More and more disability support organizations are incorporating remote support into their list of existing services. Remote support is not only more efficient with staff hours, it’s also an inherently more independent way to receive support. Because we make the premier technology platform to facilitate remote support, GrandCare has been growing to meet that increasing demand. Who’s going to take care of all these new customers? That’s where Bob comes in.
Robert “Bob” Ellwood earned a degree in criminal justice from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With designs on law school, he decided to first take a couple of years off to work at a juvenile detention center. Bob found this kind of work so rewarding that he changed his law school plans and embarked on a 15-year stretch in human services, playing a variety of roles. Bob knows what it is to be on the front line, caring for those who need it.
Working in human services led to a sales position at a personal emergency response system. And, earlier this year, Bob was recruited as the latest addition to the GrandCare sales team.
GrandCare, which has had staff positioned in the Midwest and West Coast for several years, is thrilled to have representation now on the East Coast, where Bob lives.
Being the new guy means he’s learning more about GrandCare every day.
“The coolest feature [about the GrandCare touchscreen] is customization,” Bob said when asked what he found unique about GrandCare. “No two touchscreens are the same, not just the fact people may have different rules for motion or activity, but having your own videos, playing the games you want, stuff like that. Really leads to higher usage. So different from the PERS industry, where I’d frequently tell people the systems are no good if the user doesn’t want it. People want the fun stuff – videos, games, etc. They come for the videos, stay for the med reminders or motion sensors.”
In his spare time, Bob enjoys cheering for, and being driven mad by, his beloved NY Mets, NY Giants, and NY Islanders, reading, history, attending his daughter’s sporting events, horse racing (“I owned 1% of a horse once”), and spending time with friends and family. Bob lives with his wife and 8-year-old daughter just outside of Philadelphia.
Want to talk to Bob about your organization’s remote support needs? Contact us.
https://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bob-driving-1.jpg551945info@lmcllc.ushttps://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/grandcare-logo-300x138.pnginfo@lmcllc.us2024-04-23 14:54:112024-04-23 14:54:11If Remote Support is Needed in Your Neighborhood, Who You Gonna Call? Bob Ellwood
With staffing shortages plaguing the nation, I/DD and mental health agencies are eager to transform their services into a technology-first model. So, what now? How do you get started? Which technology should you use? How do you staff and integrate it into your existing service model? How long will it take to start saving money?
Laura Mitchell, CEO at GrandCare, and Brian Hart of ShiftAbility will walk attendees through the process during this year’s Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Learn how agencies have used technology tools and staffing strategies to run their remote support services while reducing costs and improving outcomes.
GrandCare is a remote monitoring and remote support platform that helps people with disabilities live more independently. And it helps agencies support more people without more staff, thus helping alleviate staffing shortages. GrandCare is a touchscreen-based solution that has automated medication and ADL prompts, video instruction, and one-touch video calls to remote support. The GrandCare platform uses motion and door sensors to alert remote support that something is amiss. It is also a fully featured telehealth platform so people can better manage their chronic health conditions. And GrandCare also has engaging games and entertainment that is customizable to suit everyone’s taste and interests.
ShiftAbility is a transformation consulting group that assists agencies in making a shift to technology-first using GrandCare and the Smart Living Model.
GrandCare and ShiftAbility will also be exhibiting. You can find us at booth 415 in the Marquis Ballroom.
Exhibit Hall Hours
Tuesday, March 19 from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm (Preview Night exclusive to registered conference attendees only)
Wednesday, March 20 from 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Thursday, March 21 from 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Friday, March 22 from 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
Anaheim Marriott
700 West Convention Way
Anaheim, California 92802
Reservations: 877-622-3056
Hotel: 714-750-8000
Follow #CSUNATC24 on social media for the latest.
https://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/CSUN-assistive-technology-conference-2024.png9162270info@lmcllc.ushttps://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/grandcare-logo-300x138.pnginfo@lmcllc.us2024-02-08 11:50:372024-02-08 11:50:37Technology First Session at the 39th Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference
If you’re experiencing overnight staffing shortages, an increased population of clients who need support, as well as burnout for existing staff, you are not alone. Disability Service Support Agencies find themselves with the frustration of a client population with support needs and not enough physical staff to meet those needs.
We have good news. Assistive technology can help and sometimes even reduce onsite support hours by implementing a remote supports model powered by industry leader, GrandCare Systems.
And what if we told you that not only will your organization save money, but your staff will be more efficient and your clients will experience more independence. Sound too good to be true? It’s not, and we have several studies to prove it.
Many of your clients may need occasional help in the overnight hours, but maybe not every single night and it certainly isn’t necessarily all night. Having a staff member on site for an eight hour shift every single night is a very costly and inefficient way to solve for this kind of need.
Consider the following scenario.
Safely Reducing Overnight Staffing Hours for Marco
Marco has a few things he needs help with and he has engaged a support agency to provide that help. One of the concerns is that he has a sleep-related eating disorder. Occasionally, he’ll get up at night, go to the kitchen and eat a lot of things he shouldn’t. In some cases he might eat things that aren’t even food, creating an even more dangerous situation. For this reason the agency recommended that they have a support person there during the overnight hours.
On the occasion that Marco did get up and make his way to the kitchen, the support staff would wake up and simply say “Hey, Marco, it’s 2 o’clock in the morning. Don’t you think you should go back to bed?” Marco would often nod and go back to bed. In his case, Marco only needed that brief conversation to remain safe.
Now Marco is receiving this support remotely. When he gets out of bed, a motion sensor alerts the remote support staff that there is activity in his kitchen. Then the remote support staff member drops in on the kitchen GrandCare touchscreen to assist him in going back to bed.
Marco no longer needs an overnight staff person and he still has 24/7 available support.
But there are many “Marcos” in your organization.
The remote staff cater to Marco’s needs, but also can simultaneously be available to 21 other residents in the overnight timeframe.
The staffing ratio has now gone from 1:1 to 1:22.
Freeing up these staff members allows your agency to reallocate staff hours to serve more people and to help those who really do need in-person support.
Remote Supports Improve Care
In Marco’s case, he only needed about 60 seconds of support. Using a remote support model through GrandCare, he can get this support only when he needs it and feel more independent the rest of the time.
This not only improves Marco’s quality of life, but improves the lives of your caregiving team and organization.
Talk about a win-win!
Learn more about how GrandCare’s remote support features can help reduce in-person caregiving hours and overnight staffing. Contact us now to schedule a demo.
https://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/staffing-shortage-2.jpg7341810info@lmcllc.ushttps://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/grandcare-logo-300x138.pnginfo@lmcllc.us2024-01-19 14:29:332024-03-11 15:22:22How to Reduce Overnight Staffing and Provide BETTER Remote Support
If Remote Support is Needed in Your Neighborhood, Who You Gonna Call? Bob Ellwood
More and more disability support organizations are incorporating remote support into their list of existing services. Remote support is not only more efficient with staff hours, it’s also an inherently more independent way to receive support. Because we make the premier technology platform to facilitate remote support, GrandCare has been growing to meet that increasing demand. Who’s going to take care of all these new customers? That’s where Bob comes in.
Robert “Bob” Ellwood earned a degree in criminal justice from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With designs on law school, he decided to first take a couple of years off to work at a juvenile detention center. Bob found this kind of work so rewarding that he changed his law school plans and embarked on a 15-year stretch in human services, playing a variety of roles. Bob knows what it is to be on the front line, caring for those who need it.
Working in human services led to a sales position at a personal emergency response system. And, earlier this year, Bob was recruited as the latest addition to the GrandCare sales team.
GrandCare, which has had staff positioned in the Midwest and West Coast for several years, is thrilled to have representation now on the East Coast, where Bob lives.
Being the new guy means he’s learning more about GrandCare every day.
“The coolest feature [about the GrandCare touchscreen] is customization,” Bob said when asked what he found unique about GrandCare. “No two touchscreens are the same, not just the fact people may have different rules for motion or activity, but having your own videos, playing the games you want, stuff like that. Really leads to higher usage. So different from the PERS industry, where I’d frequently tell people the systems are no good if the user doesn’t want it. People want the fun stuff – videos, games, etc. They come for the videos, stay for the med reminders or motion sensors.”
In his spare time, Bob enjoys cheering for, and being driven mad by, his beloved NY Mets, NY Giants, and NY Islanders, reading, history, attending his daughter’s sporting events, horse racing (“I owned 1% of a horse once”), and spending time with friends and family. Bob lives with his wife and 8-year-old daughter just outside of Philadelphia.
Want to talk to Bob about your organization’s remote support needs? Contact us.
Technology First Session at the 39th Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference
With staffing shortages plaguing the nation, I/DD and mental health agencies are eager to transform their services into a technology-first model. So, what now? How do you get started? Which technology should you use? How do you staff and integrate it into your existing service model? How long will it take to start saving money?
Laura Mitchell, CEO at GrandCare, and Brian Hart of ShiftAbility will walk attendees through the process during this year’s Annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Learn how agencies have used technology tools and staffing strategies to run their remote support services while reducing costs and improving outcomes.
The Technology First Transformation – Are You Ready?
Thursday, March 21, 2024 – 3:20pm PST
Elite 1-3, Anaheim Marriott
GrandCare is a remote monitoring and remote support platform that helps people with disabilities live more independently. And it helps agencies support more people without more staff, thus helping alleviate staffing shortages. GrandCare is a touchscreen-based solution that has automated medication and ADL prompts, video instruction, and one-touch video calls to remote support. The GrandCare platform uses motion and door sensors to alert remote support that something is amiss. It is also a fully featured telehealth platform so people can better manage their chronic health conditions. And GrandCare also has engaging games and entertainment that is customizable to suit everyone’s taste and interests.
ShiftAbility is a transformation consulting group that assists agencies in making a shift to technology-first using GrandCare and the Smart Living Model.
GrandCare and ShiftAbility will also be exhibiting. You can find us at booth 415 in the Marquis Ballroom.
Exhibit Hall Hours
Anaheim Marriott
700 West Convention Way
Anaheim, California 92802
Reservations: 877-622-3056
Hotel: 714-750-8000
Follow #CSUNATC24 on social media for the latest.
How to Reduce Overnight Staffing and Provide BETTER Remote Support
If you’re experiencing overnight staffing shortages, an increased population of clients who need support, as well as burnout for existing staff, you are not alone. Disability Service Support Agencies find themselves with the frustration of a client population with support needs and not enough physical staff to meet those needs.
We have good news. Assistive technology can help and sometimes even reduce onsite support hours by implementing a remote supports model powered by industry leader, GrandCare Systems.
And what if we told you that not only will your organization save money, but your staff will be more efficient and your clients will experience more independence. Sound too good to be true? It’s not, and we have several studies to prove it.
Many of your clients may need occasional help in the overnight hours, but maybe not every single night and it certainly isn’t necessarily all night. Having a staff member on site for an eight hour shift every single night is a very costly and inefficient way to solve for this kind of need.
Consider the following scenario.
Safely Reducing Overnight Staffing Hours for Marco
Marco has a few things he needs help with and he has engaged a support agency to provide that help. One of the concerns is that he has a sleep-related eating disorder. Occasionally, he’ll get up at night, go to the kitchen and eat a lot of things he shouldn’t. In some cases he might eat things that aren’t even food, creating an even more dangerous situation. For this reason the agency recommended that they have a support person there during the overnight hours.
On the occasion that Marco did get up and make his way to the kitchen, the support staff would wake up and simply say “Hey, Marco, it’s 2 o’clock in the morning. Don’t you think you should go back to bed?” Marco would often nod and go back to bed. In his case, Marco only needed that brief conversation to remain safe.
Now Marco is receiving this support remotely. When he gets out of bed, a motion sensor alerts the remote support staff that there is activity in his kitchen. Then the remote support staff member drops in on the kitchen GrandCare touchscreen to assist him in going back to bed.
Marco no longer needs an overnight staff person and he still has 24/7 available support.
But there are many “Marcos” in your organization.
The remote staff cater to Marco’s needs, but also can simultaneously be available to 21 other residents in the overnight timeframe.
The staffing ratio has now gone from 1:1 to 1:22.
Freeing up these staff members allows your agency to reallocate staff hours to serve more people and to help those who really do need in-person support.
Remote Supports Improve Care
In Marco’s case, he only needed about 60 seconds of support. Using a remote support model through GrandCare, he can get this support only when he needs it and feel more independent the rest of the time.
This not only improves Marco’s quality of life, but improves the lives of your caregiving team and organization.
Talk about a win-win!
Learn more about how GrandCare’s remote support features can help reduce in-person caregiving hours and overnight staffing. Contact us now to schedule a demo.