Whether staff are checking in with residents, coordinating with coworkers, or speaking with family members, every conversation deserves their full attention. With the GrandCare Systems video call feature, it’s easier to manage incoming calls, reduce interruptions, and keep conversations running smoothly.
The GrandCare Video Call feature allows you to:
See incoming video calls while already on a call
Choose whether to answer the new call or continue the current conversation
Use Do Not Disturb to silence additional incoming calls during an active call
Picture-in-picture and screen sharing let residents use their touchscreen without ending a video call
More reliable video calls
Stay Connected Without Losing Your Place
Care teams often receive calls from several people throughout the day. Instead of missing an important call or being caught off guard, staff can now see when another video call is coming in while they are already on a call.
If the new call needs immediate attention, they can answer it and switch over seamlessly. If not, they can continue their current conversation without interruption.
Keep the Focus on the Person You’re Helping
Some conversations should not be interrupted. That’s why we added a Do Not Disturb option for active calls.
With a single tap, staff can temporarily silence additional incoming call notifications until their current conversation is finished. We also removed the incoming call ringtone during active calls. New calls now appear as a quiet on-screen notification instead of interrupting the discussion.
The result is a calmer, more focused experience for both staff and residents.
Let Callers Know You Are Busy
Now a caller can know if the person they are calling is busy. A notification will pop up on the screen letting them know that the person they are calling is busy.
Help Residents While They Use Their Touchscreen
One of the most requested video call improvements is now available. Residents can minimize the video screen and continue using their GrandCare touchscreen without hanging up the call.
This gives staff a new way to provide hands-on guidance remotely. For example, a staff member can walk a resident through using the touchscreen while staying connected on the video call.
With screen sharing, staff can also see what the resident is seeing as they navigate their touchscreen. This can make it easier to provide step-by-step support and help residents build confidence using their device.
Picture-in-picture and screen sharing can be activated from either end of the call by selecting the minimize button. Residents can initiate screen sharing with staff using the On-call client or iOS and Android mobile apps. Staff can currently initiate picture-in-picture through the Care Portal website.
More Reliable Video Calls
GrandCare has also improved things behind the scenes that make video calls more dependable. Better timing during call connections and disconnections helps conversations start and end more smoothly.
Together, these features give staff more control over video calls while creating new opportunities to support residents as they use their GrandCare touchscreen, making communication even easier across the GrandCare platform.
https://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/better-remote-supports-video-calls-grandcare.jpg7221455info@lmcllc.ushttps://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/grandcare-systems.pnginfo@lmcllc.us2026-09-01 08:00:492026-09-03 18:12:53More Control, Fewer Interruptions, and Better Support During Video Calls
Dolly Parton is known for her music, humor, generosity, and unmistakable personality. But there’s another part of her legacy that deserves attention: her commitment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and her belief that every person deserves an opportunity to participate, contribute, and be valued.
One of the best examples is Dollywood.
For decades, Dollywood has worked to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Rather than focusing on what someone can’t do, the philosophy is much closer to a question we should all be asking:
What can this person do—and what support would help them succeed?
That simple shift is powerful.
Purpose Matters
A job is about more than a paycheck. It provides routine, relationships, responsibility, confidence, and the feeling that other people are counting on you.
Those things matter tremendously for people with I/DD.
The goal shouldn’t simply be to keep someone safe or cared for. It should be to help each person build a life that includes purpose, choice, relationships, growth, and meaningful contribution.
Support Without Taking Over
Dolly Parton’s story and the culture she has helped create also demonstrate something important: supporting someone doesn’t mean doing everything for them.
Sometimes the best support is simply creating the environment where someone can succeed.
That’s an important lesson for disability services.
Technology, DSPs, families, remote support professionals, and providers should ask:
Are we doing something for this person that, with the right tools, they could eventually do themselves?
At GrandCare, that’s a question we think about constantly.
Person-directed remote supports aren’t about removing human connection. They’re about using technology and people differently—providing reminders, coaching, communication, reassurance, and assistance when it’s needed while giving individuals room to make choices, develop skills, and direct more of their own lives.
Expect More
Perhaps the biggest lesson is simply to expect more from people.
People with I/DD can work. They can learn. They can make decisions. They can contribute to their communities. They can take pride in accomplishing something independently.
Our job isn’t to define their limitations.
It’s to create opportunities, provide the right support, and then give them the space to surprise us.
Dolly Parton built a career around being unapologetically herself—and she’s spent decades helping other people find opportunities to do the same.
That’s a philosophy worth bringing into disability services:
See the person. Discover what matters to them. Give them the tools to succeed. And never underestimate what they can do.
https://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/believe-in-people-with-disabilities.jpg8001200info@lmcllc.ushttps://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/grandcare-systems.pnginfo@lmcllc.us2026-08-27 13:57:432026-08-27 15:26:58What Dolly Parton Can Teach Us About Inclusion, Independence, and Believing in People
What if technology could help residents live more independently without changing the way their homes look or feel?
That’s the idea behind GrandCare Systems. GrandCare brings remote supports technology into homes and group housing, using smart-home sensors, an easy-to-use touchscreen, video calls, reminders, and more to help individuals with I/DD stay connected, build independence, and get support when they need it, without always needing someone there in person.
See what’s possible at the 2026 AASC National Service Coordinator Conference. Visit GrandCare at Table #20 on August 24 at the JW Marriott Austin to explore how remote supports can become part of a more independent, person-directed approach to community housing.
The 2026 National Service Coordinator Conference
When: August 23 – 26, 2026 – Exhibit hall hours 9:00am-3:30pm on Monday August 24
Where: JW Marriott Austin – Austin, Texas
Experience firsthand how remote support technology is transforming service delivery for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, behavioral health needs, and aging populations. Plus, enter our drawing for your chance to win a tote bag full of goodies!
Visit our booth and learn how the GrandCare Systems remote supports technology helps to:
Have clients actively participate in their own care
Connect clients to staff & family
Alert staff when needed
Save staff time for more impactful work
Reduce staff turnover & burnout
Why Not Have Some Austin Fun?
Known as the “Live Music Capital of the World”, Austin covers roughly 280 square miles, boasts a population of over 960,000 people, and serves as a major hub for technology, culture, and higher education.
While you’re in Austin, you may want to check these out, too!
About the American Association of Service Coordinators
AASC is a national nonprofit membership organization comprised of more than 4,000 service coordinators, property managers, housing directors and other affordable housing professionals.
https://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Austin-AASC-Rev-A-scaled.jpg14382560info@lmcllc.ushttps://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/grandcare-systems.pnginfo@lmcllc.us2026-08-22 09:01:112026-08-22 09:01:11GrandCare Remote Supports at the 2026 AASC Conference in Austin
More Control, Fewer Interruptions, and Better Support During Video Calls
Whether staff are checking in with residents, coordinating with coworkers, or speaking with family members, every conversation deserves their full attention. With the GrandCare Systems video call feature, it’s easier to manage incoming calls, reduce interruptions, and keep conversations running smoothly.
The GrandCare Video Call feature allows you to:
Stay Connected Without Losing Your Place
Care teams often receive calls from several people throughout the day. Instead of missing an important call or being caught off guard, staff can now see when another video call is coming in while they are already on a call.
If the new call needs immediate attention, they can answer it and switch over seamlessly. If not, they can continue their current conversation without interruption.
Keep the Focus on the Person You’re Helping
Some conversations should not be interrupted. That’s why we added a Do Not Disturb option for active calls.
With a single tap, staff can temporarily silence additional incoming call notifications until their current conversation is finished. We also removed the incoming call ringtone during active calls. New calls now appear as a quiet on-screen notification instead of interrupting the discussion.
The result is a calmer, more focused experience for both staff and residents.
Let Callers Know You Are Busy
Now a caller can know if the person they are calling is busy. A notification will pop up on the screen letting them know that the person they are calling is busy.
Help Residents While They Use Their Touchscreen
One of the most requested video call improvements is now available. Residents can minimize the video screen and continue using their GrandCare touchscreen without hanging up the call.
This gives staff a new way to provide hands-on guidance remotely. For example, a staff member can walk a resident through using the touchscreen while staying connected on the video call.
With screen sharing, staff can also see what the resident is seeing as they navigate their touchscreen. This can make it easier to provide step-by-step support and help residents build confidence using their device.
Picture-in-picture and screen sharing can be activated from either end of the call by selecting the minimize button. Residents can initiate screen sharing with staff using the On-call client or iOS and Android mobile apps. Staff can currently initiate picture-in-picture through the Care Portal website.
More Reliable Video Calls
GrandCare has also improved things behind the scenes that make video calls more dependable. Better timing during call connections and disconnections helps conversations start and end more smoothly.
Together, these features give staff more control over video calls while creating new opportunities to support residents as they use their GrandCare touchscreen, making communication even easier across the GrandCare platform.
What Dolly Parton Can Teach Us About Inclusion, Independence, and Believing in People
Dolly Parton is known for her music, humor, generosity, and unmistakable personality. But there’s another part of her legacy that deserves attention: her commitment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and her belief that every person deserves an opportunity to participate, contribute, and be valued.
One of the best examples is Dollywood.
For decades, Dollywood has worked to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Rather than focusing on what someone can’t do, the philosophy is much closer to a question we should all be asking:
What can this person do—and what support would help them succeed?
That simple shift is powerful.
Purpose Matters
A job is about more than a paycheck. It provides routine, relationships, responsibility, confidence, and the feeling that other people are counting on you.
Those things matter tremendously for people with I/DD.
The goal shouldn’t simply be to keep someone safe or cared for. It should be to help each person build a life that includes purpose, choice, relationships, growth, and meaningful contribution.
Support Without Taking Over
Dolly Parton’s story and the culture she has helped create also demonstrate something important: supporting someone doesn’t mean doing everything for them.
Sometimes the best support is simply creating the environment where someone can succeed.
That’s an important lesson for disability services.
Technology, DSPs, families, remote support professionals, and providers should ask:
Are we doing something for this person that, with the right tools, they could eventually do themselves?
At GrandCare, that’s a question we think about constantly.
Person-directed remote supports aren’t about removing human connection. They’re about using technology and people differently—providing reminders, coaching, communication, reassurance, and assistance when it’s needed while giving individuals room to make choices, develop skills, and direct more of their own lives.
Expect More
Perhaps the biggest lesson is simply to expect more from people.
People with I/DD can work. They can learn. They can make decisions. They can contribute to their communities. They can take pride in accomplishing something independently.
Our job isn’t to define their limitations.
It’s to create opportunities, provide the right support, and then give them the space to surprise us.
Dolly Parton built a career around being unapologetically herself—and she’s spent decades helping other people find opportunities to do the same.
That’s a philosophy worth bringing into disability services:
See the person. Discover what matters to them. Give them the tools to succeed. And never underestimate what they can do.
GrandCare Remote Supports at the 2026 AASC Conference in Austin
What if technology could help residents live more independently without changing the way their homes look or feel?
That’s the idea behind GrandCare Systems. GrandCare brings remote supports technology into homes and group housing, using smart-home sensors, an easy-to-use touchscreen, video calls, reminders, and more to help individuals with I/DD stay connected, build independence, and get support when they need it, without always needing someone there in person.
See what’s possible at the 2026 AASC National Service Coordinator Conference. Visit GrandCare at Table #20 on August 24 at the JW Marriott Austin to explore how remote supports can become part of a more independent, person-directed approach to community housing.
The 2026 National Service Coordinator Conference
When: August 23 – 26, 2026 – Exhibit hall hours 9:00am-3:30pm on Monday August 24
Where: JW Marriott Austin – Austin, Texas
Experience firsthand how remote support technology is transforming service delivery for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, behavioral health needs, and aging populations. Plus, enter our drawing for your chance to win a tote bag full of goodies!
Visit our booth and learn how the GrandCare Systems remote supports technology helps to:
Why Not Have Some Austin Fun?
Known as the “Live Music Capital of the World”, Austin covers roughly 280 square miles, boasts a population of over 960,000 people, and serves as a major hub for technology, culture, and higher education.
While you’re in Austin, you may want to check these out, too!
About the American Association of Service Coordinators
AASC is a national nonprofit membership organization comprised of more than 4,000 service coordinators, property managers, housing directors and other affordable housing professionals.