Fantastic EHX Show

Just wanted to shoot out a quick post and give out a shout to the EHX folks as well as the fantastic dealers who attended this year’s EHX in Orlando, FL. While the event was smaller than the last few years, we found the attendees to be highly qualified, educated, motivated and enthusiastic about home health. A great testament to the industry and the work that has been done in the past 4-5 years.

In fact, many dealers confided that they ONLY came to EHX this year to learn more about the home health tech market and learn about GrandCare Systems.

GrandCare led 3 seminars on the Show Floor and was on another digital home health panel. They were all packed with interested dealers!! Very exciting for this industry!

GrandCare was displayed in 3 booths on the EHX floor. At the GrandCare Booth, Home Controls (Home Health Tech) Booth and the Worthington Booth.  The only other home health tech products on display were the Presto Computerless email and various Personal Emergency Response Units (both quite complementary to the GrandCare System).  We also got some good PR out there for the Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek) many of the dealers expressed great relief at the notion of an organization like this that guide them on their way in the home health journey!
Now it’s back to the grind and following up with the hundreds of leads received.  Good work GrandCare, Home Health Tech, Worthington, ad Presto team on a job well done!

 

Smart Money Magazine asks us – can aging be stylish?

Yesterday, Smart Money Magazine posted an article: Can a Medic Alert System be Stylish. They discussed grab bars, Personal Emergency Response Systems, Wearable Pendants, etc. GMU’s Andy Carle, Age in Place Tech Watch’s Laurie Orlov and AgeTek’s own Peter Radsliff all weighed in on solutions and adoption of technology to “age in place”.

I think this is a very important topic to address. People don’t want to use systems/devices that make them “feel” geriatric, old or disabled. That is the reason that the systems need to be viewed more like we view every day conveniences..think of railings on stairs, alarm clocks, smart phones, online calendar/reminders, appointment books, etc. All of these we use every day because they are helpful and they assist EVERYONE. Systems that enable a person to stay independent and at home should be viewed in a similar fashion. Nobody wants to have the scarlet pendant of aging, instead they want to be able to self-enable with gadgets, technologies, design, etc. If we design systems like GrandCare Systems that has many features that ANYBODY would enjoy, it is much more likely that a person will accept. I use GrandCare Systems in my home every day and my two toddler boys do too. We use it for different reasons, using the same alerts, cognitive assists, reminders, family calendar, etc that the system provides. Everyone benefits from convenience, safety, communication, etc. (Think of the iPad). I would NEVER be able to keep track of my schedule without my iPhone reminding me of EVERYTHING. Why should it be so different with non tech-savvy individuals? Check out my entry on why I believe Gen X-ers should also be adopting these technologies as early adopters: http://wp.me/pyOLA-dx Thanks for the article – short answer: YES, aging can and SHOULD be stylish and graceful! Laura Mitchell GrandCare Systems www.grandcare.com

What are your thoughts???

Read their article here: Can a Medic Alert System Be Stylish? – SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/technology/now-in-vogue-grandpas-gadgets-1299712884177/#ixzz1GJrWJD00

RT@AgeTek Is custom install missing the boat with “Connected SOURCE”?

Had to repost this – – I thought it was a rather interesting take by AGETEK Chair, Peter Radsliff, and I couldn’t agree more…Connected Source sounds like a terrific idea and I think it could really benefit from having the component that today’s integrators are seeking – the final piece to the puzzle – “HOME HEALTH TECHNOLOGY”..It’s something that EVERYBODY is seeking…because everyone is getting older and 90% of seniors report wanting to stay independent in their own homes.

Is custom install missing the boat with “Connected SOURCE”?.

OPINION: So where does a consumer go to really get help with difficult home technology challenges, especially those that are not easily solved by trying to do-it-yourself? That’s what the Best Buy Magnolia Hi-Fi & Geek Squad store-within-a-store concepts were designed to address. Well, now the custom install community is introducing its own nationwide branded concept, but this time it’s is a store-within-their-showrooms called “Connected SOURCE.”

Described as “Sort of like True Value” as noted in Julie Jacobsen’s CE Pro article of February 23 [here], the Connected SOURCE concept seems like an idea whose time has come. Except that, in my humble opinion, the Connected SOURCE concept is completely missing the boat.

Categories for Connected SOURCE merchandising

© Connected SOURCE 2011

Each Connected SOURCE location will be merchandised exactly alike with seven zones: 1) 3D Theater, 2) DNLA/Skype, Internet, 3) iPTV/Movie Library, 4) Personal Audio & Headphones, 5) Home Networking, 6) Whole Home Control, and 7) Home Theater Control. Hey, but haven’t we heard a lot from custom installers in the past two years that their businesses are hurting selling the same ol’ same ol’? Is special merchandising and branding for 3D TV, home control or home theater control really going to make that big of a difference?

Where is the aspirational vision to tackle a huge and growing market with new solutions to problems people are encountering for the first times in their lives? You know, the kind of forward-looking vision that Magnolia and Geek Squad had over ten years ago that caused them both to be acquired by Best Buy. If Connected SOURCE is now selling headphones because they are cool again, or new TVs because everything people watch now goes “booga booga,” that doesn’t sound like a big plan for the future. If you ask me, it’s more of the same ol’ same ol’ and barely catches up with Big Box Custom, never mind surpassing them.

Here are seven statistics I found that any business these days will find interesting:
a) The 35 million Americans 65+ in 2000 doubles to 70 million in 2030
b) 25% of working Americans juggle their jobs vs. caring for a loved one.
c) 50% of caregivers are responsible for parent care while also parenting their own
d) 20% of family members actually quit working to provide care
e) 90% of focus group participants conducted by a prominent industry organization were willing to pay $50/mo. for services and technologies to stay independent and in their own home
f) 78 million Americans over age 50 controlled 67% of the country’s wealth in 2001
g) In the time you took to read this so far, 17 more people turned 50 years old, that’s 10,000 more every day!

Maybe putting bluetooth-enabled healthy-weight scales and blood-pressure cuffs next to iPads and Beats headphones isn’t really the solution for Connected SOURCE. But if not them, then who? Other retailers and industry leaders are already moving on this opportunity right now. But they don’t have the expertise like the custom install industry does. I hate to see new entrants struggle to create everything new as much as I hate to see the custom install industry completely missing this boat.

Hey, but that’s my two cents. I’m actually happy to see any collaboration towards collective branding and merchandising to help the industry connect with consumers. When you’re ready to go after a really huge market, give us a call.

Peter Radsliff
Board Chairman, Aging Technology Alliance [site]
President & CEO, Presto Services Inc. [site]

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