GrandCare Targeted as Must Have Comprehensive Tool According to Writer, Christine Halaba

January 29, 2016

Through the years, different generations found ways to help their elders cope with aging and its effects. The efforts of recent generations led to fruitful solutions such as the birth of home health care in Chicago and other parts of America. This allowed seniors to receive the health care services that they need in the comfort of their own homes. Aside from this, today’s generation has another weapon in its arsenal – technology.

We are living in a digital world, so it’s no surprise that several outstanding individuals found ways to create devices that are meant to aid the older portion of the population with their needs. These genius innovations are meant to assist aging adults – with the help of their caregivers – as they face the challenges of aging. If you are looking to equip your loved ones with necessary items to help ease the obstacles of growing old, check the gadgets below:

Medical Alert System

Several difficulties arise as people grow older and one of these is problems with mobility or balance. Older people are likely to fall down and injure themselves. In case this happens to your loved one, how will she be able to ask for help? Medical alert system, or Personal Emergency Response System (PERS), allows your loved one to contact you or her caregiver in case of an emergency.

Thanks to constant innovations, the PERS gadgets available in the market today are wireless and more mobile. You won’t have to worry anymore whenever your aging parents are out of your sight because they now have a means to contact you. At the same time, your parents will be at ease about moving around freely because they know that you are only a click away.

Automatic Pill Dispensers

Sometimes, people decide to hire home care because their loved one is becoming forgetful. This is especially problematic when your loved one has to take different medications for their ailments every day. With all those medicines, it might be difficult for her to remember which one to take at what time.

Good thing electronic pill dispensers are now available in the market. Electronic pill dispensers doesn’t only dispense pills, you can also set them to remind your loved one what medicine to take at what time. Not only that – this gadget can also alert you when your stock is running low! An automatic pill dispenser will allow your loved one to easily get her medicine and reduce the risk of forgetting when to drink them.

Pre-Programmed Phones

Most people rely on smartphones to stay connected with their friends and families anywhere. Despite this, older adults tend to shy away from phones. It can be difficult to convince your elders to use mobile phones because they sometimes find it too complex. That’s why the arrival of senior-friendly phones in the market is such good news.

Mobile phones are a good way to be in contact with your loved one especially if they are out visiting their friends or just strolling around the mall. Plus, it has other applications that can entertain your loved one like music and games. Just make sure that before you give the phone, your number, any of your immediate family member, and your caregiver’s are already pre-programmed in the phone directory.

GrandCare Systems

The three devices stated above are just some of the gadgets that your loved ones should possess at all to help them cope with the effects of aging. Although if you want, there is one tool that can deliver all the benefits of the said three gadgets and more! The GrandCare Systems is an advantageous device that allows your parents to contact their family and friends, view medication reminders, and access information. Basically, it combines the advantages of many separate devices into one tool!

Despite its many uses, your parents don’t have to be tech savvy in order to use GrandCare. In addition, you can access the care portal using any device and leave notes and reminders or just check on your parents. GrandCare is your parents’ all in one tool for communication and information.

Today’s generation is using technology wisely to create devices that will aid the older population as they deal with the effects of aging. Just remember that these tools are not meant to fully replace caregivers, rather, to help them assist an aging person. Before you buy any of the gadgets listed above, remember to discuss it with your loved ones first. Including them in the decision-making process – especially one that involves them – is a must.

Author Bio

Christine Halaba is a Communications degree holder and a freelance writer from the Philippines. Her contributions as a writer can be seen in different blogs for home care, advertising, and health and wellness. Her hobbies include leisure and traveling.

Preventing Senior Isolation

January 25, 2016

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.

Developing a New Model of Care

January 12, 2016

By: Laura Mitchell

The digital health technology industry is ramping up quickly, and everyone understands the critical and immediate need for enabling technologies to turn our man-on-man caregivers into zone caregivers. The technology works. Study after study proves that telemedicine does benefit patients, medication adherence technologies do help mitigate hospital readmissions, and that loneliness and isolation do decrease. The implementation difficulties lie not in the technologies themselves, but instead in the delivery of the model of care, utilizing these new omniscient technologies. So, how do we do it? That’s a whole different question.

The most difficult thing in this “new” aging in place technology industry is determining who uses the technology, who pays for it, and how to encourage resident and caregiver compliance with technology.

At GrandCare, we utilize digital health, activity remote monitoring, touchscreen-based socialization, media sharing, and video chat as a platform to connect caregivers to aging loved ones or clients, while providing the caregivers with proactive, preventative information to enable the safety and independence of the care recipient.

Sounds like a good idea, right?

We thought so…in 2005. That’s when we started this amazing and fantastically frightening journey of trying to convince the industry that there actually was a need. The trick at the time was to persuade the world that technology could actually play a role in helping to care for a loved one. The technology would NOT be a cyborg that dismissed the need for a personal caregiver, but instead could enhance hands-on caregiving. The notion would be that the centerpiece socialization piece would engage the care recipient by providing games, entertainment and information (weather, news, etc.), while connecting them to family through picture/video sharing, letter exchanges, scheduling, and one-touch video chatting.

Meanwhile, a series of optional wireless devices (bluetooth blood pressure devices, glucometers, motion detectors, indoor temperature readers, etc.) would sit passively around the home and report on potential red flags. For example, if a person did not get out of bed in the morning, didn’t access a fridge at mealtime or if the indoor temperature was out of range, someone could be notified.

To those nay-sayers of technologies to promote independence at home, I honestly don’t get it. Perhaps these are the same folks that were completely appalled at the idea of telephones. Would anyone personally visit anyone anymore? Or remember when answering machines came out and it was appalling to think about talking to a machine? I was involved in the very early days of an Internet Service Provider (the first in our county in Wisconsin) and I recall teaching classes called Internet fundamentals where I explained the “Internet” using library analogies, taught the finer arts of how to install Netscape Navigator on a CD. I taught HTML fundamental classes and advised a number of local businesses on how the Internet was going to better their businesses and why they needed websites. I recall many saying the idea was interesting, but their customers would NEVER be directed to a computer and instead would always demand to talk to a live person. Some of these same companies provide today the finest web experience, online stores and help centers with live chat features (yes, this does go to a real person).

The amount of horrified comments about how folks would rather die than have any piece of assistive technology was, well, insane. Forget about the irony in which people posted how much they hate technology on an Internet chat forum, but why the fear? Why the anger?

#grandCAREworks #ItActuallyWorks

Laura is a founding member of GrandCare Systems and remains a strategic growth advisor for the pioneer digital health organization.

Technology paves the way to tackling the senior care crisis

June 29, 2015

According to the U.S. Department of Health Human Services and the Administration for Community Living, the elderly population in the United States is expected to more than double from 39 million to 72 million by 2030. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing also predicts that there will be a serious nursing shortfall in the next few years as there will not be enough to meet these increasing demands. These issues along with the rising costs of long-term care leads many seniors and their families seeking alternatives to allow the elderly to remain independent and aging at home for as long as possible.

This is where home care providers and technology can bridge this widening gap. A recent article by Kris Bevill in the July Issue of the Prairie Business Magazine, in Grand Forks, ND talks about these issues that are becoming a big concern for the northern Plains where much of the population is in the 65 years plus range.

This new and growing demand, combined with a region-wide health care worker shortage, means the fairly young home health care industry is often racing to keep up with patient loads and regulations, but providers say they are confident they will continue to meet demand, thanks in part to new methods of care delivery. – See more at: http://www.prairiebizmag.com/event/article/id/24157/#sthash.akar3ksu.dpuf

In the article, Patti Cullen, president and CEO of Care Providers of Minnesota talks about how “congregate settings allow fewer workers to care for more patients. She also points to technology as a great potential aid in allowing seniors to remain in their home with limited personnel visits.”

Anne Major, president of Fargo-based Ethos Home Care agrees that technology can aid the industry by confronting staffing challenges while providing top-notch care to patients.

Major points out that Ethos has been advertising for a licensed practical nurse and another RN “for quite a while,” but finding staff is an ongoing problem. “The hospitals are feeling it, the care centers are feeling it, and home care is feeling it as well,” Major says.

She adds, “incorporating technology into home care not just for the staffing benefits, but for the additional well-being that remote monitoring can provide for families. Technology can be utilized in a variety of ways for senior care. Medication dispensers can send an alarm to caregivers if medicine is not dispensed at the correct time, motion sensors can automatically trigger lights to turn when a person enters a room or steps on the floor as they get out of bed. Major offers another example she’s seen firsthand, where a child was concerned about his parent leaving home and becoming disoriented, so a sensor was enabled to alert the child whenever the parent’s garage door opens or closes.” – See more at: http://www.prairiebizmag.com/event/article/id/24157/#sthash.akar3ksu.dpuf

Knute Nelson, based in Alexandria, MN utilizes the GrandCare Systems technology to meet their care giving needs by providing a touch screen in the patient’s home.

The grandCARE product is a complete care system that combines telehealth, activity monitoring, digital health management, medication reminders, remote patient monitoring and entertainment/social engagement features into a single, easy-to-use touchscreen designed to keep seniors aging in place.

Technology like grandCARE can actually be more affordable than you think. For home care, senior living and other healthcare organizations, grandCARE offers special enterprise solution programs that can make implementation of this type of technology a reality. Jerry Furness, Chief Operating Officer at grandCARE systems says, “we believe in the benefits of our system and want to provide organizations an opportunity to reap the benefits which is why we have these special enterprise programs in place. Our goal is to make implementation happen in a meaningful way by partially or fully eliminating the up front cost hurdles for these groups.”

Caregiver showing grandCARE user new task list feature.

The article concludes: Andrea Jung, president of Elk River, Minnesota-based Guardian Angels Elimm Healthcare and Hospice added, “I’m really excited about the potential there is for home care….I think technology is going to be a big impact and change the way we deliver care and how many people we’re reaching. There are so many things going on in this industry that I’m really excited about.”

About grandCARE:

GrandCare Systems LLC, founded in 2005, offers the most comprehensive and holistic professional care giving and health coordination tool on the market. grandCARE is a large touch platform which provides health instructions, secure video chat, wireless vital recordings and analytics, medication compliance, activity sensing, and family communications into one intuitive and expandable platform. grandCARE focuses on true individual centered care, enabling better experience, better engagement, and better outcomes. For more information, visit: www.grandcare.com or call 262-338-6147.

Media Contact:

Amy Schwengels 262.338.6147 media@grandCARE.com

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

May 20, 2015

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.“

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.

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

grandCARE featured in Improving Seniors’ Home Safety Through Software IndustryView

March 5, 2015

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

Read the whole article here

Leading Age Minnesota describes why they chose GrandCare for their members!

November 6, 2014

Aging Services Group Offers Solutions on a “Grand” Scale

On November 5, 2014 by Rick Lazzari

As an owner or operator of a senior care community or home care company, have you ever asked yourself any of these questions:

What can we do to positively impact hospital readmissions and capture data to demonstrate our positive outcomes?
How can we maximize our care team’s efforts?
What is my competitive advantage in our market?
What options exist for developing new revenue streams within our care model?

As we confront the challenges of Affordable Care Organizations (ACOs) and data management, workforce shortages, and market differentiation, these – and more questions – have probably crossed your mind. There is one common thread that consistently shows up in the solutions to these challenges – technology.

Aging Services Group is excited to announce a new partnership with GrandCare Systems that will change and enhance the way traditional caregiving services are deployed for older adults in the state.

GrandCare Systems utilizes digital health and socialization technology to reduce health care costs and improve outcomes by enabling designated family members, caregivers and healthcare professionals to remotely care for individuals in their home, regardless of location. A large, easy-to-read touchscreen placed into the client’s residence provides medication prompts, family communications, one touch HIPAA compliant video chat, messaging, patient assessments, discharge information, scheduling, care plans and more.

GrandCare Systems is designed to empower and engage the resident, while providing information to improve health and outcomes. A series of optional wireless telehealth sensors can be used to automatically report and graph vital readings, and even notify a staff member if readings are outside of designated thresholds. Click here to see the system in action.

Knute Nelson in Alexandria is using GrandCare Systems and received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services earlier this year to expand use of this system in its service area. See the July 9 article in Advantage for more details.

To learn more about the program features and discounts available through Aging Services Group’s GrandCare program, contact Rick Lazzari atrlazzari@leadingagemn.org or 651.659.1470 or Laura Mitchell atlaura@grandcare.com or 262.338.6147.

Enabling Technologies can help Alzheimer’s Patients Stay at Home

August 28, 2014

Aging in place and enabling technologies like GrandCare Systems have been empowering seniors to remain healthy, safe, and happy at home.

By Heather Kelly, CNN
August 25, 2014
edition.cnn.com

Sensors let Alzheimer’s patients stay at home, safely

(CNN) — Mary Lou doesn’t know that she’s being tracked.

The 77-year-old is in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s and though she lives on her own, her family keeps close tabs on her. If she leaves her Washington D.C. home between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., a silent sensor on her front door texts her daughter an alert.

[…]

“It’s kept her to the point where we haven’t even had to have in-home care yet. Our goal is to keep her in her home for as long as possible,” said her daughter Cathy Johnson.

Caregivers like Johnson are increasingly turning to smart-home technology and wearable devices to monitor family members with Alzheimer’s and dementia, helping them live independently longer. One of the first things Alzheimer’s patients lose is the ability to learn new things. It makes getting their bearings and adjusting to a new residence especially difficult. But living alone can pose its own dangers, such as leaving a stove on, wandering off or forgetting to take medication.

“Often, decisions about care are made when safety becomes an issue” said said Beth Kallmyer, vice president of constituent services for the Alzheimer’s Association. Tools like these sensors “can allow people to feel more comfortable” and ease the transition.

GrandCare Systems

Industry pioneer GrandCare Systems, provides the most trusted and comprehensive caregiving technology on the market. Since 2005, GrandCare has enabled individuals to remain healthier, happier, and more independent.

The GrandCare interactive touchscreen gives residents the option to control communications and view specific pictures, listen to audio messages, check calendar appointments, visit designated web sites, play games and brain exercises, and video chat with family.

Using a series of wireless activity sensors and digital health devices, the system can notify designated caregivers by phone, email, or text if something seems amiss.

For more information visit GrandCare Systems online at GrandCare.com.

GrandCare showcased on Lakes Area News

August 1, 2014

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9hhQPs8X9M?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

GrandCare Systems and Knute-Nelson were recently featured on Lakes Area News. Anchor Chelsea Nelson explored how technology is changing the way we take care of our seniors, often in the comfort of their own homes.

Knute-Nelson Home Care provides personalized health care to individuals in their own home. Services are tailored to meet the needs of each individual and are provided on a one-to-one basis. They use GrandCare in both home care and hospice.

GrandCare starts with a central touchscreen hub that acts as a source of information, communication, video chat and medication reminders. A series of telehealth and activity of daily living monitoring devices report wirelessly to designated care partners. GrandCare can be an opportunity for new revenues, a way to extend staff through virtual care services, and a method to reach more clients at once (a dashboard view allows an omniscient view of several clients at once). GrandCare can also be a bridge/opener to new clients that may not be ready for hands-on care yet. Rather than replace on-site caregivers, GrandCare enhances caregiving and offers a new model of delivery.

For more information on GrandCare visit: www.grandcare.com

GrandCare interviews on Empowered Patient Radio

July 25, 2014

Karen Jagoda of Empowered Patient Radio interviewed GrandCare’s Laura Mitchell on the technology expectations of caregivers and patients. Karen inquired about the importance of socialization, asked what the challenges in implementation and why doesn’t everyone have one of these systems? Listen to a detailed explanation of how in-home providers are strategically differentiating their organizations, while ensuring a return on investment.

Laura Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer, GrandCare.com speaks on the appeal of technology for care receivers as well as home care providers and medical professionals. – See more at: http://radioactivebroadcasting.net/directory-page/itemlist/category/184-the-empowered-patient#sthash.In7nd1MG.dpuf

Radioactive Broadcasting specializes in creative content, media partnerships, marketing and brand expansion. They help strategic partners grow their reach and increase their sales through internet radio and television shows, integrated content and social media. – See more at: http://radioactivebroadcasting.net/about-us#sthash.NAxbQxoN.dpuf

PLAY NOW

Laura Mitchell, Chief Marketing Officer, GrandCare Systems

Laura is a founding member of GrandCare Systems and was responsible for bringing GrandCares’s product to market in 2006, while aiding in the creation of the “Digital Health” and Aging & Technology industry. She specializes in channel partnerships, growth hacking, and non-traditional marketing and social media. She was featured in Forbes for her social media strategies and has been recognized by several industry media outlets, including Connected World Magazine’s 2014 Top Women of M2M, a nomination for the 2012 WEGO Health “Trailblazer”, 2012 Dealerscope’s 40 Under 40, 2012 “Young Turk of CE” by Custom Retailer Magazine, and the 2011 Mary Furlong Flame Award.

What is GrandCare?

Industry pioneer GrandCare Systems provides the most trusted and comprehensive caregiving technology on the market. Since 2005, GrandCare has enabled individuals to remain healthier, happier, and more independent.

GrandCare is a complete communication, cognition, and monitoring technology that is designed to keep individuals safe, healthy, happy, and independent at home. Using a series of wireless sensors that monitor activity (door, temperature, motion, bed, etc.) and telewellness (blood pressure, weight), a care partner can automatically be notified if anything is amiss. Family can connect via two way video chat AND send pictures, messages, emails, videos, and other communications to an easy-to-use touch monitor in the loved one’s home. Loved ones need ZERO technical experience.

For more information please visit our website at www.grandcare.com

Tag Archive for: aging in place