Tag Archive for: AARP

Kiplinger Report Highlights grandCARE in new report

Technology Helps Seniors Remain at Home

A variety of gadgets help the elderly keep their independence and age in place.

By Sally Abrahms, From Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, March 2015

Most of us want to remain at home as we get older, but safety and health issues and social isolation can interfere with that plan. A growing number of seniors are turning to state-of-the-art digital tools — via smartphones, GPS, voice activation and sensors — that enable them to stay put indefinitely.

……By 2017, experts expect this market to reach $30 billion. “The aging-in-place technology field is exploding,” says gerontologist Katy Fike, who co-founded San Francisco-based Aging 2.0 in 2012 to advise start-ups geared to boomers and seniors…

 System Comp HR11-13Randall Schafer, 61, of Houston, Tex., uses his grandCARE system to Skype with his mother, 90. (She just pushes a button to videochat.) “My mom is in love with our dog, Daisy,” Schafer says. Her “face lights up” when she sees the schnauzer, he says.

Keeping in touch. You might be able to stay in your home, but you can get lonely. Technology can help you feel connected to friends and family — and sometimes even to medical professionals.

With an interactive touch screen from grandCARE Systems (www.grandcare.com, 262-338-6147), you can look at a photo of a grandson’s Halloween getup or a video replay of his baseball home run. You can listen to music, play word games, read the news or surf the Internet. No need to know how to use a computer

skype

Randall Schafer, 61, of Houston, Tex., uses his grandCARE system to Skype with his mother, 90. (She just pushes a button to videochat.) “My mom is in love with our dog, Daisy,” Schafer says. Her “face lights up” when she sees the schnauzer, he says.

An added feature: The system can transmit health data, from glucose and blood pressure to weight and oxygen readings. For example, a blood pressure cuff with a wireless Bluetooth medical device will record and relay the readings to caregivers…

Read the entire article here

grandCARE can be purchased for a loved one Here
Are you a professional care provider, medical provider or housing organization?  Contact grandCARE for volume purchasing options.

grandCARE featured in Improving Seniors’ Home Safety Through Software IndustryView

Software Advice, a resource for software buyers looking to improve their home heath and long-term care services, recently featured GrandCARE in their report on senior home safety:
“Some vendors, such as grandCARE Systems, cater to average families and home health agencies alike. These vendors’ products and services include sensors that can be configured to send out alerts, wireless touch screens to facilitate communication for seniors, telehealth support and more.”

“Seniors aging at home are constantly at risk for life-threatening falls,” says Market Researcher Gaby Loria. “We wanted to take on this topic in our research report as a way to highlight home safety initiatives, measure adoption rates for those initiatives and explore technology’s growing role in keeping older Americans safe in their houses.”

The results signaled many older Americans and their families are hesitant to implement both traditional and tech-based home safety measures. “The bulk of our findings are surprising because we expected seniors to embrace tools and technology that would minimize their risks for hospitalization while allowing them to age at home,” says Loria. “This just goes to show why it’s so important for home health agencies to act on their own opportunities for promoting a safe environment in patient homes.”

grandCARE products

grandCARE products

Read the whole article here

GrandCare to PITCH and showcase at AgeTech West in Seattle

GrandCare has been selected as a “PITCH FOR PILOT” Candidate at the upcoming AgeTech West conference in Seattle.  GrandCare will be pitching a brand new product model designed for aging organizations to better manage patient chronic conditions, mitigate hospital readmission risks, successfully transition patients from hospital to home and adhere to true patient-centered care with GrandCare technology playing the centerpiece.

Dell Med Prompt

WHEN: Nov. 17-18, 2014 #syncinseattle

WHERE: Seattle, Washington Hyatt Olive 8 Downtown

IV. Live 2014 Pitch-for-Pilots, real-time voting by Holleran

Facilitator: Stephen Johnson, co-founder, Aging2.0 and partner, Generator Ventures

The 2nd Annual “Pitch for Pilots” (P4P) live pitch in partnership with Aging2.0 will provide the opportunity for 8-10 innovative companies to pitch in front of hundreds of long-term care providers. This year AgeTech is welcoming participation by start-ups as well as established companies with a new product launch. The P4P gives aging service providers an opportunity to get a jump-start down the road of strategic innovation and technology adoption.

More info on the conference:

This year’s conference will explore how technology can better synchronize aging services with consumer desires to transform the aging “user experience” for older adults and aging service providers alike.

Older adults will be directly involved in providing feedback and experiences on what they find appealing and empowering about various technologies – and what’s not – through interactive forums and “sync-ups.” Aging service providers will also give accounts of their experience in piloting new technologies to better meet older adult needs and desires.

Leaders in aging technology from the Seattle-based companies like Microsoft and A Place for Mom, as well as Google, Panasonic, Intel, Care Innovations, Caremerge, LivWell Health and several aging service providers will be addressing the bigger picture of how innovation and technology will continue to revolutionize services by better responding to consumer preferences and focusing on the aging experience.

The bottom line is that norms have changed; technology innovation offers real opportunities for better, more person-centered and efficient care and services for older adults. Service providers, payers and policy makers need to think differently about how care is provided, innovative work-processes and modify programs to take advantage of what technology has to offer in leveraging staff and improving service to sync with consumer needs and desires.

GrandCare chosen as featured speaker at June 3 InControl Wisconsin event

GrandCare Systems’ Laura Mitchell has been selected to lead a discussion exploring how digital health technologies (activity, medication management, telehealth, socialization) can enable seniors to remain safer, happier and healthier wherever home is. It also engages multiple levels of caregivers, who can better and more efficiently care for an aging client or loved one.

Stop by GrandCare’s booth to experience why GrandCare is a leader and pioneer in the digital health and wellness industry.

 

Laura Mitchell, VP Business Development, GrandCare Systems Topic: Senior Cyborgs & Technology powered “digital caregivers”

This course is an exploration of how digital health technologies (video chat, activity, telehealth and medication monitoring) will empower the aging and chronic disease mgmt population while providing caregivers and health providers with BETTER information, eliminating the “noise” and enabling proactive, predictive and preventative care.  With the backdrop of the affordable care act, health providers are being penalized for cost of readmissions within 30 days.  Meanwhile, this society is faced with a huge disruptive demographic: the aging population. One can hardly discuss the aging tsunami without addressing the rising cost of healthcare, typically more is spent in the later years in life.  Everyone is looking to provide more cost-effective care where we turn caregivers into “zone players” vs. old school man on man.

Living a Self-Determined Life: A Conference on Empowerment for Older Adults

June 3, 2014

8:45 am – 4:00 pm

Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center at the Wilderness Resort Wisconsin Dells

The Living a Self Determined Life conference brings together people who are committed to the notion that older people should be empowered to live the life they choose.

Who should attend:

 – Senior Population

 – Professional Caregivers

 – Geriatric Care Managers

 – Long Term Care communities

 – Healthcare Providers

Register Now

 

AARP Bulletin Features GrandCare as a New Technology for Aging Parents

Form AARP Bulletin | Sally Abrams

New Technology Could Allow You or Your Parents to Age at Home

Devices give older people the opportunity to avoid or delay the nursing-home decision

Phil D’Eramo used to call his parents four or five times a day to make sure they took their medication. An only child from upstate New York, D’Eramo was worried, especially about his 89-year-old father, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Were Mom and Dad eating often enough? When his father went out for short drives, was he getting home safely? […]

Now he logs onto a website to check their activity, captured via cellular connection, and remotely monitors their medication. He sees the number of times Mom opens the refrigerator, and when Dad goes into the bathroom or heads out the door. The company can alert D’Eramo by text, email, Web or phone if something is out of the ordinary.

“A dazzling array of new technology is giving older people more confidence in their ability to live alone, and it’s helping families avoid the wrenching decision to move an aging parent from his or her home to a nursing facility. “Smart” technology such as sensors, voice activation, GPS, Bluetooth, cellular connectivity via mobile phones, smartphone monitoring apps and sophisticated computers are making aging in place a viable option for an increasing number of people.”

System Comp 2AARP highlights GrandCare Systems as one of these smart technologies:

Who uses it: Gladys Jules lives in Atlanta and has used GrandCare to check on her aunt and mother in South Carolina and to keep them socially connected. Jules’ daughter recently had twins and streams daily photos to her grandmother. Last September, Jules, 62, had colon surgery and now also uses GrandCare daily. She takes biometric readings, organizes her prescriptions and stores her medical information for her kids “just in case.”

What it is: A multipurpose system that tracks daily activity, has medical monitoring (glucose, oxygen, blood pressure, weight) and can display anything: diets, discharge plans, exercises. An interactive touch screen lets Dad watch videos, view family or Facebook photos, listen to music, play games, read the news and video chat with family.

How it works: It uses an Internet connection that communicates with wireless sensors you’ve placed around the house. Caregivers log on to a website to see their loved one’s activity, write them messages and make rules (“Alert me when …”).

Learn more about GrandCare Systems by visiting GrandCare.com.

Other technologies highlighted in the article include MedMinder, Reminder Rosie, Philips Lifeline with AutoAlert, GreatCall 5Star Urgent Response and MobileHelp.

To learn more about aging in place technologies and how they are read the full article from AARP.

GrandCare Systems’ Laura Mitchell to speak on AT&T’s panel at mHealth

Register Now

AT&T Presents:
Independent Living Thru Technology

Session Overview

With the challenges facing the U.S. healthcare system – increasing demand, spiraling costs and limited resources – it’s not surprising that providers and consumers alike are feeling the pressure to use resources more efficiently and cost effectively. The good news is that technology and emerging care delivery models now make it possible to have care delivered in the home or on the go. This discussion will center on aging in place technologies and the future of the digital home. We’ll explore how the use of smartphones, tablets and other mobile, connected technologies can play a central role in enabling the patient centered medical home, improve quality of life, enhance peace of mind, and ultimately create the framework for independent living and patient self-management.

Session Objectives

  • Explore emerging care delivery models as healthcare moves away from volume-based to value-based care.
  • Discuss the role the digital home can play in patient centered medical homes.
  • Learn how mobile technologies can empower patient self-management and independent living.

Speakers 

Nasrin Dayani, Executive Director, AT&T ForHealth℠, AT&T Advanced Business

Nick Martin, Vice President, Innovation and R&D, UnitedHealth Group

James Mault, Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Qualcomm Life, Inc.

Laura Mitchell, Vice President Business Development, GrandCare Systems

Bill Walsh, Senior Advisor, AARP

Learn More at http://www.mhealthsummit.org/program-details/att.

Second Annual AARP Health Innovation@50+ LivePitch Finalists Announced

WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 7, 2013 – AARP and LivePitch Media today announced the 10 startup finalists for the second annual AARP Health Innovation @50+ LivePitch – http://health50.org – which will take place May 31, 2013 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This premier showcase features the most innovative startup companies in the “50 and over” health technology and innovation sector.

This year’s expert Judges include: Geoffrey Clapp, Health IT Entrepreneur and Advisor to Rock Health; Brad Fluegel, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, Walgreen Co.; Alan E. Hall, Founder, Partner, Island Park Investments; Mercato, MarketStar, Grow America; and Nina Kjellson, General Partner, InterWest. The show is emcee’d by Lisa Suennen, Managing Member, Psilos Group.

Attendee Registration

Investors and industry professionals are invited to register to attend Health Innovation@50+ LivePitch. Attendees can register for $399 ($100 off the door price) when they do so prior to May 31st at http://Health50.org. Registration includes access to the full-day event, lunch, networking, an evening reception, a copy of the exclusive proprietary research report: Health Innovation Frontiers: Untapped Market Opportunities for the 50+, AARP LivePitch Dealbook containing detailed profiles of all 127 companies that applied to pitch at the competition, access to AARP’s Life@50+ expo hall (May 30 – June 1) and a ticket to The Temptations and The Four Tops (May 31, at 7:30 pm).

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Aging in America 2013: conference report

Now Available: Joop Koopman’s, report for Bayard Presse on the annual conference of the American Society on Aging, March 12-15th in Chicago.

Commentary on presentations by: Aging in Place Technology Watch’s Laurie Orlov, gerontologist Ken Dychtwald, Mary Furlong’s What’s Next Summit preceding ASA, AARP, Scott Collins of Link-age Connect, Caring.com and Louis Tenenbaum.

Technologies: Care Innovations, GrandCare Systems and Philips.

Communities: On Lok Lifeways, Avenidas (virtual).

“The reality remains startling: between 2010 and 2050 the US population of 65 and older will have doubled to close to 80M. There are 40M Americans over 65 today; already there are 5M people older than 85, half of whom are still at home and almost half of whom suffer from some form of dementia. Worldwide, 15 percent of the population is 65-plus—a figure that will increase exponentially. Nearly 40 percent of the developed world will be over 55 by 2050.”

System Comp TRANS HR03-13

… “Key players in the realm of software and hardware that are making Aging-in-Place a reality are, to name but a handful, are Philips’ Healthcare at Home (prominently present at ASA with a large display in the exhibit hall and through sponsorship of general sessions); CareInnovations, a partnership of General Electric and Intel—the partnership forged precisely because the Aging-in-Place market remains scattered and unfocused and thus hard to penetrate; and GrandCare Systems, whose VP of Business Development [Laura] Mitchell elaborated on a major deal with Saga in the UK, that country’s counterpart to AARP, for the sale and distribution of a computer-like device capable of comprehensive health, security, and movement monitoring in the home. The company is pursuing sales elsewhere in Europe as well…”

Joop Koopman is an experienced writer/journalist, with a background in Catholic media (as editor and publisher), baby boomer-oriented marketing, as well as public relations serving both commercial and non-profit clients and causes. He currently provides a stable of European magazines catering to the 50-plus audience with information on US marketing trends. He is fluent in Dutch and French.

Health Innovation@50+ LivePitch

AARP Banner

The 2nd annual AARP Health Innovation@50+ LivePitch, Friday, May 31 at the Las Vegas Convention Center is the premier showcase featuring the most exciting start-up companies in the “50 and over” health technology and innovation sector. The pitch event offers the venture capital and angel investor community as well as the media, the opportunity to connect with these outstanding start-ups.

Health Innovation@50+ takes place at the annual 2013 Life@50+ AARP National Event & Expo in Las Vegas, which is attended by 20,000+ members and guests from across the U.S. and the globe.

Live Pitch Application Deadline:  Friday, April 12, 2013  Apply Here

The unique LivePitch dual-pitch format allows start-ups to pitch leading venture and angel investors as well as AARP consumers.  The day starts with companies pitching the judges and investor audience. In the afternoon, AARP members will be welcomed into the room and companies will have the opportunity to redirect their pitch to the consumer audience and gain valuable consumer feedback. At the end of the day two grand prize winners – a Judges’ Winner and AARP Consumer Winner – will be announced.

Register with Promo Code “VIP50” for 50% off!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j226jmDmqTo&w=560&h=315]

JOIN CEDIA WEBINAR “Technologies and Opportunities that can Keep Your Bottom Line off Life Support”

Join us LIVE October 18th 1-2 pm ET

Home Health Care: Technologies and Opportunities that can Keep Your Bottom Line off of Life Support

Featuring Jeff Makowka (AARP) and Laura Mitchell (GrandCare Systems)

Space is limited, click here to register now. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. 

If you haven’t noticed, home health care is for real. It’s almost impossible to make a daily commute without seeing a vehicle sporting some type of graphic advertising “in home care.” According to Aging in Place Technology Watch, the Aging/Technology industry is projected to be greater than $20 billion by 2020. As the current population for the United States continues to age, many consumers are demanding a brand new model of health care; they want it brought to them.

This one hour webinar will break down the market, explore available technology solutions, such as Crisis Management, Activity & Smart Home monitoring, Digital Health, Medication Management, Brain Fitness and Socialization technologies and the expertise required to become involved. Join GrandCare’s Laura Mitchell and AARP’s Jeff Makowka as they pin point the integrator’s role in this landscape and tips for redefining your business model.

At the end of this session participants should be able to:

  • Outline the impact the aging population is having on health care in the home.
  • Describe the different technologies currently being leveraged to enable elderly consumers to stay in their homes longer.
  • Explain the financial opportunities presented by this emerging industry.
  • List critical items to consider when integrating home health offerings into an existing integration business.

Read more