Knute Nelson awarded a grant to distribute GrandCare technology throughout palliative and hospice care homes

The Blandin Foundation awarded the Knute Nelson Foundation a $50,000 grant to introduce GrandCare technology to palliative care and hospice patients throughout a 25-county west central Minnesota region where Knute Nelson services.  Knute Nelson is being supported by GrandCare’s distribution partner, Cybermation.

GrandCare is a technology that supports aging & healing in place.

Since 2005, GrandCare Systems has provided the most comprehensive caregiving technology on the market, enabling individuals to remain safe, healthy and happy at home. GrandCare’s simple, touch platform enables a Resident to view pictures, receive incoming messages, watch videos, video chat with family, listen to music and play fun games. 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 activity, etc.).

GrandCare starts with a large touchscreen in the patient’s room where both patients and their families can access health and wellness information, bereavement support and chronic disease education.

GrandCare allows patients, caregivers and nursing professionals the ability to access essential patient information to monitor and ensure proactive health care interventions.

GrandCare enables medication management (prompting a patient when medications should be accessed) as well as a social connection to family through video chat, messaging and other social media type features.

For information on Knute Nelson Home Care and Hospice, visit www.knutenelson.org or call (320) 759-1273.

http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/106416/group/Business/

GrandCare Systems Partners with mySmartCTI to Bring Aging in Place Technology to Australia

mySmartCare delivers touch-based digital health monitoring technology

mySmartCTI Logo

GrandCare Systems® appoints mySmartCTITM as Australian distributor

GrandCare Systems of the USA has today appointed mySmartCTI as the Australian distributor of its touch-based digital health monitoring and socialization technology solution.

mySmartCare powered by GrandCare’s technology will be available throughout Australia and includes telehealth functionality, socialization and family coordination features as well as activity of daily living monitoring.  For the residents, it means social connection, games, weather and news reports and one button video chat calls with children and grandchildren.

mySmartCare is also designed to provide family & caregivers with “peace of mind” by looking after activities of daily living (e.g. medication access, fridge access, sleeping patterns and door monitoring) as well as automatic monitoring and recording of vitals.  If a specified check point is not met, the system can alert a designated caregiver by email, text or phone call.

Says Peter Garrett, Managing Director of mySmartCTI, “As a leading technology integrator in Australia we are proud to be able to deliver a solution that assists the 90% of older Australians who wish to stay living in their homes whilst delivering peace of mind for them and their loved ones.”

“We are looking forward to entering the Australian market through mySmartCTI and utilizing their credibility and expertise”, said GrandCare founder Charlie Hillman, “the GrandCare technology takes away distance as a barrier to connectivity and care, reconnecting the aging population with their family, friends and social networks”.

About the partners

mySmartCTI is an Australian company that prides itself on making a positive difference for its customers, their employees and the environment. mySmartCTI helps to create the most energy and resource-efficient environments possible. Using the latest technologies with highly trained consultants and technicians, mySmartCTI is able to optimize buildings and outdoor environments so they more comfortable, and use less energy and resources with a resulting reduction in ongoing operational costs. mySmartCTI is Australia’s largest commercial building systems integrator with over 50 staff and offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth.

GrandCare Systems on the market since 2006, uses a series of wireless activity & tele-health sensors in a loved one’s home to alert family members if anything seems amiss. Family can Skype and send pictures, messages, videos, etc., to the loved one using a simple touchscreen interface. GrandCare combines digital health assessment, biometric readings, activity of daily living sensing, medication management, smart home automation, video chat, and virtual touch-based communications into the most comprehensive and fully-featured technology in the private home market. If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Alistair Grice, Marketing Manager at mySmartCTI on 02 9887 1000 or email Alistair.Grice@mysmartcti.com.au

Contact: Alistair Grice​
Tel: 02 9887 1000
Mob: 0405 111 122
Email: Alistair.Grice@mysmartcti.com.au

GrandCare Systems: Winner, Finalist and Nominee

2013 Best Senior Living Awards Winner

GrandCare Systems was voted Most Innovative Senior Living Product

Best Senior Award 2013Seattle, WA – Feb. 20, 2013 – SeniorHomes.com, an online directory and resource for seniors and their families searching for senior care or senior housing, announces winners for the SeniorHomes.com 2013 Best Senior Living Awards, in the Websites, Blogs, and People categories..

The SeniorHomes.com 2013 Best Senior Living Awards is a program designed to identify the top resources, providers and organizations in a variety of senior living categories. A panel of 21 leading senior living industry experts has completed ratings for the finalists in each category , and winners have been identified based on cumulative average ratings.

Official Press Release
SeniorHomes.com

Other Consumer Resources Winners by category include:

 

WegoHealth 2012 Trailblazer Award Finalist

GrandCare’s VP of Business Development, Laura Mitchell has been chosen as 1 of 5, 2012 Trailblazer Award finalists

Laura Mitchell“Laura was a pioneer in the aging/technology space, starting in early 2005 with digital health technology leader, GrandCare Systems. Laura is one of the core founders whose initial role was to educate the market on the capabilities of technology and how it could help to improve caregiving, health, safety and self-care.”

Official Nomination

Nominated as the City of West Bend’s Growing Local Business of the month for March 2013

“The Department of Development implemented the Growing Local Business program to recognize businesses that are important to the community. GrandCare Systems is a business that most of the community has not likely heard of, but has a large international reach and is doing really advanced things. I was really impressed with GrandCare Systems ever since we met with you in December, and have selected GrandCare for Business of the Month for exactly that reason. I have followed you through our twitter page and have seen never ending positive accomplishments and awards from GrandCare.”

-Amanda Knack, Economic Development Specialist

Senior Tech on the TODAY Show: Including a Great Overview of the GrandCare HomeBase

Tech gear to help seniors stay independent

NBC’s The TODAY Show, Tech Today
Aired on February 06, 2013

Home Tech - Today Show

There are more than 40 million people age 65 and older in the U.S., and helping them remain independent and safe in their own homes has gotten much easier thanks to new assistive technology products. “Savvy Senior” columnist Jim Miller shares telephone systems, pill dispensers, and more.

Savvy Senior logoThe Savvy Senior: A national information service devoted to older Americans and the families who support them. Through a variety of media, Savvy Senior provides information and resources through its nationally syndicated newspaper column, senior newswire service, resource books, weekly radio program and television features on NBC, CNBC, CNN and Retirement Living TV.

Watch The Video Online

TOMORROW! GrandCare featured on The TODAY Show!!

Wednesday, February 6th on NBC. Tune in from 7-9am CT

Jim MillerSavvy Senior’s Jim Miller Showcasing GrandCare

Jim Miller, creator of the syndicated column Savvy Senior will feature GrandCare’s touch-based system on The TODAY Show!

Since 2005, GrandCare Systems® has provided the most comprehensive caregiving technology on the market today, enabling individuals to remain safe, healthy and happy at home.

Savvy Senior logoSavvy Senior is a national information service devoted to older Americans and the families who support them. Through a variety of media, Savvy Senior provides information and resources through its nationally syndicated newspaper column, senior newswire service, resource books, weekly radio program and television.

Remember to watch or set your DVR’s!

Live Interview with Laura Mitchell, A Young Turk of CE

GrandCare’s, VP Business Development, Laura Mitchell has been named one of this year’s Young Turks of CE by Custom Retailer, for her leadership role and enthusiasm in the digital health field.

Blazing trails in all facets of our industry’s businesses, these rising professionals share the passion, drive and distinction of Young Turks.

-CustomRetailer

While attending the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Laura was interviewed on GrandCare Systems’ ground breaking approach to the use of digital technology in health care by Tony Messina and Barb Beach of GAB Radio. Barb shares with us her own personal story on how a system like GrandCare could have prevented the loss of a loved one for her family.

LISTEN  TO THE INTERVIEW

High-tech home help: Saga Magazine, Fit for life

Saga Logo Original DNTAs the leading provider of products and services for the over 50s in the UK, Saga has long been aware of both the positive, and the more challenging implications of an ageing demographic.  GrandCare Systems® is delighted to have been chosen by Saga as their technology to help their over 50’s stay independent, and at home.  GrandCare was recently featured in Saga’s February 2013 issue of Saga Magazine. The story highlights how one family utilized the GrandCare System to strengthen their family bond and feel more connected and in touch, even though they were over 1,600 miles apart.  It discusses Saga’s entrance into the digital health market, introducing this visionary technology into the UK in 2013.

High-tech home help

Saga Magazine, February 2013, Fit for life, Pg. 86
Words Charles Laurence

A new touch-screen system arriving in the UK this year (courtesy of Saga!) promises to revolutionise old age. It helps to keep older people in their own homes for longer by enabling family or carers to keep a loving eye on mum or dad from afar. Here’s where it all began…

At about the time that Michael Murdock began to worry about his mother’s approaching old age, his eye was caught by a stand at a high-tech trade show. It was called GrandCare Systems. Murdock was in business fitting ‘smart’ automation technology to expensive homes – his was a company you called when you wanted to be able to set the swimming-pool temperature from your car, or watch the front gate with hidden cameras. Amid the gizmos and trade tools at the show, GrandCare seemed to be offering something a little different. ‘I thought “Wow”,’ he says. ‘Here was a company with the sort of technology I use, but adapted to help me look after my mom!’

Click here to download the full article: PDF Download

Read more

UK Home Care Provider, Saga at Home, Partners with GrandCare Systems to power home care services

CES Las Vegas, NV – (January 8, 2013) – GrandCare Systems® announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, a partnership agreement under which Saga, the UK’s largest in-home care provider, will incorporate GrandCare’s touch-based digital health monitoring and socialization technology into their care service offerings.

This is a giant step for the remote monitoring industry as international player, Saga, shows the world how digital health technology could complement domiciliary care services for the over 50s.

“We are honored to have been chosen by Saga as their go-to-market technology for enhancing the 50+ services in the UK,” said GrandCare Founder Charlie Hillman, “the GrandCare technology takes away distance as a barrier to communication and care, benefiting our aging population with familial socialization and the connectivity of the Internet.”

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GrandCare Systems® Wins 2012 Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Award

Frost & Sullivan Presents GrandCare Systems® as a 2012 Best Practices Award Winner, North American Elderly Health and Wellness Customer Value Enhancement

GrandCare-Systems-LLC.

West Bend, WI – (December 12, 2012) – GrandCare Systems® has received the prestigious 2012 Frost & Sullivan, North American Elderly Health and Wellness Customer Value Enhancement Award. This award recognizes GrandCare Systems for offering an extensive, cutting-edge, elderly health and wellness solution.

“GrandCare has recognized the opportunity presented by the convergence of healthcare and wellness. The company has designed and launched a complete and vetted elderly solution that successfully addresses the needs of being happy and healthy,” said Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst Zachary Bujnoch.

GrandCare offers a system that allows communication between various devices to a central interactive touchscreen hub, which then relays that information into a reviewable format. The core of customer value with elderly care is not in the technology itself, but in the effective design of the system, and in the deployment and ongoing service of such a system. The elderly population has unique needs and desires for home health and wellness systems. These needs must be taken into account during the initial design and ongoing improvements of the offering. It is becoming increasingly evident that wellness activities for the elderly, such as social interactions, are important to healthcare, and they might be necessary for success in some aspects of healthcare outcomes. To achieve greater customer value in elderly health and wellness, each of these needs must be addressed. Since 2005, GrandCare has set the highest standard for value in this market by designing and providing both a health offering and a wellness offering in the same system.

“The world of telehealth is most impactful when it is addressing the elderly population, but unfortunately, elderly care and wellness remains one of the most undeserved needs in healthcare,” reported Bujnoch. “GrandCare continues to show exceptional insight within elderly health and wellness by understanding the complex needs of the elderly and offers a unique, high-value solution in response.”

GrandCare’s offering takes on two roles. First, it acts as an interactive communication platform that can receive data from various activity and digital health devices. The GrandCare platform is malleable and customizable to the specific needs of an elderly home or community setting. It integrates with health-focused peripherals, such as scales, glucometers and blood pressure devices, as well as smart home sensors that can monitor activity and wellness. The second role of the system is as a direct and interactive communication touchscreen for the aged. Through this highly functional hub, the elderly persons can interact with various passive monitoring devices by reviewing data, and they can also engage in a wealth of social and day-to-day activities, such as video chatting with family and maintaining a shared social calendar. The system itself is extremely flexible, as it can be utilized for many diverse tasks facing the elderly, such as keeping up with a complex medication regimen, prompting them with voice and written reminders, and providing stimulating brain exercises. Best of all, no computer knowledge is needed to operate the system, fulfilling the critical need for ease of use. By properly addressing all of these factors, GrandCare’s solution clearly proves a value for the elderly care market. GrandCare will be exhibiting in the Digital Health Pavilion at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Jan. 8–11, LVCC South Hall, Booth # 26629

Read more

LivHOME CareMonitor™ Powered by GrandCare Begins Nationwide Rollout

Professional Care Managers Can Monitor Seniors via the Web, Maintaining Both Independence and Safety Offers Cost-Saving Alternative to Home Care 

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–When Howard, a 90-year-old living in Walnut Creek, Calif., needs his blood pressure or oxygen level checked, the data are transmitted directly from monitors on his arm and finger and immediately made available to his geriatric Care Manager. His body weight is also sent from a Bluetooth-enabled scale.

Because Howard has congestive heart failure and lung disease, the ability to monitor this data is crucial. Yet, it is executed with ease in the comfort of his own home.

And when he wants to view new photos of family and friends or even listen to his favorite jazz, all Howard has to do is touch a button on the same, simple device that connects him with his Care Manager.

Howard is one of the first seniors in the nation to use LivHOME CareMonitor™, a web-based, touch-screen service powered by GrandCare Systems that lets Howard’s professional Care Manager, Francesca Wood, monitor his health and safety remotely.

“With LivHOME CareMonitor™, I know that Francesca is aware of my health and vital signs at any time of the day, while I retain my independence and privacy. It also lets me stay connected with my family and friends at the touch of a button,” Howard said.

LivHOME CareMonitor™ (www.livhomecaremonitor.com), a remote care service first announced in March, is beginning to roll out nationwide where LivHOME services are offered. It is currently available in Los Angeles, Walnut Creek and Riverside, Calif., and will continue to be rolled out to additional markets in late 2012 and early 2013. LivHOME CareMonitor™ is provided by LivHOME, Inc., one of the nation’s largest providers of professionally led at-home care for seniors.

Seniors access the LivHOME CareMonitor™ service through an easy-to-use, web-based, touch-screen interface developed by GrandCare Systems. LivHOME Care Managers can monitor their clients using the web-based service and are alerted immediately if any problems arise. The system can track medication schedules, movements around the house and biometric readings such as blood pressure, glucose, blood oxygen and body weight.

“LivHOME CareMonitor™ represents an entirely new approach to caregiving, enabling us to monitor the health and safety of our clients – but without the intrusiveness or cost of hands-on care. This provides greater independence and privacy, while significantly reducing the cost of care. It also extends our caregiving services to a whole new demographic of seniors, those who would benefit from some assistance to remain independent in their home but don’t require a full-time caregiver,” said Mike Nicholson, LivHOME’s Chief Executive Officer.

“In 1999, LivHOME was one of the first companies to place caregiver supervision under a professional Care Manager’s responsibility. In 2012, LivHOME is a pioneer once more – placing remote home care technology oversight under a Care Manager’s responsibility,” Nicholson continued.

Features of the LivHOME CareMonitor™ service include:

  • Professional Care Manager assessment
  • Installation and setup of system
  • Touch-screen computer
  • Personal emergency response system
  • 24/7 alert monitoring and Care Manager availability
  • Medication, appointment and social reminders
  • Skype connectivity, photos, messages, music
  • Motion and pressure sensors, door monitors
  • Biometric measurements including weight, glucose, blood pressure, blood oxygen monitors

LivHOME CareMonitor™, powered by GrandCare Systems’ award-winning technology, is available in multiple configurations depending upon the needs of the individual senior.

To find out more about LivHOME CareMonitor™, please contact Mickey Goldkorn
at mgoldkorn@livhome.com or visit the LivHOME CareMonitor™ website
at www.livhomecaremonitor.com.

About LivHOME

LivHOME is one of the nation’s largest providers of professionally led at-home care for seniors. The company is dedicated to finding solutions that enable older adults to remain in their homes as long as possible. Based in Los Angeles, LivHOME delivers high quality at-home care throughout California as well as Arlington, Va., Atlanta, Austin, Tx., Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Silver Spring, Md. and The Woodlands, Tx.

Contacts

For LivHOME
Sharon Bially, 508-655-2676
sharon@farrellkramer.com