Independent Living: You Won’t Believe How They Made Mom Feel At Home

Betty’s husband had been gone for several years and taking care of the house all alone was becoming too much for her. Her children felt that it was time for her to move to an independent living community. Although she didn’t like the idea, she agreed so as not to be a burden.

When move-in day arrived, Betty was worried. Aside from Packer Sundays, what would she do all day? Her favorite football team doesn’t play every day, after all. But when she walked into her new apartment for the first time she was surprised to see pictures of the Pack displayed on a large screen. Her family explained that this community uses the touchscreen to let her know about activities, dining options, and more. There was a touchscreen in every apartment.

As she stood admiring the football-themed slideshow, Betty noticed something else. Some of these photos were of her. Betty with her kids, Betty with her husband, all of them taken at Packer games. She even saw the one from their 40th wedding anniversary–taken at Lambeau Field, of course.

Her kids explained that they had supplied these pictures themselves. They had uploaded them to the touchscreen, personalizing it just for her. They had even put a button on the screen that took her right to the Green Bay Packers website. Another button labeled “GO PACK!” showed her video of some of their Super Bowl touchdowns.

And that is how Betty’s children, her new community, and the Green Bay Packers helped her feel right at home in her new place.

Find out what GrandCare can do for your community. We do community-wide messaging, video calling, resident directories, concierge services, resident check-ins, and more. Click here to contact us today!

Video Calls Save Lives

Video calls are a feature of modern life. It’s the preferred method for grandparents to keep up with distant grandchildren. It can help seniors stay connected even when they live alone. But can video calls save your life?

Apparently they can. Just ask Opokua Kwapong of New York. She woke from a nap when her sister, Adumea Sapong, FaceTimed her from Manchester, England. The sister could tell right away that something didn’t seem right. Opokua was slurring her words, which might have been chalked up to sleepiness, but because it was a video call she could clearly see OPokua’s face looked wrong. She was having a stroke.

OPokua got medical attention immediately and credits the technology with saving her life.

GrandCare has video calling from the touchscreen to your PC and from touchscreen to our new iPhone app. Sure, it helps family and friends stay connected. It definitely can help stave off loneliness. But it can also provide critical information about the wellbeing of the GrandCare user. It can be hard to tell what’s going on with just a voice call. Sometimes you just have to see for yourself to know that everything’s ok.

Do you know the signs of a stroke? Use the letters in “fast” to spot stroke signs and know when to call 9-1-1. Click here to learn about FAST.