A few years ago my mom passed away, and since then my Dad has been living by himself. He’s still in his home, and for the most part, he’s pretty independent, which is great. But he has quite a few medications to take, and that’s becoming a bigger challenge for him. Recently, we’ve noticed that he sometimes forgets to eat, which can be a real problem with his diabetes.
My brother and I try to get over there as much as possible, and lately, we try to make sure one of us gets over there every day. With work and all of the kid shuffling to piano, dance and soccer, it’s hard. We try not to let on that it’s a challenge, because I know dad feels guilty. He keeps saying that we shouldn’t worry about him and instead focus on our own busy lives. He constantly says he doesn’t want to be a burden. On the other hand, when we tried to get some home care services, he resisted. He is used to doing things for himself, and didn’t want to accept help from anyone else. In his words he plans to “die in his bed,” which makes us crazy. There’s no reason he can’t stay safe and healthy at home, if we can just make sure he’s taking his meds.
We decided to go a different route. We gave him a GrandCare System. It’s a touchscreen computer that not only reminds him to eat, and take his medications, but it also lets us see that he’s remembered to test his blood sugar and take his blood pressure medication every day. My brother and I get alerted if he forgets, if his sugar numbers are out of whack, if he misses his meds, or even if he isn’t moving around like normal. We still visit him pretty often, but now it’s more relaxed and enjoyable because we aren’t so worried.
The best part for him is the social end. He has always refused to get a cell phone and don’t even get him started on why he’ll never join Facebook. But with the GrandCare system, he video chats all the time with us and the kids. They’ve been sharing photos with him. My brother and I have Facebook albums that automatically show up on his GrandCare. He uses it to check the news headlines, weather forecast, listen to his favorite music and watch episodes of shows. He even watches the kids play their sports live, right from his living room.
GrandCare has made dad healthier and has made him feel more connected. It’s been a life saver for us!
Isolation and loneliness are epidemic amongst older people. Your children move away, you retire and lose your work network, and maybe even lose your spouse. Perhaps driving is no longer an option and there are fewer friends to meet out. This type of isolation can have a tremendous impact on happiness and overall health. The problem is even worse for those in rural and remote communities where neighbors are few and far between.
If you can’t move, how do you stay connected and in the loop? GrandCare can help. GrandCare has always believed that technology can play a big role in mitigating the feelings of loneliness and isolation, and actually help to bridge family together using video chat and messaging. And we’re not alone. Just recently Nelson Communications Cooperative received a grant to do just that. With GrandCare as their chosen technology partner, Nelson is hosting a pilot program to alleviate isolation for seniors living in rural Wisconsin.
Do you know any seniors who might be feeling isolated or lonely? Maybe we can help. Here’s a video overview of the various ways to stay connected with GrandCare.
https://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/GC-House.jpg10241365info@lmcllc.ushttps://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/grandcare-logo-300x138.pnginfo@lmcllc.us2019-02-18 14:08:582019-02-18 14:08:58All By Myself: GrandCare Combats Social Isolation
Benefit Specialists, an industry leader since 1980, is a privately owned, full service insurance brokerage firm specialize in both employer-provided and voluntary benefits for companies of all sizes across a broad array of industries. Affiliated with over 50 of the largest national insurance companies, they specialize in providing customized solutions for companies looking for group and individual insurance products and benefit plans which will meet the unique needs of employees. Recently, Benefit Specialists wrote an interesting article discussing the impact that emerging technologies are having on long-term care environments. Check out the excerpt below, which explains how GrandCare is reshaping the healthcare landscape.
“For those who want to maximize their peace of mind, Gomez says the Cadillac of virtual long-term care is a remote-monitoring system like that offered by grandCARE.
With this system, activity sensors are placed in a senior’s home. To use grandCARE, Managed Senior Care first evaluates what a typical ‘good day’ looks like for a senior and sets alerts accordingly. For example, if a senior typically has breakfast by 9 a.m. and the refrigerator hasn’t been opened by that time, an alert may go out to a caregiver.
As with Banner iCare, seniors using the grandCARE system are set up with a tablet. In this case, it’s an oversized tablet that can be remotely activated. If a caregiver needs to check on a senior, he or she can open Skype which will activate the camera and microphone on the tablet. At that point, the caregiver can look for the senior and call out to him or her to determine whether help is needed.
‘One of the reasons we like this product is because it’s respectful of the senior,’ Gomez says. ‘You know when people are watching. There is no secret monitoring.’”
https://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/virtual-long-term-care.jpg6551140info@lmcllc.ushttps://www.grandcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/grandcare-logo-300x138.pnginfo@lmcllc.us2019-02-09 17:45:012019-02-09 17:45:01Benefit Specialists Recognizes GrandCare as the Cadillac of Virtual Long-Term Care
Grandpa
A few years ago my mom passed away, and since then my Dad has been living by himself. He’s still in his home, and for the most part, he’s pretty independent, which is great. But he has quite a few medications to take, and that’s becoming a bigger challenge for him. Recently, we’ve noticed that he sometimes forgets to eat, which can be a real problem with his diabetes.
My brother and I try to get over there as much as possible, and lately, we try to make sure one of us gets over there every day. With work and all of the kid shuffling to piano, dance and soccer, it’s hard. We try not to let on that it’s a challenge, because I know dad feels guilty. He keeps saying that we shouldn’t worry about him and instead focus on our own busy lives. He constantly says he doesn’t want to be a burden. On the other hand, when we tried to get some home care services, he resisted. He is used to doing things for himself, and didn’t want to accept help from anyone else. In his words he plans to “die in his bed,” which makes us crazy. There’s no reason he can’t stay safe and healthy at home, if we can just make sure he’s taking his meds.
We decided to go a different route. We gave him a GrandCare System. It’s a touchscreen computer that not only reminds him to eat, and take his medications, but it also lets us see that he’s remembered to test his blood sugar and take his blood pressure medication every day. My brother and I get alerted if he forgets, if his sugar numbers are out of whack, if he misses his meds, or even if he isn’t moving around like normal. We still visit him pretty often, but now it’s more relaxed and enjoyable because we aren’t so worried.
The best part for him is the social end. He has always refused to get a cell phone and don’t even get him started on why he’ll never join Facebook. But with the GrandCare system, he video chats all the time with us and the kids. They’ve been sharing photos with him. My brother and I have Facebook albums that automatically show up on his GrandCare. He uses it to check the news headlines, weather forecast, listen to his favorite music and watch episodes of shows. He even watches the kids play their sports live, right from his living room.
GrandCare has made dad healthier and has made him feel more connected. It’s been a life saver for us!
All By Myself: GrandCare Combats Social Isolation
Isolation and loneliness are epidemic amongst older people. Your children move away, you retire and lose your work network, and maybe even lose your spouse. Perhaps driving is no longer an option and there are fewer friends to meet out. This type of isolation can have a tremendous impact on happiness and overall health. The problem is even worse for those in rural and remote communities where neighbors are few and far between.
If you can’t move, how do you stay connected and in the loop? GrandCare can help. GrandCare has always believed that technology can play a big role in mitigating the feelings of loneliness and isolation, and actually help to bridge family together using video chat and messaging. And we’re not alone. Just recently Nelson Communications Cooperative received a grant to do just that. With GrandCare as their chosen technology partner, Nelson is hosting a pilot program to alleviate isolation for seniors living in rural Wisconsin.
Do you know any seniors who might be feeling isolated or lonely? Maybe we can help. Here’s a video overview of the various ways to stay connected with GrandCare.
Benefit Specialists Recognizes GrandCare as the Cadillac of Virtual Long-Term Care
Benefit Specialists, an industry leader since 1980, is a privately owned, full service insurance brokerage firm specialize in both employer-provided and voluntary benefits for companies of all sizes across a broad array of industries. Affiliated with over 50 of the largest national insurance companies, they specialize in providing customized solutions for companies looking for group and individual insurance products and benefit plans which will meet the unique needs of employees.
Recently, Benefit Specialists wrote an interesting article discussing the impact that emerging technologies are having on long-term care environments. Check out the excerpt below, which explains how GrandCare is reshaping the healthcare landscape.
“For those who want to maximize their peace of mind, Gomez says the Cadillac of virtual long-term care is a remote-monitoring system like that offered by grandCARE.
With this system, activity sensors are placed in a senior’s home. To use grandCARE, Managed Senior Care first evaluates what a typical ‘good day’ looks like for a senior and sets alerts accordingly. For example, if a senior typically has breakfast by 9 a.m. and the refrigerator hasn’t been opened by that time, an alert may go out to a caregiver.
As with Banner iCare, seniors using the grandCARE system are set up with a tablet. In this case, it’s an oversized tablet that can be remotely activated. If a caregiver needs to check on a senior, he or she can open Skype which will activate the camera and microphone on the tablet. At that point, the caregiver can look for the senior and call out to him or her to determine whether help is needed.
‘One of the reasons we like this product is because it’s respectful of the senior,’ Gomez says. ‘You know when people are watching. There is no secret monitoring.’”