Home For You

It’s impossible to find the perfect home. That means you’ll almost definitely need to modify your new house to accommodate your needs.

Make sure all steps and stairs have solid handrails. Then, install some grab rails in your bathroom as well. If there are area rugs, secure them to the floor so they are not a trip hazard anymore. Check the lighting at night. As your vision starts to get worse, a bright area with contrasting colors can make a huge difference.

You should also consider a home monitoring system like GrandCare. It can stay connected with loved ones, while it helps you monitor your wellness and encourages a social and active lifestyle. It provides tools to help you manage your medications, calendar appointments, and daily routines.

Your New Home Is Waiting For You

Just because you’re in your senior years doesn’t mean you can’t handle this. You just need to make a good plan that includes picking the right home in the right community.

Jim Vogel is the co-founder of ElderAction.org, an organization that provides resources to adult children and caregivers who are caring for senior parents. He is passionate about spreading awareness of improving senior living.

Family. The Sweetest Mother’s Day Gift of All

Mother’s Day can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, but the more modern day precursor was in the mid-1800’s with the formation of “Mother’s Day Work Clubs,” helping women with childcare. Post-Civil War, these clubs became peace organizations to promote reconciliation between former Union and Confederate soldiers. And in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Most celebrate Mother’s Day with flowers, chocolates, family events and maybe even brunch. This Mother’s Day why not offer mom the greatest gift of all, the gift that keeps giving, the gift of family communication. GrandCare is the gift of constant family socialization, photo sharing, Facebook integration, video chatting, games, trivia, weather, news reports and more. The best part is that Mom doesn’t have to know anything at all about computers or Facebook in order to take full advantage of the rich memories.

Use Code “MD2017” for a $200 discount on a GrandCare System for your mother. Only two systems per customer. Offer expires May 31st. Only available online. (www.grandcare.com)

“More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. These holiday chats with Mom often cause phone traffic to spike by as much as 37 percent.”

You get the peace of mind that comes with easy, non-intrusive activity monitoring. It also brings the more distant family members right to her touchscreen, so they don’t feel left out. Not only that, but if your mom is managing a chronic health condition at home, GrandCare can help with that, too. From on-screen medication reminders, to automatically recording her vitals every day, GrandCare never forgets.

To make it easy, we’ll even give you a sweet Mother’s Day deal. From now until May 31st, if you order a GrandCare System online, use discount code “MD2017” and save $200. (www.grandcare.com)

This could be the greatest Mother’s Day gift ever. So let Mom enjoy Facebook photos from the entire family on her GrandCare System, play some card games, and place one-touch video calls to the grandchildren. And you can still do brunch, too.