smart technology for seniors

Smart technology for seniors? Yes, it does exist.

Proactive versus reactive care is something that unfortunately too often becomes a hindsight 20/20 revelation for some elderly patients and their families. “If only we had known…” they would say. The truth is technology these days is not just good, it’s really good.  Better than it was even just a few short years ago. The thing about technology is that it is always changing, evolving, and getting more sophisticated. That’s not to say that it is getting more complicated necessarily, in fact, in many cases the technology is actually getting easier to use. More hands free. Requiring even less for the user to do manually, with the advent of voice recognition, smart watches, and even artificially intelligent computers.

I mean, just a few years ago, it would have seemed unfathomable to think that you could talk into your phone, tablet, or computer to ask it a simple question and actually expect to get an intelligent response. Today, we can ask something as simple as “do I need an umbrella today?” and our technology device will actually give us a resonable answer related to our local weather report.

The same holds true for technology advancements in healthcare with virtual care services, and personal health/fitness monitoring devices. But did you know that there is even more advanced technology out there that is designed to help prevent hospitalizations, manage chronic conditions, and track daily activities, all to keep the elderly and disabled living independently for as long as possible in order to postpone the need for long-term care?

 

Introducing the grandCARE system. We provide a technology solution that benefits seniors, family caregivers, and professional senior care workers alike. It starts with our innovative touchscreen interface which has been carefully designed with the end-user in mind. It features large, easy-to-read icons and can be fully customized to include as few or as many menu options as desired. The platform is so intuitive to use, that no previous computer experience is required to enjoy.
The touchscreen can be use as key source of socialization, entertainment, and communication for the senior user with our integrated family Facebook photo sharing, video chatting, games, websites, news, weather and more available options.

Next, our passive activity and motion monitoring is an effective and unintrusive way to analyze patterns of behavior to become more aware when something isn’t quite right. Our sensors can detect when there is too much, too little or no motion, and alert when something out of the ordinary occurs. The alert rules can be established to send out a message by phone call, text, or email to one or multiple designated parties.

At grandCARE, we believe in not only helping seniors stay independent, but strive to enable them the ability to proactively manage their own health and wellness too. This is why we have available digital medical devices to take important health vital readings digitally using our innovative system. The data is captured on the system, and stored on our secure servers making the information accessible at anytime to a family member or professional care manager using our online based care portal. The information can be reviewed in report or chart format, and even exported as a PDF to send to a professional health care provider as well.

A recent article by Maryalene LaPonsie, featured in the U.S. News and World Report provides more support for the benefits that technology can have with seniors, families, and those in the long-term care industry.

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.”

The article goes on to show how virtual care services are having an impact with both cost savings and patient outcomes:

“We save over $4,000 per patient per year and avoid hospital visits and readmissions,” Herzog says. From 2013 to 2014, Banner Health tracked the outcomes of newly enrolled Banner iCare members and compared that to claims data from the year before their enrollment. They found the program resulted in an overall 27 percent cost savings of $788 per patient per month. Hospitalizations also dropped from 11.5 per 100 patients per month in the year prior to enrollment to 6.3 per 100 patients per month six months after enrollment.

So, going back to where we started…”if only we had known.” Well, now you do.

home care remote monitoring

Remote Monitoring That Will Assist Caregivers

The advent of new technology is helping people that require some level of assistance stay independent in their homes longer. One of the technologies taking the market by storm is the GrandCare System. The GrandCare System is finding its way into a number of areas including residences, small group homes and even larger independent and assisted living facilities.

In a nut shell, GrandCare is a three level system. Level one provides a social interface for the end-user, level two is a health and wellness monitoring portion and level three monitors daily activity. Throw in basic home automation control and you have a fully interactive monitoring system that will provide the assistance that is needed by a large portion of the population.

With the rising cost of healthcare, we need to find new solutions that allow early detection of potential problems and address them prior to hospitalization. One hospital admittance and the system can be paid for. Also, with the average cost of assisted living topping $50,000 per year….the cost of a system can be absorbed in a number of months and extend the ability to stay at home for years. Couple a GrandCare System with a PERS and medication management system and the cost is still well below assisted living.

Level One

The first part of the Grandcare is the social interface. This portion of the system is designed to keep the user in touch with the world (even without knowing how to use a computer). It provides a central place for family to share things like photos and information. The system provides a touch screen computer and can also be connected to a TV. The touch screen allows the user to access pre-set internet sites, receive and send email, listen to music, play games and more. When not being used for an activity, the system will display; photos (that can be uploaded by family), trivia, weather, news headlines, daily reminders and other items that the family and user can designate.

Level Two

Level two is something we all need! It is the Health and Wellness side of the system. Via a wireless interface, the system will monitor weight, blood pressure and pulse-ox. The caregiver/family member can create rules so when the system detects changes, it will notify them via email, text message or a simple phone call. (More on rules later). The system will also monitor the glucose levels of the user. Combine all of the monitoring with a complete reporting system that generates reports that can be printed out and given to your doctor. This provides a much more detailed and lengthy look of the patient allowing the doctor to make better decisions then they can when they get that ten or fifteen minute snap shot when you are in for a check-up.

Level Three

Level three is designed to monitor the daily activity of the occupants of the home. It is a non evasive way of ensuring that they are ok. The system will monitor doors, windows, the refrigerator….basically, anything that can be opened. It will also look at motion, lack of motion or excessive motion in any area that is monitored. For example, if a person gets out of bed at 7AM every day, the system can be programmed to watch for no motion in the home between say, 6AM and 8AM indicating they didn’t get up. It can also monitor if a person is in bed or out of bed and how much they are moving around. By doing that, we can determine how well someone sleeps and if they are not sleeping well address it so they sleep better. The system will also advise caregivers and family members if someone is out of bed for an extended period at night, possibly indicating a problem. With the ability to monitor just about anything combined with the rules that can be created, you can create a truly safe environment.

Care Notes

This is an area for caregivers and family members that visit the user to perform assistance tasks, check on wellbeing or for any other reason they stop in. The care notes allow a person to enter basic notes. For example, a daytime caregiver may leave a note for the overnight caregiver saying that the resident has the flu so make sure they are drinking fluids. Or a daughter may stop by and notice that dad has a cut on his head from a fall so he needs to be checked on from time to time for the next 24 hours. All of the care notes can be reviewed from any computer with an internet connection and are also sent out via email at the end of the day to the people that you designate. This allows everyone to stay up to date as to what is going on.

The Rules

The GrandCare System allows rules to be setup by the caregiver or family members. This is an extremely flexible part of the system and very easy to modify as needs or areas of concern change. Some of the systems that are similar to GrandCare use Artificial Intelligence (AI). This allows the computer to set rules based on what it determines is the “normal activity” of the user. That works well providing that when the system is installed, the user has no existing conditions. The system may decide that something that is truly an issue is normal activity.
The rules in the GrandCare System can be setup to send a message via Text Message, Email or can use an automated voice and place a phone call to a designated person. You can also use any combination of the notifications. You can also use rules to cause something to happen in the home, say turn on a light. A few examples follow;
1) If no motion is detected between 7AM and 9AM send a text message to caregiver 1
2) If any door opens between 10PM and 6AM call caregiver 2
3) If person gets out of bed between 10PM and 7AM turn on the bathroom light
4) If a person is out of bed for more the 15 minutes between 10PM and 7AM, call caregiver 1
5) If a glucose reading is below 100, call the home and say “ Your blood sugar is low please drink orange juice”
The rules that can be created are almost endless and can be modified as needed. This allows the system to be customized to today and then changed to meet tomorrow’s needs.

Dealers

You will want to work with a local and reputable authorized dealer. The system brings a lot of capabilities; however during setup and installation this can overwhelm and confuse the caregivers and family members. Plus, you want to get the most from the system. When the system is first installed, the dealer will help to determine the best layout of the sensors based on the individual needs and help setup the users and rules. Some dealers will have a follow-up meeting about two weeks after the installation to review rules, adjust sensors and make any changes that are needed now that the system has real data from day to day use. The dealer will charge a monthly fee that typically covers the monthly software license (charged by the manufacturer), the hosting for alert notification, software updates and sometimes on going service for hardware failure. Some dealers will even take care of rule changes, adding users and other ongoing software maintenance. Spend time with your dealer and ensure that they are a good fit for you and your family.
When all is said and done, this is a system that can greatly improve safety, independence and general daily life of the user. However, this is not a put it in and forget it system, you want to have the family(Children, Grandchildren, Cousins etc…no matter where they live) involved and keep the photos new and changing, sending emails to the user and keeping information fresh. This will help to keep someone who may be isolated from the rest of the world more active and involved.

About the author:

James Gleason is co-owner of JNL Technologies Inc, a company that is focused on safety systems both for the residential setting as well as assisted, independent and skilled care settings. James has spent the last 15 years working in this industry and serving our population

Technology For Family Caregivers

5 Tech Tools to Make Life Easier for Family Caregivers

Each November, National Family Caregivers Month reminds us of the important, commendable work that family caregivers do each and every day. It also serves as a reminder of the mental and physical toll that caregiving can take. Fortunately, modern technology offers a number of solutions for easing this burden, making life easier for caregivers and empowering their loved ones to live more comfortable, more independent lives. If you’re a caregiver for someone in your family, here are the five most important tech tools you need to know.

GrandCare Systems

A centralized system that incorporates everything from safety monitors to socialization, GrandCare is designed to empower both caregivers and their loved ones. A large, high-visibility touchscreen provides simple access to medication reminders, weather updates, daily schedules, video chat and a variety of other tools that help seniors age in place in comfort, while an online portal gives caregivers on-the-go access to activity patterns, alerts, medical information and more. Optional sensors can expand the system to allow detailed activity and wellness monitoring, creating a highly customized system that’s designed with the specific needs and concerns of each senior and their caregiver in mind. Doctors and other healthcare providers can also be granted access to the system, making GrandCare a great holistic solution for those requiring ongoing medical care.

Automated Pill Dispensers

Managing even a single prescription drug can prove difficult for some people, but juggling the half-dozen or more medications that many seniors take every day can quickly become overwhelming. This frequently leads to skipping or doubling doses, which may carry real health consequences. One solution to this problem is automated pill dispensers, which use digital timers to automatically dispense medications on a preprogrammed schedule. Many such dispensers also feature alarms to provide notification of each dosage time, and some are also available with monitoring so that caregivers or health professionals can ensure compliance. For added peace of mind, seek out a locked, tamper-proof dispenser to ensure that no one can access the stored medications until the appropriate time.

Personal Emergency Response Systems

A family caregiver’s worst nightmare is for their loved one to fall or suffer a medical emergency and be rendered unable to call for help. Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common, and studies have shown that an elderly person’s odds of surviving such an ordeal fall sharply the longer they go without help. To alleviate this risk, a personal emergency response system (PERS) ensures that assistance is always within arm’s reach, providing a small, lightweight transmitter that can call for help with just the press of a button. These transmitters typically come in the form of a wrist or necklace pendant, and they connect the user to a 24/7 monitoring service that can promptly summon the appropriate emergency services.

Home Automation and Home Monitoring

Independent living is very important for many seniors, but managing daily tasks can become a real chore. Home automation lends a helping hand by placing all sorts of tasks at your loved one’s fingertips, from smart lighting that can be turned on or off from anywhere in the home to smart thermostats that can be set based on your loved one’s schedule and preferences. Smart technology can help with monitoring and security, too. Smart security systems can be viewed remotely from virtually anywhere, allowing both you and your loved one to stay aware of their surroundings and check visitors at the door. Paired with smart locks, the door can even be unlocked remotely for expected visitors. Similarly, indoor smart cameras are a great way for you to keep an eye on your loved one even when you can’t be there physically, ensuring that you’re never left out of contact.

Smartphone Apps

There really is an app for nearly everything, and caregiving is no exception. Apps like Lotsa Helping Hands, CareZone and Caring Village help with managing your loved one’s care, allowing you to bring friends and family members together, communicate securely, create and assign tasks that need to be done, share photos and much more. Another useful app is eCare21, which works with wearable devices and monitors to provide convenient, unintrusive monitoring of everything from activity levels to heart rate and blood glucose. Finally, AARP Caregiving provides many of the same scheduling, monitoring and communication functions as other apps, but it also includes a highly useful help center with all sorts of health and safety information, frequently asked questions and even answers to urgent questions.

Being a family caregiver is certainly meaningful and rewarding work, but it’s also tremendously challenging. With a little help from modern technology, you can make your job easier, give your loved one more freedom and independence and ensure that they’re as safe and comfortable in their homes as possible.

Maricel Tabalba is a freelance writer who is interested in writing about smart gadgets, emerging tech trends and environmentally friendly advice. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

senior friendly homes

Finding the Perfect Home For Your Senior Years

GrandCare welcomes guest blogger Jim Vogel. Recently Jim’s mother realized it had become difficult to manage living in and maintaining her home. So, the search for a new, senior-friendly home for her began. As he helped her with the search, he learned a lot about what to consider when buying a home for an elderly person, and he wanted to share his expertise. Welcome, Jim. And thanks!

You’ve entered retirement – your golden years – and you’re living in a big house that’s getting expensive to heat and cool each season and difficult to care for and keep up.

That’s why so many seniors are downsizing from their old, big house into one that’s smaller, cheaper, and easier to live in. That can mean a literal house, or it could refer to a condo or retirement community patio house. Either way, here are some tips for finding the perfect home for your senior years.

Simplify Your New Life

It can be hard leaving behind your old home. After all, it’s your home. It’s full of memories and love. But that big house made sense to buy when you were younger. You had a family to shelter, and you had the income for it. With your income reduced by retirement, paying those ghastly utility bills can be a problem.

What should you look for in your new home? Here are a few things:

  • Because mobility can be a problem as you get older, go with a home or condo that doesn’t have any stairs. A few steps can be okay, but definitely keep to a one-level home or a condo with an elevator.
  • Not all condos are in giant buildings. You should be able to find patio homes: small houses in communities, often sharing a wall. These are often less expensive than a new home, and they can have great amenities like a community pool or tennis court.
  • Look for a house that’s very well taken care of. The last thing you need after making the move into your new home is costly repairs. Find owners that take great care of their home.

Watch Out For Common Mistakes

Although buying a new home as a senior is not complicated, there are some mistakes people often make that you should avoid.

The biggest is not going into this with a plan. Instead of just trying to find a cute, small house, think about all that you’ll be leaving behind. Then try to find that in your new house. In fact, one great idea is to spend a few days in the new town. There’s no better way of making sure your new home will be located in a great community.

Be careful about putting too much money down. You’ll need cash in your first few years, and all seniors need access to a financial reserve in case illness or injury strikes. Besides, you may have to make some emergency repairs to a new home.

Lastly, don’t forget to think about your future there. For example, you’re probably having no problem driving these days. But you know how that can change. If you buy a home in the typical suburban development, the nearest grocery store could be miles away.

Preparing That New Home For You

It’s impossible to find the perfect home. That means you’ll almost definitely need to modify your new house to accommodate your needs.

Make sure all steps and stairs have solid handrails. Then, install some grab rails in your bathroom as well. If there are area rugs, secure them to the floor so they are not a trip hazard anymore. Check the lighting at night. As your vision starts to get worse, a bright area with contrasting colors can make a huge difference.

You should also consider a home monitoring system like GrandCare. It can stay connected with loved ones, while it helps you monitor your wellness and encourages a social and active lifestyle. It provides tools to help you manage your medications, calendar appointments, and daily routines.

Your New Home Is Waiting For You

Just because you’re in your senior years doesn’t mean you can’t handle this. You just need to make a good plan that includes picking the right home in the right community.

Jim Vogel is the co-founder of ElderAction.org, an organization that provides resources to adult children and caregivers who are caring for senior parents. He is passionate about spreading awareness of improving senior living.

GrandCare Hailed by Lung Institute as a “Remarkable Solution”

Screen Shot 2016-06-23 at 12.37.20 PM

Photo by Lung Institute

GrandCare was recently reviewed in an article by the Lung Institute, an organization founded to improve the quality of life for those suffering from chronic lung disease.

According to AgingCare.com, over 18 million seniors in the United States live alone. Many of these same seniors have a hard time remembering to take medications, are at risk of falling, or suffer from chronic illnesses.

Cameron Kennerly, author of this product review and site contributor, explained:

With the ability to give caregivers a better peace of mind, while allowing those with chronic disease to live independently, the GrandCare system is a remarkable tool for managing your health and promoting social interaction….If you’re looking to take a more active approach to your health, the GrandCare Health System may be a good option for you.

Medication reminders, news, social networking, video chatting and more are one call away for your senior. To find out more, please contact GrandCare at info@grandcare.com or call us at (262) 338-6147.

Charlie Hillman Recruited for Technology in Aging Expertise for Aging 2.0 Event

Charlie Hillman, founder and CEO of GrandCare Systems, has been selected to join a high-powered group of aging industry innovators for a Digital Aging roundtable in March. Hillman and three other industry veterans will share everything they’ve learned through the years in the recently intersecting senior housing and technology industry. The forum will also include Pete Celano, Director of Consumer Health Initiatives at the MedStar Institute for Innovation; Myron Kowal, President and CEO of RCare; and John Rydzewski, General Manager of Technology Solutions at Direct Supply.

Hosted by Aging 2.0 and sponsored by RCare, the roundtable will be moderated by aging and technology expert Laura Mitchell of Laura Mitchell Consulting. Hillman and his fellow panelists will share stories, experiences, successes, mistakes and advice for getting ahead in the aging industry.

The roundtable event is being held in conjunction with the LeadingAge Peak Summit in Washington, DC, a unique conference that brings together the highest-level executives and business leaders in the aging and technology industry. The conference fosters education, strategic thinking, and networking. The Fireside Chat event is scheduled on the Sunday just before the conference.

This reservation-only Fireside Chat is an event you won’t want to miss!

For Reservations:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aging20-washington-dc-digital-aging-successful-technology-implementation-in-senior-care-tickets-22199669810

Fireside Chat Schedule

Where: Stone’s Throw Restaurant, Marriott Wardmann Hotel

When: 7:00-8:30pm, Sunday March 13th

7-7:30pm Networking/Registration

7:30-7:35pm Welcome & Introduction to Aging 2.0

7:35-7:45pm Opening Remarks by Myron Kowal, CEO of RCare

7:45-8:15pm Roundtable Panel Discussion, moderated by Laura Mitchell of Laura Mitchell Consulting

Panelists: Pete Celano (MedStar), Myron (RCare), Charlie (GrandCare),  John Rydzewski  (Direct Supply)

8:15-8:30pm Networking Cocktail Reception

General Admission from Feb 26 at 5pm –  March 9th at 5pm

Last Minutes tickets available after March 9th, until 6pm on March 13th

To find out more about what GrandCare is up to, visit us on the web at grandcare.com. Ask us about our discounted pricing for senior care providers at sales@grandcare.com today!

Preventing Senior Isolation

Green Bank, West Virginia, is arguably the most isolated place in the nation. A large telescope designed to monitor for signals from the universe requires a 13,000 square mile “quiet zone”, encompassing much of West Virginia and even stretching as far north as the Maryland border. In this “quiet zone”, residents live with no cellular telephone service, no Internet, no radio, and until recently, no microwaves. For the most part, the residents of this community are completely isolated. They have very limited means of communicating with the outside world. Today, seniors living outside of Green Bank, West Virginia are also feeling cut off and lonely. But why?

One could argue that our current population is the most connected it has ever been. People walking around with cell phones, tablets, connected wearables, bluetooth head pieces, and smartwatches are more connected than ever.  The difficulty is that technologies that support better communication are often complicated, daunting and rarely designed for the 65+ population in mind.

It could be a difficult leap for someone who has witnessed the rise and fall of the typewriter, for example, to be expected to set up and operate a laptop computer or figure out how to place a video call. “Technophobia” may be running rampant in senior housing, leaving loved ones with limited means for contact. It does not seem right that in this “connected world” we live in that one whole gaping generation is left in the cold, alone and lonely.  

Enter GrandCare Systems, a company created in 2005 to combat senior isolation and help keep families connected and provide “peace of mind”.  The GrandCare System was designed to be self maintaining and require ZERO technical know-how from the loved one. It simply works and seamlessly connects them to one touch video chat with family, friends and even healthcare providers. Pictures automatically populate the large GrandCare touchscreen from various family facebook photo albums. Family can login to the care portal from any mobile device or computer and send messages, reminders, schedule appointments, add to dos and check in to see if mom needs anything.  

Is your loved one lonely or isolated?  That’s not right. Let GrandCare help. Contact us.

Nursing Toolbox

Nurses have traditionally had a fairly static set of tools in their nursing toolboxes: thermometer, scale, blood pressure cuff, and stethoscope (yes, we really do use them). More recent additions include heart rate monitors, oxygen saturation monitors and glucometers. Today, the addition of any number of new technologies threatens to upend the nursing toolbox, changing the face of care delivery.

Organizations considering the addition of new technologies into their nursing toolbox should make these choices with care. While there are many factors to be considered, a few stand out:

How will the new technology benefit the patient?

If the technology you are seeking to implement will in no way change or improve clinical care, why make the investment? A multicolored bracelet that flashes whenever the patient coughs may excite the technophiles, but most nurses would  rather monitor for cough using traditional nursing tools. Considering the investment, wouldn’t you? How will care delivery be improved, and to what end?

How will the new technology benefit the nursing staff?

Nurses are under extreme pressure to deliver the highest quality care to the highest acuity patients in the shortest amount of time. If the technology will cut documentation time in half or give nurses more time with patients, you’ll have their interest. If it will require them to document the same assessment data in two places instead of one, or change their focus from patient to gadget, not so much. If it will give nurses new and valuable insights into their patient’s health status, their engagement will be high, but only if those gains don’t come at the cost of patient care or excessive training time.

What is your return on investment?

Will your gains come in the form of improved efficiency and reduced staffing costs? Is technology implementation likely to result in increased patient or staff satisfaction and engagement? Will data collection enhance care delivery and improve outcomes? Is it plausible your agency will see a reduction in adverse events or increased patient safety? Will offering technology give you a competitive advantage in your market? Are increased revenue or referrals likely?

Who will guide the technology into patient care?

Your technology initiative needs a champion who understands both clinical practice and technology application. Trust me, such people are out there. Look for a high-performing clinician sporting the latest wearable while discussing their DIY home remodeling project. Once found, allow your champion to seek out learning opportunities and make contacts in the technology industry.  Give ample time for research and evaluation of products from the perspective of your current workflow. (LeadingAge CAST has a variety of great toolkits to assist with product selection and early considerations (http://www.leadingage.org/toolkits.aspx). Thoughtful consideration prior to product selection and implementation will save everyone miles of heartache.

How will you engage your nursing staff?

Like any group adopting new technology, the engagement of the nursing staff will range from those who will gladly give your new technology a whirl on day one, to those who won’t participate in your training program without threats of unpaid suspension. Simply handing your nursing staff a new technology, reviewing use with a power point, writing some policies to safeguard against disaster, then expecting the nurses to then incorporate the technology into their daily practice is a recipe for disaster. The authority behind your clinical champion’s experience, knowledge and enthusiasm will go a long way toward engaging your nursing staff. Equally crucial is unflagging support of the technology initiative by mid-level management and the administrative team.

The future holds a wealth of new tools for nurses. But without proper consideration, new technology tools may sit unused and buried in the bottom of the toolbox. No one except the nurse performing patient care can make the choice to pull out your new technology tool to change care delivery. Be sure you get them to engage on the first go-round, or it may be that every future tool will end up at the bottom of your agency’s nursing toolbox as well.

– Daphne Karpan RN, BSN, CHPN

How one man’s journey with dementia will change lives.

Sandy Halperin

Sandy Halperin

While recently speaking at the National Alzheimer’s Project Act Advisory Council meeting in Washington, D.C., Dr. Alexander “Sandy” Halperin, DDS talked about his life as a dementia patient. The outspoken advocate for the Alzheimer’s Disease Care and Cure cause, openly shared his daily struggles with the symptoms of the disease and its progression since being diagnosed in 2010. During his impassioned speech, Sandy talks about how he often requires the assistance of what he refers to as his “second brains.” Said brains taking the form of note pads, books and documents Sandy has authored over the years, his family memories scrapbook, the grandCARE system technology tool, and his loving wife of over 40 years, Gail.

What struck me most about Sandy’s speech is that save for a few brief moments of a lost train of thought, I wouldn’t have even thought he was a man struggling with the effects of such a disease given his poise and passion for speaking. Having experienced this first-hand, as my own grandmother suffers from late stage dementia, her outward appearance, cognitive, and physical capabilities are marked and noticeably different. She rarely speaks, remains largely confined to her bed in the nursing home where she resides, and her cognitive capabilities are virtually non-existent, as she no longer remembers me as her granddaughter or other close family members whom she has known for years. She is older, at 79 years of age, but her disease progression moved swiftly after receiving her initial diagnosis only a few short years ago. Unfortunately, by that time, she was already too far gone, to the point of requiring extensive care. 

The early warning signs were there, the simple daily forgetfulness of “where did I leave my purse?”. To the re-telling of a story we’ve heard for the umpteenth time. In retrospect, red flags should have been going up, starting probably 10 to 15 years ago. As with anyone, getting older often comes with its fair share of “senior moments”, at some point however, those innocent “senior moments” become something more.

Despite Sandy’s open acknowledgement and awareness that one day, he too may find himself in such a condition as my grandmother, his spirit, courage, and fight to be a vibrant and public voice of awareness for the disease is certainly inspiring. His voice is getting heard and his message on alzheimer’s is loud and clear, “care and cure”. CNN is currently following Sandy, filming a multi-chapter documentary on his personal journey, in a piece appropriately titled, “Sandy’s Story.” The world renowned, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, will also be following Sandy Halperin’s story on “Sanjay Gupta, M.D.

Sandy's Story CNN

A brief excerpt of chapter one of “Sandy’s Story”, by Stephanie Smith, CNN:

“It is a horrifying, gripping, devastating disease that plays havoc on the family and on the patient,” says Gail Halperin, Sandy’s wife.

But, she says, what has softened the blow of Halperin’s diagnosis is the way he responded to it — at least after the initial stunned feeling subsided.

“He immediately came out and said, ‘I don’t want to cover this up. I want to share it with people and be proactive,'” his wife says.

Recent data suggest that such a response is rare: Nearly 13% of Americans reported experiencing worsening confusion or memory loss after age 60, but most — 81% — had not consulted with a health care provider about their cognitive issues, according to the March Alzheimer’s Association report.

One of the goals of the project is to achieve increased awareness, in the hopes that individuals and family member’s recognize the early warning signs sooner to increase the effectiveness of medical intervention, and even incorporate technology aids, like the grandCARE system, to help improve the patient’s quality of life and their ability to remain more independent.

National Alzheimers Project Act Logo

To learn more about this project, and how you may be able to help, please go to:
http://napa.alz.org/national-alzheimers-project-act-backgroun

Not just for seniors… grandCARE helps developmentally disabled too.

The grandCARE system remote monitoring and communication solution may have started by solving a need to help the elderly age in place, but it’s not just for seniors. Our product has shown to be an effective monitoring solution, as well as, a social and communication tool for developmentally disabled individuals, allowing them to live more independent lives.

13abc
Channel 13 ABC affiliate in Toledo, Ohio, recently featured a success story on how a grandCARE solution is being used as an in-home monitoring tool by the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities to help individuals with developmental disabilities remain more independent.

http://www.13abc.com/home/headlines/Developmentally-Disabled-Learn-To-Live-More-Independently-297697701.html

In addition to remote monitoring and video communication functions, the grandCARE system’s simple touchscreen design can include easy one-touch access to a wide range of information including: Facebook photo sharing, Calendars, Task List Reminders, Messaging, Letters, Games, News, Weather, and virtually any website.

For even more added benefits, our system capabilities can include wireless motion sensor activity monitoring and digital medical device vital measurement tracking.

To learn more about how a grandCARE system solution can benefit your organization or someone you know, please visit our website at: www.grandCARE.com.

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