grandCARE receives 9.7 out of 10 on the Senior List Product Review

Product Review: grandCARE

The Senior List (read the entire review here)

GrandCare Systems
9.7 out of 10

I get really excited about new technologies, systems, and emerging companies.  Especially if they’re built with the goal of making peoples lives more livable.   GrandCARE Systems is one of those companies that’s easy to get behind!  GrandCARE Systems is a communication tool, care management asset and activity-sensor-hub all wrapped up in an easy-to-use touchscreen device.

Connectivity Tools For Seniors

The grandCARE System offers connectivity for seniors.  It keeps them connected to family members, caregivers, and healthcare providers alike.  Family members are able to share photos, videos, and messages through the care portal (which can be accessed through any device with an internet connection).  Caregivers can set up activity reminders and medication prompts.  Medication reminders take on a whole new look with photos of pills and dosing information.

Healthcare providers are able to set up sensors around the home that can detect motion, establish sleep patterns and even send an alert if the refrigerator door has not been opened in the morning.  The system also supports telehealth devices such as blood pressure monitors, scales, pulse oximeters, glucometers, and thermometers.   All of this can be done while monitoring and engaging even the most technology-averse seniors.GrandCare Systems offers connectivity to seniors

GrandCARE allows every person involved with the senior to contribute in their own way.  It allows people to feel more integrated into their loved ones lives. — Daphne Karpan, Home Care RN

Thegrandcare systems communication tool grandCARE touch screen interface is very easy for the front end-user, presumably an older adult that may not be familiar with computers or modern tech.  It’s also easy for family, caregivers and providers who are connected on the back-end.  Monitoring seniors at home can make a great deal of sense.  GrandCARE just makes it easier!  Personally, I can also see this system being a welcome addition to any long distance family member situation.  Family members can easily send photos, videos and personal notes to share.

We reviewed a competitor of grandCARE in the past called Video Care.  Even though Video Care isn’t around anymore, their users have been incorporated into the grandCARE system.

 VideoCare used different hardware than grandCARE but we invested in testing our software to the point we can simply send VideoCare customers a USB drive that installs GrandCare on their current VideoCare touch PC.   It has made a number of people happy and we are proud to almost seamlessly migrate clients and their caregivers from VideoCare to grandCARE with almost no interruption in service. — Jerry Furness, COO of grandCARE

GrandCare Systems Monitor

GrandCARE Systems (grandCARE) recently released MediKall, which is a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant video chat for providers to talk to clients and patients about medical conditions.  HIPPA compliance means your medical and personal information is protected/safe. GrandCARE can be used with a wired or wi-fi internet connection, so it’s a very flexible solution.

Buying a grandCARE System

Cost is $699 for the system and requires a $49 monthly subscription.  There are no additional charges for use of health devices, sensors, or alerts.  Some users are able to access this system through their home care, home health, hospice, or senior care living facility at a reduced cost.  Ask your provider if they have grandCARE connected into their network.  If you’re interested in the grandCARE System for a family member or a friend, by being a member of The Senior List community, you can receive 10% off of the purchase price.  Tell them you read about it here!

GrandCare Systems

$699 + $49 monthly

GrandCare Systems
9.7

Easy of Use 9.5/10

Scalability 9.8/10

Access from Anywhere 9.9/10

Accessible from Multiple Devices 9.9/10

Pros

  • – Can be used in any setting
  • – Socialization
  • – Activity Monitoring
  • – Telehealth Recording
  • – Medication Management

About Amie

Mom, Business Owner, and Blogger. Expert on senior-care issues, particularly senior housing solutions. Loves a good challenge and tough obstacle courses. Co-founder of The Senior List and The Senior Resource Network.

Comments

    • Thanks Amie. I did speak to the director of product development at GrandCare today to determine if my grandmother’s dementia would prevent her from using this. The interface is completely customizable so that we are able to remove all but video conference button. If she is still unable to understand how to use the unit, it can be controlled remotely so that we can launch the video conference and also control sound remotely and my grandmother would not need to do anything.

grandCARE featured on Peggy Smedley Radio Show

The Impact of Technology on the Health Industry

Peggy Smedley Radio show had the chance to interview the team at CES 2015 and find out the reasoning behind grandCARE’s strategic brand positioning and new “betterCARE” brandmark.

Laura Mitchell, founding member and strategic advisor of GrandCare Systems, discusses the digital health industry and her company’s shift towards patient centered care.

“In order to achieve better outcomes for professional care providers, healthcare systems and the end user, it is critical to have the ultimate client experience. The grandCARE touchscreen is the heart and soul of the system, encouraging engagement and better compliance, ultimately resulting in better health.”

Smedley

The Peggy Smedley Show, the voice of M2M and connected devices, is broadcast live each Tuesday from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. CT on the Connected World Network, owned by Specialty Publishing Co., and a member of the World Syndicated Radio Network (wsRadio). The Peggy Smedley Show is a weekly radio show that helps listeners not only understand connected devices, but also how to make these devices a part of their everyday lives.

GrandCare Systems interviewed by Tim Reha, Living in Digital Times at CES 2015

CES 2015 was a huge success for GrandCare Systems, as we unveiled our new brandmark logo and branding strategy, signifying a shift towards true patient centered care.  The grandCARE better care logo was designed to symbolize our better care program. In order to achieve better outcomes, we must be sure that the person engages with his/her own health and in order to get there, we have to ensure the client experience is top notch. This is what sets the grandCARE platform apart from the rest.

Tim Reha from Living in Digital Times had a chance to catch up with one of GrandCare’s founding members, Laura Mitchell, on the panel she spoke on as well as the new grandCARE brand mark and strategy.

The Digital Health Summit, http://www.digitalhealthsummit.com , produced by Living in Digital Times, convenes one of the broadest spectrum audiences which makes it a can’t miss event. Everyone from medical providers, policy makers, buyers, payers, investors, developers, leading consumer electronics companies, innovators driving the marketplace and all the other industries starting to cross-pollinate into digital health including the automotive, fitness and gaming industries.

Empowered Patient Radio: Transitioning patients from hospital to home

Improving Hospital to Home Transition

Laura Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer, GrandCare.com speaks with Karen Jagoda from Empowered Patient Radio on amplifying professional medical care with digital connections and how mobile devices and wearables can be used to improve care especially for those in long term facilities.
Listen to the Radio Interview

Empowered patient radio

The goal is to attain better patient outcomes, but how do we get there? We need better patient engagement and we can not get there unless we have a better patient experience. If we can provide a pleasant and empowering experience, the patients will be engaged and involved in their own health, which will ultimately lead to the best patient outcomes. This will help the healthcare systems, healthcare providers, professional caregiving organizations, family members and the patients themselves.

Listen to the Live Radio Interview Here

grandCARE Unveils New “betterCARE” Brandmark, Announces Significant Shift Towards True Patient-Centered Care

December 15, 2014 – WI – grandCARE, a pioneer in digital health and remote monitoring technology, today announced its new Brand Mark called betterCARE, symbolic of grandCARE’s significant focus on better outcomes and cost-savings.

The new betterCARE logo will be showcased in the Sands Expo, level 2 in Booth 73240, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Digital Health Summit in Las Vegas, January 6-9th, 2015.  grandCARE will also be featuring a new “hospital-to-home” transition program, which helps professional care providers, healthcare providers, and patients to effectively coordinate care and safely remain at home.

grandCARElogo

The branding change coincides with grandCARE’s focus on better outcomes for individuals and professional care providers who want clients to remain healthier and connected at home, while reducing or avoiding unnecessary and costly doctor visits and hospitalizations.  The grandCARE betterCARE Brand Mark represents true patient centered care, using grandCARE’s three “B’s”: Better experience; Better engagement; and Better patient outcomes.

“The new betterCARE Brand Mark signals a shift that is following an industry where avoidable hospitalizations will no longer be tolerated,” said grandCARE Chief Marketing Officer, Laura Mitchell.  “We believe that in order to achieve better outcomes and healthier patients, one must engage the patient to participate in his/her own care and wellness.  The patient experience is critical to ensuring full compliance.  grandCARE focuses on better experience and better engagement, which are essential for better outcomes”.

grandCARE has a proven hospital-to-home transition program in which organizations use grandCARE to reduce hospital readmissions and successfully transition and keep the patient out of the hospital.  A 2013 Hawaii study on discharged patients using grandCARE technology, showed significant outcomes in using grandCARE technology with high risk patients.  grandCARE offers a large, intuitive interface for the patient at point-of-care, providing 24/7 patient support through discharge instructions, medication prompts, scheduling reminders, patient/provider HIPAA compliant video chat, health assessments, automated, wireless vital/biometric recordings, patient analytics, and more.  In the spirit of true patient-centered care, grandCARE enables all remote caregivers and professionals to log in to a secure dashboard portal, communicate with the patient, view reports, coordinate care, and identify red flags that could mitigate a readmission.

“grandCARE is perfect for high risk patients who are being discharged from my emergency room,” said grandCARE’s Chief Medical Officer and Emergency Room doctor, Erick Eiting.   “The system sends my staff alerts on medication non-compliance and red flag symptoms, such as an excessive weight gain, which can reduce unnecessary readmissions and increase patient self-care.  This all leads towards better outcomes for my hospital.”

grandCARE will be exhibited and demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show January 6-9th within the Digital Health Summit in the Sands Expo Hall, level 2, Booth # 73240.  To make press or demonstration appointments, contact media@grandcare.com or call 262-338-6147


About grandCARE:

grandCARE, founded in 2005, offers the most comprehensive and holistic professional caregiving and health coordination tool on the market.  grandCARE is a large patient-centered touch platform which providers health instructions, secure video chat, wireless vital recordings and analytics, medication compliance, activity sensing, and family communications into one intuitive and expandable platform.  grandCARE focuses on true patient center care, enabling better experience, better engagement, and better outcomes. For more information, visit: www.grandcare.com or call 262-338-6147.

Media Contact:

Laura Mitchell   Chief Marketing Officer    262-707-6726   media@grandCARE.com

Moraine Park Nursing Students Learn Cutting-edge Tech with grandCARE

by dritger5. December 2014 15:50

Students in Moraine Park Technical College’s Nursing programs are among the first in the state to incorporate telehealth technology into their curriculum. The new technology, which lets providers and patients connect virtually, is a growing component of health care that allows patients to be comfortable at home while still receiving the level of monitoring and care needed. The school’s telehealth equipment, which was purchased in part with funding by a General Purpose CoreHealth Industry Grant, provides pre-licensure students with unique and new learning opportunities.

“Our students learning the telehealth system gain many new experiences and are able to recognize the value of using advanced technology to effectively care for patients,” said Marylou Mercado, associate dean of nursing. “They are using telehealth technology to conduct health assessments, determine physical care needs, assess changes in overall health and monitor prescription medication effectiveness.”

As telehealth technology continues to gain recognition in the health care industry, grandCARE Systems of West Bend and Moraine Park are working together to provide students with the equipment and training that will open doors for graduating nursing students. grandCARE Systems is a pioneer in the industry, providing the most comprehensive and fully featured caregiving technology on the market, and Moraine Park is excited to offer opportunities for students to learn using the newest technology.

“Advancements in digital health and patient engagement technologies will enable individuals to benefit from many of the experiences, previously only offered in a hospital setting,” said Charlie Hillman, founder and CTO grandCARE Systems. “Moraine Park is proactively arming students with grandCARE’s digital health, patient engagement and socialization features to allow a better, faster and more cost-effective delivery of care.”

The College’s telehealth equipment has been integrated into its existing Simulation Center on the West Bend campus, which teaches students how to pin-point problems remotely using a variety of non-invasive sensors that monitor patients without impeding their lifestyle. Using the Internet, remote caregivers are able to track vitals, ensure medication compliance, view graphs, set alerts and communicate virtually with patients. When used in someone’s home, telehealth technology supports aging and healing in place rather than a hospital, nursing home or other health care facility. The technology also brings service to rural areas in a cost effective and efficient manner. As health care evolves, Moraine Park’s partnership with grandCARE will continue to provide cutting- edge educational opportunities for students and instructors.

For more information on Moraine Park’s Nursing program or any of its health care programs, visit morainepark.edu/programs.

For more information on the grandCARE, visit grandCARE.com.

Featured Image: Moraine Park Associate Dean of Nursing Marylou Mercado, right, listens as Robin Konstanz, sales coordinator at grandCARE Systems, West Bend, explains the features of grandCARE’s telehealth monitoring system being used by Moraine Park’s Nursing program.

GrandCare WINS 1st place: Most pitches for post-discharge patient pilot

Health Data

GrandCare recently participated in the 2nd Annual “Pitch for Pilots” (P4P) live pitch in partnership with Aging2.0 at AgeTech West in Seattle.

10 innovative companies were selected to pitch for a pilot in front of hundreds of long term care and aging service providers. The P4P gives aging service providers an opportunity to get a jump-start down the road of strategic innovation and technology adoption.

All audience members had an opportunity to vote with bids, vying to be the organization that the innovator chose to pilot with.

GrandCare launched a new risk management program, focused on reducing unnecessary hospital readmissions by encouraging patient engagement, enhancing patient experience, thereby achieving better outcomes.

GrandCare was delighted to receive the award (tied for first place with innovator, Gerijoy) for most pilot requests.

Sunrise Senior Living Lists grandCARE in “8 Gadgets to Buy for Seniors this Season”

8 Gadgets To Buy For Seniors This Season

By Tim Watt on November 3, 2014

Caregivers and family members know how often they worry about the beloved seniors in their family. If you’ve caught yourself fretting about their eating habits, their difficulty working the TV or the possibility of them injuring themselves, worry no more. Luckily, there’s a gadget for all these issues and more. These tech tools could ease your concerns and make loved ones’ lives easier. Consider these devices when doing your holiday shopping this year.

Dell Med PromptThe GrandCare System

This all-in-one system is everything a family member needs to keep calm if loved ones live alone or in a retirement community. It uses motion sensors to help track a senior’s movements throughout the day. If something goes awry, families will get an alert. The touchscreen system also has telehealth technology to connect with physicians. If your children take a cute photo or write a letter, you can easily send it through to older adults as long as they have an Internet connection.

Additional Senior Gadgets Include:

  • The VTech CareLine​
  • Amplified Photo Phone
  • TV Ears
  • Tek Partner Oversized TV Remote
  • GPS Shoes
  • Lutron Maestro Occupancy/Vacancy Sensors
  • Sonic Boom Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker

Read more at http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com

Minnesota-based Aging Services Group exclusively selects GrandCare for member organizations

Aging Services Group Chooses GrandCare to Help
Senior Living Providers Better Serve Older Adults at Home

Innovative Technology Empowers Consumers, Removes Distance as Barrier to Care

“GrandCare was a natural choice for us. We are seeing an exponential increase to our aging population, while the relative number of caregivers and physicians is in decline,” said Jared Schei, Executive V.P. of Aging Services Group.”

Aging Services Group, a subsidiary of Aging Services of Minnesota, the largest association of organizations serving Minnesota seniors, has partnered with GrandCare Systems, to change and enhance the way traditional caregiving services are deployed for older adults in the state.

GrandCare Systems utilizes digital health and socialization technology to reduce health care costs and improve outcomes by enabling designated family members, caregivers and healthcare professionals to remotely care for individuals in their home, regardless of location.

Aging Services of Minnesota is eager to equip their member organizations with a comprehensive, fully-featured and flexible platform, helping them to provide better, more efficient and more cost-effective care.

“GrandCare was a natural choice for us. We are seeing an exponential increase to our aging population, while the relative number of caregivers and physicians is in decline,” said Jared Schei, Executive V.P. of Aging Services Group. “We believe technology will greatly help amplify care giver efforts and promote patient empowerment and family participation. With its extensive capabilities, GrandCare fits the needs of our members across the long term care continuum, whether they are providing home-based, facility-based, short-term stay or hospice care services.”

Minnesota caregiving organizations like Knute Nelson and LB Homes already utilize GrandCare’s digital health and activity monitoring technologies.

“GrandCare has changed the way we offer care,” said Daphne Karpan, Palliative Care Manager, Knute Nelson in Alexandria, MN. “Knute uses it to remotely monitor our clients’ vitals and quickly identify if a physical nursing visit is needed. It’s been a valuable resource for our hospice clients who use it for end-of-life conversations and video chatting with family.”

Dell Med Prompt
The heart of GrandCare is a large, easy-to-read touchscreen placed into the client’s residence providing medication prompts, family communications, one touch HIPAA compliant video chat, messaging, patient assessments, discharge information, scheduling, care plans and more. It is designed to empower and engage the resident, while providing information to improve health and outcomes. A series of optional wireless telehealth sensors can be used to automatically report and graph vital readings, and even notify a staff member if readings are outside of designated thresholds.

“GrandCare is a holistic platform, customized to address all human needs from physical to emotional to spiritual,” said GrandCare co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Laura Mitchell. “With remote telehealth monitoring and virtual visits, distance is no longer a barrier to providing efficient, secure and professional care.”

About Aging Services of Minnesota
Aging Services of Minnesota is the state’s largest association of organizations serving Minnesota seniors. Together with more than 50,000 caregivers, Aging Services members serve 63,000 older adults every day in all of the places they call home, including home care and services, independent senior housing, assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities. Aging Services of Minnesota is the state partner of LeadingAge and state affiliate of Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA).

Aging Services of Minnesota Media Contact:
JODI BOYNE
Vice President of Public Relations
jboyne@agingservicesmn.org
651.659.1430 (direct)

About GrandCare
Since 2005, GrandCare Systems has provided the most comprehensive caregiving technology on the market, enabling care professionals to provide safer, faster and more affordable care. GrandCare’s simple, touch platform enables a Resident to self manage chronic conditions, follow health instructions, view family pictures, receive incoming messages, watch videos, and participate in secure video chat sessions. Using a series of wireless activity and telehealth devices, GrandCare can alert designated caregivers by phone, email or text if anything seems amiss (medications not accessed, glucose levels not taken, abnormal vitals, etc.)
GrandCare Media Contact:
media@grandcare.com 262-338-6147 @grandcare

GrandCare makes the Journal Sentinel top 10 start up list in SE Wisconsin

10 Startups to Watch in Southeast Wisconsin
By Matt Cordio, Startup Milwaukee Oct. 26, 2014

Recently I took a look at the 10 Milwaukee startups to watch. There are a lot entrepreneurs starting and growing job creating companies around Southeast Wisconsin. After conducting an informal poll of local entrepreneurs, investors and journalists, here is are the startups I’m watching grow in Southeast Wisconsin (note, the list is in no particular order):

…

GrandCare, West Bend
Makers of cloud-based home-health-monitoring software is currently raising a $2 million financing round and last year hired Dan Maynard, former Connecture CEO as CEO. As the baby boomers age, there is no doubt GrandCare systems will continue to grow.

Dell Med Prompt

Read the entire article here