Tips and Resources for Long-distance Caregivers

Tuesday, November 22nd: www.pressofatlanticcity.com

By:  Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior: What kinds of help are available to long-distance caregivers? My mother has gotten very forgetful in her old age and has fallen a few times over the past year, but is determined to stay living in her own house. How can I help her from 700 miles away? – Worried Daughter

Dear Worried: In today’s mobile society, caring for an elderly parent from afar has become increasingly common. In fact, the National Institute of Health estimates there are around 7 million Americans who are long-distance caregivers today. Here are some tips and resources that can help you.

Weigh your options

When it comes to monitoring and caring of an aging parent who lives far away, you have a couple options. You can hire a professional to oversee your parent. Or you can coordinate the care yourself by assembling a network of neighbors, friends, medical specialist, drivers, housekeepers and other helpers.

In either case, you may want to start by having your mom get a geriatric assessment. This is a professional evaluation to identify her needs and a suggested plan to manage her care. To find a professional who does this, contact your mom’s doctor or visit the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers website at caremanager.org.

Once you get an assessment you’ll need to decide how to proceed. If you decide to hire a geriatric care manager he or she can set up and manage all aspects of care, and monitor your mom’s ongoing needs. And if her health deteriorates they can determine if assisted living or a nursing home is the best option and find a suitable facility. Care managers charge hourly rates for these services ranging between $75 and $150 per hour, and it’s not covered by Medicare.

Do it yourself

If, however, you don’t want or can’t afford to use a care manager, here are some things you can do yourself to help you manage her care.

•Assemble a care team: Put together a network of people (nearby friends or family, neighbors, clergy, mail carrier, etc.) who can check in on your mom regularly. And be sure they have your contact information so they can call you if need be.

•Find local resources: Most communities offer a range of free or subsidized services that provide seniors with basic needs such as home delivered meals, transportation, senior companion services and more. To find out what’s available, contact the Area Agency on Aging in your mom’s community. Call 800-677-1116 for contact information.

•Get a handle on finances: If your mom needs help with her financial chores, arrange for direct deposit of her Social Security and other pension checks (see godirect.org), and set up automatic payments for her utilities and other routine bills. Or, consider hiring a professional daily money manager (they charge between $25 and $100 per hour) who can do it for her. See aadmm.com or call 877-326-5991 to locate one.

•Use technology: For about $1 per day, rent your mom a personal emergency response system. This is a small pendent-style “SOS” button she wears that would allow her to call for help if she fell. These are available through companies such as lifelinesys.com and lifealert.com. Or, check out home monitoring systems at grandcare.comor closebynetwork.com.

•Hire home help: Depending on her needs, you may need to hire a home-care provider who can help with homemaking chores, personal care or medical issues. Costs vary from around $12 to $30 per hour. To find home-care assistance, call your mom’s doctor’s office, the discharge planner at her local hospital or seemedicare.gov/hhcompare.

•Seek financial assistance: Visit benefitscheckup.org to look for programs that may help your mom pay for drugs, health care, utilities and other expenses.

Savvy tip: Call the National Institute on Aging at 800-222-2225 and order their free booklet “So Far Away: Twenty Questions for Long-Distance Caregivers.”

Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC “Today” show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org

Independence through Assistive Technology Cybermation Delivers the GrandCare System

Just thought we’d share a press story that was written about one of our dealers in Minnesota, Cybermation!

The tele-health industry is garnering a great deal of attention these days.  There is more than one reason this is occurring.  The baseline is that the senior and disabled population is rapidly growing, and hence, the expense to care for this demographic is also rapidly growing.  To further magnify this, the nation’s economic situation creates additional, overwhelming difficulties to provide the necessary services with limited financial resources.

One solution is the GrandCare system, configured and developed by Cybermation in Waite Park, MN.  Not only does GrandCare benefit our aging and disabled population, but it provides a system to remain independent in the home of their choice.

Products targeting remote health services have been in use for years.  Health care organizations and hospitals have implemented consumer electronic devices that are FDA compliant and provide a specific function, e.g., blood pressure, weight, glucose levels, etc.  Tremendous cost savings and better care have been two primary results.  More recently, products that help track activities of daily living (ADL) have also improved people’s lives and health by providing data that addresses the living patterns and tasks that must successfully be performed for someone to continue to live independently in their home.

Various electronic devices, from simple machines for emailing, personal computers, and more recently iPads and similar devices have all provided the opportunity for someone to have remote communication with family members, friends and caregivers in various ways, such as email, pictures, faxes, text messages, even video conferencing from free services such as Skype.

Products have and will continue to evolve that embrace the social, clinical and ADL aspects of maintaining, even improving the health of a person that wishes to remain in their home.  No product has more completely and holistically embraced all aspects of these facets of tele-health than the HomeBase system from GrandCare system.

Available since 2006, GrandCare Systems is a pioneer in the aging, disabled and technology digital home health industry.  The system integrates various remote monitoring technologies to provide an array of wellness and activity information, easily accessible by health care professionals and family members via the Internet.

GrandCare allows remote caregivers and health care professionals access to detailed information on the resident’s general activity levels, activities of daily living, home environment, health data, medication adherence, and more.  GrandCare notices sudden changes in behavior, drastic activity level changes, noncompliance, and other critical issues, which can be programmed to notify the correct caregiver via text, email or phone call.  GrandCare can also send care coordination notes, caregiving reports to designated caregivers and can even prompt a resident with a helpful reminder or cognitive assist.

GrandCare’s Smart home features can provide residents a variety of simple enhancements to daily living, including safe path lighting for late night bathroom trips, temperature moderation and secure call screening.

To the resident, the GrandCare system is a friendly, interactive connection to family, one touch video chat, a digital picture frame, access to services, games and videos. It is intuitive and easy to use with large, simple touch-screen buttons.  The GrandCare system can also use switche method of operation.  GrandCare is a helpful, resourceful, social connection and pure enjoyment!

All of these features and more are available for less cost than one month in assisted living – certainly a relevant consideration in today’s economic times.  Quantitative benefits of this magnitude are certainly going to catch the eye of any party facing the extraordinary costs associated with caring for the elderly.

However, it’s Cybermation’s sincere belief that these quantitative benefits are trumped by the wealth of qualitative benefits.  Indeed, social workers and clinical workers alike have a common belief that the simple devices that deliver either a clinical, social, or environmental benefit deliver net-positive value both quantitatively and qualitatively. GrandCare by Cybermation, however, provides a far more holistic, encompassing approach that successfully creates a relationship by a tailored blend of services to both the individual as well as the caregivers.

Caregiving in this day and age is both a big business as well as a very demanding responsibility in the diverse, dynamic, fast-paced environment where the family unit can be widely dispersed.  History shows that technology has been the predominant catalyst for change and benefit, and considering  the plethora of advanced technologies available to be developed and applied, there’s little wonder that GrandCare is at the forefront.

The final link in the process is to bring the proven product to the individual and their loved one.  GrandCare made a deliberate decision years ago that in order to effectively determine the individual needs, install the system properly, and to provide adequate support on an on-going basis, required a committed, consistent relationship with the entire family.  Hence, a decentralized sales and distribution process was implemented with a high degree of success.  Selected system integrators throughout the country have a very active relationship with GrandCare’s West Bend, WI office.  GrandCare also developed a remote support system for their dealers that allows easy hardware and software support.  The net result is an informed, active sales and support channel that provides the GrandCare user and caregivers with the personalized experience a system of this nature requires.

For more information on Cybermation and the GrandCare system, visit their website at www.cybermationinc.com or call (320) 255.7027, email  sales@cybermationinc.com

EquipAlife has installed demonstration units of GrandCare in each of their seven offices located through the state.  These devices can be either be used at the office or can be taken home for a 30-day “test drive” to experience how GrandCare can be  a tremendous asset in the health and wellness of the individual as well as assist people in the caregiver process.
Contact EquipALife at 763.479.8239, toll free at 1.866.535.8239 or email info@atmn.org and set up a time to have a “GrandCare Experience”.

GrandCare Systems and CoroHealth Announce a Harmonious Collaboration

West Bend, WI – November 2, 2011 – GrandCare Systems and Coro Health today announced a strategic collaboration to integrate Coro Health’s Streaming Music into GrandCare’s fully-featured remote activity of daily living monitoring, telehealth and socialization system.  The result is a harmonious experience: giving the GrandCare customer a deeper level of musical entertainment, passion and familial communication.

“It’s a natural fit” states GrandCare Systems Founder and CEO, Charles Hillman.  “GrandCare Systems has always embraced a holistic approach by considering the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of wellness. We are excited to collaborate with Coro Health, one of the pioneers in therapeutic music.”

“Music is much more than a series of notes” remarks David Schofman, Founder of Coro Health.  “It can reach deep into the human spirit and change a mood in an instant. GrandCare’s platform provides a perfect home for Coro Health’s therapeutic music and will help to enable Loved Ones to remain connected and happy in their homes.”

GrandCare Systems and Coro Health will be showcasing the Digital Home Health and music partnership at the upcoming AgeTech California Technology Conference & Exposition on November 15th at the Hilton Hotel in Pasadena, CA.

About GrandCare Systems: On the market since 2006, GrandCare Systems is a pioneer in the aging and technology digital home health industry.  GrandCare offers a senior friendly, Internet-enabled, private home touch screen system aimed at maintaining independence, enabling full family socialization, controlling chronic conditions, and reducing hospital readmissions. It combines the technologies of smart home, activity monitoring, wellness monitoring, and social connectivity. The wellness aspect includes wireless physiological readings (weight, blood pressure, oximeter, glucometer), self- assessment, and medication compliance with associated rule sets, alerts, and congregate analytics. The social aspect includes one button Skype, Coro Health music, wellness videos, reminders, and other standard social media content aimed at reducing isolation, educating the resident, and influencing them to better self-manage his/her own health.

About Coro Health: Coro Health is a new media healthcare company. We create, design and distribute therapeutic media to support individuals within a wide range of healthcare settings. Our flagship products include MusicFirst and CoroFaith. Both programs are individually designed for users and delivered via a cloud-based and device agnostic network. Our customers include long-term care communities, hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, home health companies and end consumers.

GrandCare Media Contact:
Laura Mitchell
VP of Marketing
262-338-6147
laura@grandcare.com
www.grandcare.com
Press kit: https://www.grandcare.com/presskit/docs/PressKit.pdf

Coro Health Media Contact:
Leanne J. Flask
Chief Content Officer
512-553-6482
leanne@corohealth.com
www.corohealth.com

The Digital Home Health Boom – Custom Retailer Magazine

Wanted to throw this article out there for you. Written by one of our distributors, Home Controls, this article emphasizes why Digital Home Health is the market place to be in!  GrandCare’s VP of Marketing took some time with Jonathan (the author and Marketing for Home Controls) to speak about this industry and what it means to the dealers.  GrandCare is quoted in this article as one of the aging in place technologies.

Are you ready to expand into the aging in place market. Read this article to learn more….

http://digitaleditions.napco.com/publication/?i=86888

GrandCare featured in 5 CAST Members that had a good October!!

Special thanks to CAST for including GrandCare System in their newsletter and website!!!

5 CAST Business Members That Had A Good October

Oct 26, 2011  www.leadingage.org
by Geralyn Magan

A number of CAST Business Members had good news to share in October about their involvement in new initiatives and partnerships, as well as well-deserved recognition that enhances their standing in the field of aging services technologies. Here’s a sampling of the good news:

[…]

GrandCare Receives Kudos from Business Association

GrandCare Systems, a CAST member in Westbend, WI, was chosen as one of 11 finalists in the Healthcare ABBY Awards presented by Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL), a California-based association of health and technology chief executives. As part of the competition, GrandCare produced a 4-minute video called “The Greatest Generation.” ABL created the Innovations in Health Care Awards to honor health care industry leaders whose innovative products and services reduce the cost of providing quality health care. […]

To read the whole article, click Here

Laura Mitchell interviewed by Senior Care Corner

Technology To Help Seniors Stay Safe & Healthy at Home

Click here to listen to the Podcast

We stay on the lookout for technology that improves the lives of both seniors and their families as a key part of our mission at Senior Care Corner.  When we encountered GrandCare Systems at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, we knew this was a solution about which we wanted to learn more.  In this episode of our podcast we learn together.

We are pleased to welcome Laura Mitchell, GrandCare’s Vice President of Marketing, to join us for a chat at Senior Care Corner.  Laura told us about the personal story behind the founding of the company and GrandCare Systems’ technology and how it helps seniors to stay safe and healthy at home while bringing them closer to their families.

We found it particularly interesting that some have used the GrandCare solution to increase the independence of senior loved ones by linking them via internet to distant family members and other caregivers, which allows at least some to transition from full time to part time in-home care.

In addition to our conversation with Laura, Kathy brings us several news items of interest to seniors and their families and Barry introduces us to the Senior Care Corner Bookstore.

Links Mentioned in this Senior Care Corner Episode

Take a look at Senior Care Corner on the web for additional information and Podcasts.

Telecare Aware: GrandCare Issues a CALL for Information!!!

A few days ago, I posted a request on LinkedIn, letting everyone know about the research project I am embarking upon. I am seeking information to compile a large research paper of sorts on why technology will aid in successful hospital to home transitions, ROI in telehealth, a technology implementation plan and how GrandCare fits into every piece of that puzzle.  Our good friend, Donna Cusano, at Telecare Aware loved the idea and posted it on their blog Telecare Aware, so I wanted to repost it here as well!!!  Thanks Donna!

Technology use in long-term care: a call for information  

For many new–or not so new–companies in the telecare, telecare+social connectedness and even telehealth systems, one of the difficulties in creating appeal for their service, especially among long term care (LTC) providers, is PROOF. Normally one of the tasks of company marketers is to provide this proof. But ‘research that counts’: long term, large N studies; academic research etc. developed in time frame available and the budget, when it resembles the life of the may fly….a bridge too far. Laura Mitchell, who is VP Marketing for one of the earliest and most visionary companies in the field, GrandCare Systems, and also a founder/leader of the industry group AgeTek, is calling for others to help her build a paper for general dissemination on succesful technology implementation into LTC. This is an area where this kind of information will be a ‘tide that lifts all boats.’ With her permission, I’m excerpting her posting on several groups on LinkedIn. The Editors also invite Laura to consider the comment space for this article as a workspace for development on this project, as our exposure is international and different than LinkedIn’s.

Using Digital Home Health Technology in Long Term Care (by Laura Mitchell, GrandCare Systems)
So many times I talk with long term care providers and they see that technology is there, it works, it’s available and others are doing it, but yet they want more proof. They want references, they want testimonials and they want to know exactly how to implement it. I have been making it my role these days to keep providing more and more information about how and why technology can help in long term care, ROI, how it connects residents to family and staff, why residents and staff are happier using it and how to successfully implement it. I will be posting bits and pieces on LinkedIn as I continue to research and pull together different pieces. The end result will sort of be a “paper” on successful technology implementation into long term care – model options, pricing, staff education, testimonials, etc. If you have any questions, comments or thoughts for me as I go along on this journey, shoot me an email!

Please contact Laura directly at info (at) grandcare.com

[Ed. Donna’s comment on LinkedIn follows]

Where is the vision to make telecare and social connectedness MUSTS in supporting older adults in their homes or in LTC?

The problem is that many ‘senior communities’ or home carers just don’t have the vision, especially the for-profits where the bottom line is all important–and many of the non-profits simply don’t have the fiscal resources. The question is how to move telecare/social connectedness from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘MUST have.’ And I hate to say that may have to be done by appealing to state regulators to make connectedness and socialization metrics for licensure.

The other alternative is to drive consumer demand and make it a MUST for families–but the millions to drive that message are absent and not likely to appear any time soon (if Warren Buffett and Bill Gates want a useful place to spend their money, here it is!)

But then again Steve and I have been whinging on about this on Telecare Aware for years, from both sides of the Atlantic!
To view the posting on Telecare Aware:  http://www.telecareaware.com/index.php/technology-use-in-long-term-care-a-call-for-information.htm
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Spaulding Clinical Announces Strategic Partnership with GrandCare Systems, Delivering Integrated Home Diagnostic ECG Monitoring

West Bend, WI – September XX, 2011 – GrandCare Systems and Spaulding Clinical Research today announced a strategic relationship to integrate Spaulding’s hand-held, portable Spaulding iQTM Electrocardiograph into GrandCare’s remote activity & telehealth home monitoring system.  The result of combining these two disruptive technologies creates an exciting industry first: a telemedicine home diagnostic ECG service, currently unavailable in the Aging and Technology Industry. Interestingly, the two internationally recognized companies were both founded in West Bend, Wisconsin, which results in seamless collaboration.

“We have a major healthcare crisis on our hands,” states GrandCare Systems Founder and CEO, Charles Hillman.  “If we don’t change how care is delivered, the aging boomers will bankrupt this country.  We need innovative technologies that can offer a more proactive, preventative, personalized and predictive in-home care experience.  This is what the GrandCare/Spaulding Clinical collaboration is all about”.

“There is a rapidly growing number of elderly adults with chronic cardiac disease that need close monitoring to remain at home,” states Randol Spaulding, Founder and CEO of Spaulding Clinical Research.  “The simple, one-button, portable design of the Spaulding iQ makes it an ideal home care product, and when combined with the telemedicine platform that GrandCare has developed, this innovative system will enable chronic cardiac patients to safely live in their homes, rather than expensive assisted-living or nursing home facilities.”

Spaulding Clinical and GrandCare will be exhibiting and collecting clinical feedback on this cutting-edge integration at the National Association of Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) Annual meeting in Las Vegas, October 1- 5th (booth 1068) and in Washington DC October 16 – 19th at LeadingAge (booth 2340).   Expect the official GrandCare/Spaulding ECG product launch in early 2012.

GrandCare Systems (www.grandcare.com) combines activity of daily living & telehealth monitoring, senior social networking, medication management and cognitive assists into one user-friendly touch-based system.  GrandCare can be customized to fit anyone’s needs to assure independence, security, happiness and overall wellness.

Spaulding Clinical Research, LLC (www.spauldingclinical.com) provides Clinical Pharmacology, Cardiac Core Lab clinical research services, and is a medical device manufacturer. Spaulding Clinical operates a 105-bed clinical pharmacology unit with 96-beds of Mortara telemetry in West Bend, Wisconsin. The facility is paperless, with a phase I Electronic Data Capture system and bi-directional interfaces to safety lab, bedside devices and telemetry. As a Phase I-IV Core ECG Laboratory provider, Spaulding offers the complete suite of equipment provisioning and electrocardiograph over-reading services with state-of-the-art technologies, including the proprietary Spaulding iQ Electrocardiograph, and expertly trained cardiologists and project managers.

GrandCare Media Contact:
Laura Mitchell, VP of Marketing
Tel:  262-338-6147
Email:  Laura@Grandcare.com
Electronic Press kit: https://www.grandcare.com/presskit/docs/PressKit.pdf

Spaulding Media Contact:
Kathy Forde
Sr. Director of Marketing
Tel:  (414) 303-1912
Email:  kathy.forde@spauldingclinical.com

Visionary Long Term Care Provider, Prelude in MN, talks TECHNOLOGY & GrandCare Systems!!

Prelude Homes & Services Offers a New Way of Living

by Alzheimers Speaks Radio Show

Listen as Campus Director, Janelle Johnson discusses why Prelude is so unique in offering technology like GrandCare Systems for better, more connected care. She discusses the GrandCare Solution and their usage between 25:43 – 27:20.  She then speaks more to GrandCare between 42:50 and 46:31

She offers great insight into why long term care communities should use technology and how it makes them a better place!!!!  We need more long term care providers that are this innovative, this forward-thinking and this visionary! Thanks Janelle for this great piece!!

Janelle discusses how they use GrandCare to reach out into the community. They also use it within their property. She discusses it as a communication tool for residents, use for SKYPE and talks about using GrandCare as a residential KIOSK set up in a community room. Below is a picture of what a multi-res kiosk might look like.

SKYPE on the GrandCare System! Helps residents connect with family members!

skype

Prelude Homes & Services Offering a New Way of Living

Download & Listen

Guests Today:  Janelle Johnson, Campus Director – Prelude, and Suzi Shuman, Director of Sales and Marketing – API

Mission

  • Providing elders & their families resources to live successfully in their own homes;
  • Providing compassionate, state-of-the art care for those who seek service-enriched housing;
  • Providing a place of peace, comfort, and hope for those desiring end-of-life care;
  • All within a community built on Biblical principles.
See a video on Prelude and all of the features & amenities they offer!  http://preludecares.com/

GrandCare Systems: Product Spotlight on ageinplace.com

GrandCare All in One Monitoring and Communication System

Age in Place, Product Spotlight

A virtual experience for seniors, family and caregivers that combines monitoring and communication in one system, the GrandCare System helps aging in place seniors remain independent and safe at home. Whether monitoring blood pressure, maintaining room temperatures or calling for help, seniors and their caregivers have easy access to one system for senior health and safety controls, socialization and communication.

The GrandCare system was the first system to combine socialization, activities of daily living (ADLs) and telehealth monitoring, which together provide peace of mind for family members living close by or long distance. With “wireless” Bluetooth, X10 and ZWave sensors throughout the home, family and caregivers can monitor the senior’s health and home. No computer skills are needed to operate the easy to use senior home care solution that features an interactive touch screen. Designated caregivers and family can log into the GrandCare website and access sensor graphs, vitals and set up parameters/rules to receive alerts if specific events occur such as medications are not taken, a door is opened at odd times, a refrigerator is not accessed at meal time or an individual did not get out of bed.

As needs continually change, the system monitors the activities of daily living such as waking up, entry and exit from home, eating, sleeping and general movement around the residence. It also uses reminders and cognitive assists when needed to help seniors with medication management. The telehealth feature remotely manages chronic health conditions by tracking blood pressure, weight, pulse and glucose.

For further safety, the Smart Home Automation helps control aspects of the home that promote senior safety. The system controls the home’s temperature, automates lighting and monitors appliances such as the stove being left on.

Seniors will have the ability to socialize and keep in touch with their family using the two-way Web conferencing feature. The virtual visits also allow conferencing with the caregiver, family or doctor all on a monitor in the loved one’s home. Users also can view family videos and pictures, read emails, listen to voicemails and check a calendar for important dates and reminders.

In addition to the socialization, seniors can remain sharp with access to weather updates; news; videos; and entertainment such as games, trivia and spiritual offerings that encourage mental activity and brain fitness.

Grandcare Feature Highlights

  • Medication Compliance, Reminders & Cognitive Assists
  • Telehealth Tracking (BP, Weight, Pulse, Glucose & EKG (coming soon))
  • 2-Way Video Chat & Virtual Visits – Caregiver, Doctor, Family virtual visits on a MONITOR in the Loved One’s Home
  • Activity of Daily Living Monitoring (wake-up, entry/exit from home, eating, sleeping, general movement, med access, etc.)
  • Smart Home Automation (indoor temperature, automated lighting (safe path lighting), appliances (stove left on, etc))
  • Socialization – – Family videos, emails, pictures, voicemails, calendar
  • Brain Fitness – – Games, Trivia, Word of the Day, Spiritual Offerings, headline news, weather reports

Seniors will not need computer skills to benefit from these features.

Original article: http://ageinplace.com/aging-in-place-technology/grandcare-all-in-one-monitoring-and-communication-system/