Tag Archive for: AgeTek

Pre-CES Workshop & AgeTek Annual Meeting January 5th, GrandCare Speaks!

Silvers Summit Pre-CES Workshop and AgeTek Annual meeting Information
Sponsored by Silvers Summit, AgeTek, AARP & Best Buy

Date: January 5, 2011
Location: Mirage Hotel and Casino
Room: Montego A
Address: 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV

Workshop 1:00pm – 5:00pm (GrandCare’s Laura Mitchell speaks on the HOW-TO of Social Networking)
(Light Lunch will be available for registered attendees starting at 12:30pm)

AgeTek Networking Reception: 5:00 – 6:00 Montego F
AgeTek Annual Meeting: 6:30 – 8:00pm Montego A

Silvers Summit and AgeTek Combine Expertise;
Hosts Workshop on the Coming Silver Tsunami
World’s leading aging-focused technology consortium and conference educates companies of the value of creating products and services for today’s aging society
Silvers Summit @ CES will celebrate the one-year anniversary of The Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek), a non-profit organization that promotes the awareness, benefits and value of products and services for our aging society, by hosting an educational pre-CES workshop. The Silvers Summit – AgeTek half-day education program will bring together unique industry expertise to show companies how to position products for boomers and their aging parents with take-always on how to reach this powerful and influential market through today’s social and mobile channels.
The fast-paced half day workshop, on the day before CES opens, will address a handful of unique market issues faced by companies intent on providing quality-of-life solutions for the older adult, but trying to reach the attention of caregivers and families who purchase or recommend these products.
Attendees will learn what works and what doesn’t, in branding and social messaging, how to get the attention of retail and advertisers who prefer a younger demographic, and explore the many facets of finding the right strategic partners in this industry, including:
 Finding partner solutions that work.
 Leveraging the retail, catalog and VAR channels to maximize presence and sales.
 Knowing how to navigate institutional vs. private channels
 Creating a compelling web experience.
 Using social media to target your key audience.
 Examine how today’s leading retail stores think about older customers.
 Understanding your audience – who makes the purchase decisions and how to market to that consumer (i.e. talking to caregivers vs. care recipients).

It’s not too late to sign up – – ONLY $99 for AgeTek Members, $149 for regular attendees
Questions? contact Susan Ayers Walker at summitinfo@silverssummit.com or call 650-854-1146 (Pacific).

GrandCare will be at CES in LVCC North Hall #2812

Going to CES?

GrandCare will be showcasing their communication, cognition, monitoring and wellness assessment technology at CES 2011 in Las Vegas, LVCC North Hall #2812. CES is Jan 6-9th.

We would love to see you there. Want to meet with us, just email info(@)GrandCare.com

We have just a few FREE show passes to CES left for our favorite friends, email us to find out more about that!!!

Laura Mitchell of GrandCare will be speaking on the Social Networking Panel at the Pre-CES workshop in the Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, on Wednesday Jan 5th from 1p-430p. More info here

Stay After the workshop for THE ANNUAL AGETEK Networking and Meeting! And after, brave souls will head to KARAOKE arranged by PRESTO!!!

Laura & Charlie will also be speaking during the Silvers Summit on Saturday January 8th at CES. More info here

HOPE WE SEE YOU in VEGAS!!!

@CES 2011 – See the future of AGING: STOP BY the GrandCare Booth: LVCC North #2812

JOIN THE Silvers Summit @CES in 2011. There are loads of exciting events going on!!! Below is a suggestion for optimizing your agenda and filling your days starting with signing up for the AgeTek Workshop on Wednesday afternoon, visiting GrandCare and other AgeTek members in the AgeTek Pavilion in booth 2812 (part of the Silvers Summit) and go on from there…

– – Wednesday – –
The Silvers/AgeTek workshop 1-5pm AgeTek Members Receive a $50 discount!!! Laura Mitchell from GrandCare Systems will be speaking along with Jill Gilbert on the Social Networking Panel!

STICK around RIGHT AFTER THE WORKSHOP and attend the AgeTek annual meeting and networking mixer at 5:30pm. This meeting is open to all AgeTek members and potential new AgeTek members! You may sign up for AgeTek right at the event or JOIN NOW Come and mingle with AgeTek members and meet the staff from GrandCare Systems!

CES 2011 Exhibit Hours: Visit the Silvers Summit, Digital Health and Sports and Fitness in LVCC North Hall.
Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall
Th Jan 6 10a – 6p
Fri Jan 7 9a – 6p
Sat Jan 8 9am – 6p
Sun Jan 9 9am – 4p

– – Thursday January 6th, 2011 – –
10am CES Exhibit Hall Opens!

– – Friday Jan 7th 2011 – –
9 am CES Exhibit Hall Opens!
– Attend a full day of Digital Health panels,
– In the evening, attend the Mommytech Fashion show of wearable Technology

– – Saturday Jan 8th 2011 – –
9 am CES Exhibit Hall Opens!
Attend a full day of Silvers Summit LVCC North Hall,RM N253 Panels, network and meet the speakers
Charlie Hillman, founder of GrandCare Systems, will be speaking along with Meridian’s Sandra Elliot on “Intelligent Systems for Caregivers” from 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (LVCC N253)

GrandCare’s Laura Mitchell will be participating on the AgeTek Alliance Panel from 5 – 530p.

For more information on Silvers Summit or the Pre-CES Workshop : Contact susan.walker@silverssummit.com

For more info on GrandCare Systems, events at CES or the AgeTek Pavilion, contact: info@grandcare.com

SEE YOU AT CES!

12-2-10 GrandCare Webinar Topic: The Silver Tsunami: How Your Company Can Benefit

Thursday, December 2: Susan Ayers Walker speaks on the Silver Tsunami and how your company can benefit!

Join us TODAY at 2pm EST: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
Optional Dial In listed on the webinar

This call is sponsored by Dr. Marion.

Boomers and their parents continue to be the most powerful consumers in the marketplace, despite an increasingly challenging economy. In the United States alone, there are more than 108 million people over age 45 – a group with more than $2.5 trillion in annual spending power. The 78 million boomers born between 1946 and 1964 make up 28% of the U.S. population and own more than 77% of all financial assets, and the number of Americans age 65 and older is set to double by the year 2030. Your company cannot afford to miss this market opportunity.

Susan Ayers Walker is a leading edge boomer and a freelance journalist reporting on the intersection of technology and aging. Her articles have appeared in AARP the Magazine, AARP.Org, ACM’s Interactions, EETimes, MIT Insider, Caring.com., American Society on Aging Newsletter and other industry journals. She is a nationally known speaker on technology for aging-in-place and caregiving. She has appeared on NBC, and CBS, and participated in a variety of radio talk shows. She is a founding member of AgeTek and the AgeTek Chair of Standards and Innovation. Susan received her BSEE in electrical engineering from Northeastern University and her Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers.

Are you planning to Attend the PRE CES AgeTek workshop?

I wanted to invite you to the Pre-CES Silvers Workshop that is being put on by the Smart Silvers people on January 5, 2011 from 1:00 to 4:00. If you are attending CES in Las Vegas, it would be a shame to miss this workshop that is shaping up with a highly interesting agenda.

I know your time is precious, that is why the format for the workshop is only four hours the day before CES starts. The AgeTek board of directors gave guidance to Smart Silvers to steer the agenda towards where we thought there would be the most interest from our members. Here’s how the four hours shape up:

EmCee: Susan Ayers Walker
1:00 – 2:00 Branding Your Products to the Boomer/Senior Consumer – Create the Plan
(speakers so far: Lori Bitter of Continuum Crew, Mary Furlong of MFA Associates)
2:00 – 3:00 Channel Roulette: View from inside the Retail, Catalog or VAR Channels
(speakers so far: Rick Rommel, VP at Best Buy, Michele Ahlman of Clearsounds, Bud Myers of Senior Circuits)
3:00 – 4:00 You know Social Media is Hot… But How do you Make it Pay off?
(speakers so far: Jill Gilbert of Digital Health, Laura Mitchell of Grandcare)
4:00 – 5:00 Creating Partnerships and Strategic Alliances
(speakers so far: Madeline Pantalone of Greatcall, Gary Arlen of Arlen Communications, Liddy Manson of BeClose, John Mills of eCare Diary)

Best of all, AgeTek members get a 50% discount down to $99.00. The money goes to the running of the event through the Silvers Summit organization, none of it goes to AgeTek. The Alliance is a sponsor of this event, though, and we have contributed a small amount to support it. We also are piggyback a networking event and our annual AgeTek meeting in the same venue afterwards from 5:30 to 8:30 P.M. and you won’t want to miss that.

Lastly, could you please R.S.V.P. to agetek@me.com and let us know if you intend to register for the pre-CES Workshop? It’s important for planning to know how many attendees to plan for.

TO REGISTER for the workshop, please visit: http://bit.ly/silversworkshop

11-4-10 Webinar: E-Learning for Caregivers, Dr. Marion speaks

WHEN: Thursday November 4th, 2pm EDT (1p CT).
WHERE: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
WHAT: E-Learning for Caregivers, Dr. Marion speaks
WHY: With the senior generation living longer than ever before, Dr. Marion believes we are on the verge of an “elder care tsunami.” Her proven advice and support can help caregivers address the challenges they face as they care for their aging parents, spouses and loved ones.
Topic Description: Dr. Marion is about to release her E-Learning Tool for non professional caregivers. It is a program in partnership with Adobe featuring Captivate 3 technology. It is a 5 hour online class that walks Caregivers through the basics of caregiving from how to properly use a wheelchair to how to make the home safe. They are interested in embedding various products and services within the tool and offering them for sale under an affiliate model through the class.

About Dr. Marion:
A recognized visionary and thought leader in the elder field, Dr. Marion (Marion Somers, Ph.D) has over After decades of working directly with seniors and their caregivers, Dr. Marion launched a public effort to provide practical tools, solutions, and advice to those struggling to care for our aging population. She has helped millions of Americans through her book, “Elder Care Made Easier: Doctor Marion’s 10 Steps to Help You Care for an Aging Loved One,” and her web site, www.drmarion.org , speaking tours, syndicated column, national media appearances, and more.

Upcoming Events:
NAHB Webinar – Nov 17 (Laura M from GrandCare speaks) for info: nahb.org

CES (PRE CES WORKSHOP & ANNUAL AGETEK MEETING) – You don’t want to miss this!
ou are Invited to register for an exciting pre‐CES Workshop:
The Silver Tsunami’ is Coming: Is Your Company Ready?
Wednesday Afternoon ‐‐ January 5, 2011, Las Vegas
AgeTek member companies: $99, non‐members $149 suminfo@silverssummit.com
http://silverssummit.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183&Itemid=71

NAPGCM- – May 12-15, 2011 | Sheraton New Orleans Hotel | New Orleans, LA
AgeTek Discounts apply: http://www.caremanager.org/calendar.cfm

If only the elderly could stay HOME: GrandCare Featured in Inc. Magazine

Hot Market: The Aging Population
Baby boomers are hitting old age—and they are terrified of nursing homes. If only there was some way to keep the elderly in their homes and healthy.

By Leigh Buchanan | Nov 1, 2010
By 2030, 71 million Americans will be over age 65, according to the U.S. Census. Currently, 30 percent of elderly Americans who are not in assisted living live alone, and 90 percent say they want to grow old in their homes, according to AARP. Home health care, much of it for the elderly, is one of the fastest-growing segments in the country’s fastest-growing industry.

The Inspiration: In 1993, Charles Hillman, an engineering consultant, was living on a farm in Wisconsin. His great-aunt Clara, then in her late 80s, occupied a cottage 100 yards from the main house. One day, Aunt Clara called to complain she was cold. Arriving at the cottage, Hillman found all the windows flung wide; his aunt said she had opened them because the room was smoky. “I went down into the crawlspace and saw her furnace was on fire,” recalls Hillman. After extinguishing the blaze, Hillman asked his aunt why she hadn’t mentioned the erratic temperatures and strange noises that had been emanating from beneath the house for days. Says Hillman: “She gave the answer that boomers caring for aging parents hear all the time: ‘I know you’re busy and didn’t want to bother you.’ ”

The Business: GrandCare Systems, based in West Bend, Wisconsin, makes technology that helps seniors live independently. Sensors installed around the home monitor motion (tracking, for example, if the resident appears to be wandering or fails to rise from a chair or bed and how often doors open and close); check room temperature; and allow remote reporting of blood pressure, pulse, weight, and other health indicators. A communications base, accessed through an ordinary television, delivers content that includes weather and spiritual offerings and enables communication with family, friends, and caregivers.

How It Got Started: After rescuing Aunt Clara, Hillman had to wait for the technology to catch up to his idea for a system to help seniors and their caregivers avoid similar situations. He bided his time by studying the market. He joined the boards of a local long-term-care organization and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. “As we would discuss finances and state reimbursement, it was pretty clear that institutional long-term care was not a sustainable model,” says Hillman. “Also, the view of nursing homes has really changed. People fear them more than death.”

As he prepared to launch the business in 2004, Hillman joined a consortium of companies developing technology for the aged. The consortium’s large corporate members — including Intel and Philips — were generous with their survey data. That research helped Hillman determine how to price his offerings, market simultaneously to seniors and their personal and professional caregivers, and design products that wouldn’t simply be unplugged or ignored. “People are used to getting information from their television and their telephone, so that’s where we started,” says Hillman, who purchased sensors and other hardware components from GE and hired programmers to develop software linking it all together.

The company launched in 2005 and spent several years testing the system in the independent-living units of long-term-care facilities. Those facilities may become his customers as well, Hillman says.

The Result: GrandCare released its new core system, HomeBase, last summer, and had sold several hundred units by mid-August, after the product was featured on CBS’s The Early Show. The company, which expects to become profitable this year, has seven employees — chiefly programmers — and markets through a network of almost 200 independent dealers. It has sold systems in every U.S. state, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Comment by GrandCare Systems:
thanks for the wonderful article Inc. Magazine!!! The GrandCare System was released into the market in 2006 and has been installed by authorized dealers ever since into private homes, long term care facilities, independent apartments and group homes. Our latest model, the GrandCare HomeBase allows families to not only assess activities of daily living and tele-wellness, but also has an easy-to-use INTERACTIVE touchpad for the LOVED one to be able to see pictures, messages, emails (and post simple responses using the onscreen key pad), online family videos, two way interactive web chat via skype, check weather reports, play games like trivia, solitaire, tic-tac-toe and more. It’s simple for the LOVED one to use and requires ZERO computer knowledge or experience! Authorized family and caregivers can access info easily from any Internet Connected computer and send communications through the GrandCare web portal.

Thanks again to Inc. Magazine and Leigh Buchanan for covering the ever-important issue of staying safe, independent, healthy and HAPPY at home!!

The GrandCare Team
www.grandcare.com
262-448-6147
info@grandcare.com

CES, Digital Health & Silvers Summit

I received a message today from Boomer Authority and wanted to share this – GrandCare will be exhibiting in the Aging Technology Alliance Booth (AgeTek Pavilion) at CES!!! Charlie Hillman & Laura Mitchell from GrandCare Systems will also be speaking during the Digital Health and Silvers Summit. Hope to see you all there!

WEBINAR ── “Emerging Trends in Technology for an Aging Population: An Advance Look at the Silvers Summit and Digital Health Summit” | Organized by: International Mature Marketing Network and Boomer Authority™ Association

Moderated by Lori Bitter, President, Continuum Crew, join industry Thought Leaders Susan Ayers Walker, Silvers Summit and Jill Gilbert, Digital Health Summit ── who are on technologies cutting edge ── and hear them share their views on the latest trends in technology for an aging population. Find details here. Register here.

Date: October 26, 2010 | Time: 1:00 PM (CDT)

Silvers Summit and Exhibition (January 6-9, 2011 at Las Vegas NV) ── “The digital life of this generation changes the rules about how we age” is the theme of the 2011 Silvers Summit, which is held in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show. The Silvers Summit will showcase the products and services that keep boomers engaged, entertained and connected. Silvers Summit will assemble companies, distributors, journalists, research firms, think tanks, to demonstrate the products and services that will help mature consumers maintain their high quality of life. The Conference takes place on Jan 8, 2011. Contact: Susan Ayers Walker at walker@smartsilvers.com.

Digital Health Summit and Exhibition (January 6-9, 2011 at Las Vegas) ── The Digital Health Summit is an important new conference and exhibition at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show. The Summit focuses on the emerging market of consumer-based digital health and wellness devices, related applications and services – – with a special focus on technologies for an aging population! Contact: Jill Gilbert jill.gilbert@me.com.

Visit Boomer Authority™ at: http://boomerauthority.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Building a Continuum of Care

Today’s GrandCare Aging & Technology Industry Call – sponsored by Dakim!

Special thanks to Art Carr from Progressive Retirement for offering an insightful look at the current Continuum of Care and how this is changing as we add enabling services (including technologies) into the mix. This changes our entire concept of a Continuum of Care. If you could not make today’s presentation, please simply email info(at)grandcare.com to receive a copy of the recording!

GrandCare Systems offers industry-wide aging & technology conference call/webinars. GrandCare has been selling into private homes & facilities since 2006 and has opportunities for new dealers & providers. For more info, contact GrandCare directly. These weekly calls are open to anyone and everyone in the aging & technology industry each week and designed for us to learn from each other, network, and together help the industry grow as a whole! Like we always say: The Aging Tsunami will float all boats! Let’s all work together to build up this brand new aging/technology category!

Thanks for joining us today (Over 65 joined us on the web and/or dial in number)

Bridging the Digital Divide: Tomorrow’s GrandCare Aging/Tech Topic

Every Thursday at 2p ET (1p CT), GrandCare Systems hosts an aging & technology industry call.

This Thursday, 8-26-10

TOPIC: Peter Radsliff, CEO of Presto speaks on Bridging the Digital Divide. How social media will change aging in place.

Join us: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
Optional Dial In listed on the webinar

8-19-10 Call sponsored by Presto!. Co-sponsored by Home Controls.

Peter is CEO of Presto Services Inc., the leading provider of computerless email solutions to the home health technology market. Previously, he led marketing and product development efforts at CE leaders Seagate and Monster Cable, developing hundreds of new connectivity, power and digital storage products. Peter is board chairman of an elder technologies industry group, teaches a graduate design course at San Francisco State University, and lives with his wife and three kids in California’s Silicon Valley.