Tag Archive for: aging technology

GrandCare VP Marketing, Laura Mitchell, speaks 3 times in San Francisco this week

It’s an exciting week in San Francisco!  The American Society on Aging & What’s Next Boomer Summit are happening Wednesday – Saturday!

GrandCare’s own Laura Mitchell will be speaking 3 times during the week.  Below are some notable agenda items this week in San Francisco. Hope to see you there!!

ADD THESE GREAT EVENTS THIS WEEK  TO YOUR ITINERARY:

Wednesday

7pm – all are invited to meet with the AgeTek Board & Aging/Technology Enthusiasts at Johnny Foley’s in San Francisco: http://www.johnnyfoleys.com/
This no-host event, will be a great chance to network, mingle and sit back and enjoy the environment in this lively Irish Pub.
Thursday  
Thursday April 28, 2011: 1:00 PM  – 2:00 PM

Presenter(s)

TH495
Workshop – New Look at Technology for Older Persons

Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel
Room: Yosemite A (Ballroom Level)
CEU Credits: 1

Revolutionary new technology and its applications have changed the way older persons are cared for as they age at home, enabling them to remain independent and live more fulfilling lives, providing higher quality of care, assisting caretakers, facilitating the communication, and equalizing availability of quality care to all persons.

Thursday April 28, 2011: 2:30 PM  – 3:30 PM

Presenter(s)

Felice Eckhouse
Gene Loeb-Aronin, PhD
Laura Mitchell
TH583
Workshop : Back Home To Stay

Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel
Room: Franciscan D (Ballroom Level)
CEU Credits: 1
The sudden requirement for an elderly parent, spouse or relative with special mental or physical needs to stay at home can be traumatic. This workshop will examine these situations through scenarios and videos, and will explore requirements for staying at home. Solutions will be planned for each need.
Full ASA (AGING IN AMERICA CONFERENCE) Schedule: http://www.asaging.org/aia11/index.cfm

Friday 

..The Eighth Annual
What’s Next Boomer Business Summit
Sponsored by AARP and AARP Services, Inc.
Friday, April 29, 2011
8:00 am – 5:30 pm
Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel
San Francisco, California

7:00 am | REGISTRATION OPEN | COFFEE AND REFRESHMENTS
8:00 - 6:30 pm | TABLE TOP EXHIBITS OPEN | BOOKSTORE OPEN
4:30 - 5:30 pm | BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Maximizing the Online World
Build an interactive tool box for marketing your business! 
From email to Google, Twitter, and what's in all worlds online to social media platforms, 
unlock the potential for your company. Our experts show you how to harness the power.
Moderator: Laura Mitchell, Vice President, Marketing, GrandCare Systems
Panelists:
- Joe Cannella, Senior Account Manager, Google
- Nataki Clarke, Vice President, Marketing, AARP
- Stephen Chen, Founder, NewRetirement.com

Hope you can join us!!!!!
FULL What's Next Boomer Summit Schedule: http://www.boomersummit.com/agenda.html

Nursing Home Alternative

A great piece from The Acorn News, written by Steve Holt

Adults with elderly parents who are frail can help them continue living at home, even if their mental or physical health is deteriorating.

It’s important for baby boomers to know about things like this. We may have a mom or a dad who is aging quickly, or we’re starting to think about our own vulnerabilities.

Also, there’s a chance we’ve visited an assisted-care facility. Even the nicer ones make us feel uncomfortable.

Too often we think of them as places where people go to die. Most of us would love to keep our parents in their own homes for as long as possible.

A new system, available at Evolution Independent Living in Agoura Hills, enables parents and caregivers to communicate with and monitor the health and activities of their older family members.

When a parent with declining health cannot care for themselves completely and an adult relative cannot help them full-time, we generally must choose from two options: 1. Place them in an assisted-living facility. 2. Hire full- or part-time caregivers.

Evolution Independent Living offers a third choice.

Jim Alexander, CEO of Evolution Independent Living, told me that a nursing home can cost between $6,000 and $20,000 per month, depending on the environment, amenities and services. Professional caregivers are also expensive, and the cost varies depending on their expertise and the number of hours they work.

HIGH-TECH—Above, Leon Frank with Evolution Independent Living shows how the GrandCare System transmits blood pressure rates.

An Evolution Independent Living

System ranges from $3,000 to $6,000, which includes installation and programming.

The final cost is determined by the system that’s needed and the size of the person’s home. Systems can also be leased for $150 to $400 per month for two to four years.

Alexander describes Evolution Independent Living as the “Grand- Care” system. It allows aging seniors to stay in their own home, instead of being forced to move into a new environment.

The centerpiece of the system is a 15-inch touch panel. It’s easily operated and is more user-friendly than a computer or a smartphone. The senior simply touches the screen to select topics such as email, news or entertainment. T h e touch panel can be equipped with a built in camera to accommodate two way Skype capability, so parents or caretakers can communicate via video.

Family members and caregivers can use computers, iPads or smartphones to access the system.

Children and grandchildren can send videos and digital images.

Small sensors keep track of all activity inside the home. If it’s Mom you’re looking after, you can tell when she went to bed, got up, her medicine or visited the bathroom.

If she has high blood pressure, the system can record it, and a graph will show her blood pressure for several months. The same information is available to a parent or caregiver on their remote device.

Mom wears a pendant around her neck. If she falls, she presses a button that sends an audible alarm through the system to designated caregivers or loved ones who are immediately alerted.

The alarm and message also appear on smartphones and computers.

If Mom is incontinent, a sensor in her bed can signal that she’s had “an accident,” so a caregiver can respond immediately.

A sensor at the door will tell when Mom leaves home and returns.

If Mom gets dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, she’ll need assisted living or full-time caregivers, but if her quality of life can be extended by staying at home for as long as possible, it’s worth considering.

Jim Alexander, CEO of Evolution Independent Living, demonstrates the brain exercise feature. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

The Evolution Independent Living System is on display in a simulated apartment. Call (818) 879-0240 to see it at Evolution Audio & Video, 5341 Derry Ave., Suite S, in Agoura Hills, east of Kanan Road, off Canwood Street, in the northwest corner of the complex.

Steve Holt, former Acorn editor who retired last September, can reached at stevencholt@gmail.com.

See the article here at  The Acorn.com

Laura Mitchell speaks at ASA on April 28th: The New Look of Technology for Older Persons

Going to ASA? M Listen as Laura Mitchell, Dr. Gene Aronin and Joel Shapira discuss the future of aging. Using technology to “age in place”

Thursday April 28, 2011: 1:00 PM  – 2:00 PM

TH495
Workshop
Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel
Room: Yosemite A (Ballroom Level)
CEU Credits: 1

Description

Revolutionary new technology and its applications have changed the way older persons are cared for as they age at home, enabling them to remain independent and live more fulfilling lives, providing higher quality of care, assisting caretakers, facilitating the communication, and equalizing availability of quality care to all persons.

Objectives

1. Participants will recognize the social and health benefits of technological devices for the care and monitoring of elderly and their effects on enabling individuals to remain home as they age. Participants will be able to specify care scenarios in which technological devices could be used and select devices that would be applied.

2. Participants will identify resources for locating technology and give examples of technological devices and their sources, and innovations in new technology; state the benefits in bridging the digital gap to enable diversity in the availability of technology.

3. Participants will identify federal legislation and mandates influencing care of elderly such as remaining at home as much as possible, and coordination of caretakers and medical personal in sharing of information and roles and the practical effects upon the use of technology for care.

Housing, Accessibility and Technology

Technology, Technology and Health

Target Audience

Emerging Professional less than 5 years or Student
Established Professional 10 or more years in profession
Professional 5 to 9 years

LA Home Care Makes An Impact on the Lives of Area Residents With Technology (GRANDCARE SYSTEMS)

View the article in full from Benton County, MN News

LA Home Care, a home care provider, located in Sauk Rapids, is making an impact on area residents through use of The GrandCare System, a combination of Smart Home Technologies, Activities of Daily Living monitoring, Internet communications and Tele-Wellness, which supports an entire network of caregivers providing greater security and less social isolation.

Last fall, after partnering with Cybermation, Inc located in Waite Park, LA Home Care www.mylahomecare.com received $16,000 in funding from the Living Connected in Benton County Steering Committeewww.bentoncountyconnected.org to help make this technology available to area residents.

“Technology has been such a growing force in our health care system. Now is the time to make the technology affordable, easy to understand and easy to use for all of us,” said Leslie Ann, owner of LA Home Care. “The GrandCare System, I believe, has done just that.”

This technology, which is currently in five homes, serves three main purposes:

  1. Assists seniors to stay in their homes longer. Client’s are more productive and able to remain connected to community and family through favorite websites set up by the client and caregiver as well as SKYPE, a scrolling alert/message system, brain bending exercises and more.
  2. Enables caregivers to assess a client’s abilities and helps monitor activities of daily living to keep them safe. They are able to accommodate a client’s needs and coordinate with doctors. This technology provides a number of wellness devices to fill the need of many different health issues including a blood pressure device, a weight scale, and a pill dispenser which all use a wireless bluetooth device to record results in the computer and route them directly to a nurse or other care provider.
  3. Gives family members peace of mind. Family members and caregivers are able to remotely upload pictures and send messages in real time, post daily reminders, create calendar appointments and events for the client. Family members are able to monitor their loved ones health concerns and stay in touch with caregivers.

LA Home Care cites Dorothy O. as an example of someone who is benefiting from this technology and who has been able to stay in her home longer. Without this technology Dorothy O. would likely be in an assisted living facility. “We have used Skype to see her newest great-grandchild in Hawaii,” says Leslie Ann. “She has some medical issues that have greatly improved while using the GrandCare system. She likes the fact that if she is in need of a nurse she only has to push a button and I would receive a message saying she needed help. Of course for emergencies she continues to have the Lifeline pendant. I can monitor all movement in the apartment and that can be reassuring to family members who are only hearing part of the issue over the phone. Family members can also log into Dorothy’s computer and see the same information that I do. This makes a well rounded caring atmosphere.”

For more information about LA Home Care, Leslie Ann or this technology visitwww.mylahomecare.com or call 320-828-0802.

Living Connected in Benton County www.bentoncountyconnected.org is a project partner in the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities Initiative (MIRC). MIRC is a coalition of 19 statewide partners and 11 demonstration communities funded in large part through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. The work of the coalition focuses on bringing the full promise of broadband technologies to rural Minnesota communities, businesses and people. Blandin Foundation serves as the project administrator. More about MIRC is available at www.blandinfoundation.org.

Read the article <a href = “http://www.co.benton.mn.us/News_Item.php?NewsID=59“> HERE </a>

Thursday April 21st GrandCare Webinar – Dealing with Dementia

ATTENTION: These Webinars NOW MEET TWICE A MONTH!  The 1st & 3rd Thurs each month (Same time, same place).

We invite you to join in GrandCare’s Aging & Technology Industry Webinars.

All are welcome to join us! 1st & 3rd Thurs each month

Date:  Thursday, April 21 2011
Time:  2pm EDT (1pm CDT / 12p MDT / 11am PDT)
If you don’t have access to a computer and you would like to call in, please call
#1-408-600-3600        access code: 664 424 313
If you have any problems on webex, please call us at 262-338-6147
NOTE: If you are new to using Webex and you have questions, please contact us at info@grandcare.com. Some of the initial kinks have been fixed, so please try again. You may opt to ONLY dial in (number listed above)

Topic Description: Helping a Loved One Deal with Dementia

Dementia such as Alzheimer’s is scary, but let’s calm some fears. Seeing worrisome signs that point to a possible diagnosis of Alzheimer’s can be so frightening that many people avoid getting a diagnosis.  There is always hope, and we are getting much better at diagnosing and caring for elders with dementia, as well as the families and friends who love them.

Take-away Points:

1. We will learn why diagnosis and education are crucial to the well being of loved ones.

2. Educators are getting better at helping families and elders cope with dementia, so we’ll learn ways that families cope so their loved one can still live a happy, comfortable life.

3.  Even if the diagnosis is dementia, families are able to move forward to find the best possible ways to care for their loved one, as well as themselves.

Sponsored by “Love, Laughter and Mayhem” Author, Cindy Keith

Beating Gravity: Avoiding Falls in Elders – reposted from ECare Diary

Reposted from ECare Diary – I wanted to post this for GrandCare Dealers to take a look at. Dr. Rein mentions some very important points, things that we do not think about when examining falls and why they occur. There are certain things that technologies can do to help mitigate falls and other home modifications that can be made to help someone stay at home for longer. GrandCare Systems can be a helpful tool in this, things as simple as automatically turning on a light if/when a person gets out of bed during the night, GrandCare’s Rx Tender Med dispenser can help to dispense the correct dosage at the correct time, remind the Loved one by phone or TV and alert family/caregivers if medications were not accessed.  GrandCare also tries to aid in social connectivity between family members and loved ones. GrandCare is the bridge between the generations, allowing children and grandchildren to communicate the way they would like and the love one to receive communications the way he/she would like to. Family can send pictures, messages, emails, youtube videos, webchat via SKYPE, send calendar reminders and more. This can help to relieve feelings of loneliness and disconnect.   The enhanced communications with GrandCare bring families closer together!  The goal for all of us is to use a combination of personal touch, enabling technologies, home modifications and common sense to help prevent falls and accidents before they happen!!  Thanks Dr. Rein for another great post!

 

Beating Gravity: Avoiding Falls in Elders

Dr. Rein Tideiksaar – March 08, 2011 04:09 PM

People at Risk of Falls

People of all ages fall, but falls are more common for older people. In fact, losing balance and falling down is probably the most common accident that happens to older adults. Although most people are not usually harmed when they fall, the more falls an individual has, the greater the chance of injury. If you do get hurt, the result can harm your health, your sense well being, and your independence.

Some people believe that falls are a normal part of aging, and as such are not preventable. But this is false. Falls usually are caused by certain health conditions (due to normal physical changes of aging or from illness) and/or environmental hazards in the home interfering with safety. In most of cases, falls do not have to happen. Many of the causes of falling are preventable, but only if action is taken. As obvious as it may sound, a lack of knowledge about the causes of falling and how to prevent them contributes to falling.

It’s important to understand that falls are not a normal part of aging. In order to stop falls from happening, it will help you to understand who is at greatest risk and why. While anyone can fall, there are certain conditions or situations putting older individuals at higher risk. For example:

Poor Eyesight. This can keep people from seeing hazards and objects in their path, and lead to trips or slips. Common eye conditions include cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. When combined with poor lighting, eye disorders interfere with safe mobility and increase the likelihood of falling.

Walking and Balance Problems. Disorders such as stroke, arthritis, diabetes, and neurological disease may affect muscle strength and reaction time. As a result, balance may not be quite the same as it was.

Use of Medications. Taking too much medication or the wrong combination of drugs can sometimes affect judgment, coordination and balance.

Depression or Stress. This often causes people to pay less attention and be less alert to surrounding dangers in the environment.

Lack of exercise. Inactivity results in weakened muscles, and lack of flexibility. This can change people’s balance and the way they walk and increase the chances of falling.

Preventing Falls
The good news is that many falls are preventable. By taking some simple steps elders can greatly reduce their chances of falling.

Doctor Visits
Get regular physical exams even if you’re feeling fine.

Ask the doctor to review your medications for any side effects that can affect balance. Make sure the doctor knows about all the medications you are taking (both prescription and over-the-counter drugs) so that harmful combinations of drugs can be prevented.

Tell the doctor about any falls or balance problems you may have experienced. The doctor may want to check you out for any medical conditions.

Stay Active
A regular program of physical activity is one of the best ways to decrease your chances of falling and improve your sense of well being and confidence.

Try to include such activities as walking, dancing, gardening, and stretching exercises to improve flexibility and balance.

Make Your Home Safer
At least half of all falls happen at home and generally take place when doing ordinary things like walking on stairs, getting up from bed or going to the bathroom.  The best way to deal with any threats to safety in the home is through prevention. It’s a good idea to check your home for hazards that frequently cause slips, trips, or falls and eliminate as many potentially trouble spots as possible. By making your home safe now, you can avoid a fall later.

Checklist for Spotting and Correcting Home Safety Hazards

Hazard: INADEQUATE LIGHTING
Solutions:
Keep lights on in rooms that you are walking through. The lighting in your home must be bright so you can avoid tripping over objects that are not easy to see.

Consider a nightlight for dark passageways.

During the day, open curtains and shades to let more sunlight in.

Install extra lighting along the pathway from bedroom to bathroom, by steps and stairways.

Hazard: FLOOR SURFACES
a. Sliding Throw Rugs
Solutions:
Check all rugs and mats to make sure they are slip-resistant.

Consider either buying new rugs with non-slip backing or applying nonskid matting to backs of existing rugs to make them secure.

b. Up-ended/Curled Carpet Edges
Solutions:
Use carpet tape to keep carpet edges from curling up.

Hazard: CLUTTERED PATHWAYS
Solutions:
All pathways should be clear of objects and furnishings.

Hazard: STEPS/STAIRS
Solutions:
Make sure stairs are well lit and free of clutter.

Use stairway handrails for going up or down steps.

Pick up things on the stairs. Always keep objects off stairs and steps.

Rein Tideiksaar Ph.D., PA-C (or Dr Rein as he is commonly referred to) is the president of FallPrevent, LLC, Blackwood, NJ, a consulting company that provides educational, legal and marketing services related to fall prevention in the elderly. Dr Tideiksaar is a gerontologist (health care professional who specializes in working with elderly patients) and a geriatric physician’s assistant. He has been active in the area of fall prevention for over 30 years, and has directed numerous research projects on falls and has developed fall prevention programs in the community, assisted living, home care, acute care hospital, and nursing facility setting. To learn more, check out the Doctor’s professional profile on LinkedIn:http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-rein/6/759/592. If you have any questions about preventing falls, please feel free to email Dr. Tideiksaar at drrein@verizon.net.

 

 

GrandCare Interviewed by Rave Publications at EHX 2011

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DB-NGBRJsQ]

GrandCare’s VP of Marketing, Laura Mitchell, is interviewed by Rave Publications at EHX 2011.

Another Interview at EHX with VP Marketing, Laura Mitchell: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqw89ArzbGw]

Smart Money Magazine asks us – can aging be stylish?

Yesterday, Smart Money Magazine posted an article: Can a Medic Alert System be Stylish. They discussed grab bars, Personal Emergency Response Systems, Wearable Pendants, etc. GMU’s Andy Carle, Age in Place Tech Watch’s Laurie Orlov and AgeTek’s own Peter Radsliff all weighed in on solutions and adoption of technology to “age in place”.

I think this is a very important topic to address. People don’t want to use systems/devices that make them “feel” geriatric, old or disabled. That is the reason that the systems need to be viewed more like we view every day conveniences..think of railings on stairs, alarm clocks, smart phones, online calendar/reminders, appointment books, etc. All of these we use every day because they are helpful and they assist EVERYONE. Systems that enable a person to stay independent and at home should be viewed in a similar fashion. Nobody wants to have the scarlet pendant of aging, instead they want to be able to self-enable with gadgets, technologies, design, etc. If we design systems like GrandCare Systems that has many features that ANYBODY would enjoy, it is much more likely that a person will accept. I use GrandCare Systems in my home every day and my two toddler boys do too. We use it for different reasons, using the same alerts, cognitive assists, reminders, family calendar, etc that the system provides. Everyone benefits from convenience, safety, communication, etc. (Think of the iPad). I would NEVER be able to keep track of my schedule without my iPhone reminding me of EVERYTHING. Why should it be so different with non tech-savvy individuals? Check out my entry on why I believe Gen X-ers should also be adopting these technologies as early adopters: http://wp.me/pyOLA-dx Thanks for the article – short answer: YES, aging can and SHOULD be stylish and graceful! Laura Mitchell GrandCare Systems www.grandcare.com

What are your thoughts???

Read their article here: Can a Medic Alert System Be Stylish? – SmartMoney.com http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/technology/now-in-vogue-grandpas-gadgets-1299712884177/#ixzz1GJrWJD00

GrandCare Slated to Speak April 28th at American Society on Aging in San Francisco

The New Look of Technology for Older Persons: Effects of Information Technology
Thursday April 28, 2011: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Workshop
Hilton San Francisco Union Square hotel
Room: Yosemite A (*tentative)
CEU Credits: 1
Revolutionary new technology and its applications have changed the way older persons are cared for as they age at home enabling them to remain independent and live more fulfilling lives, providing higher quality of care, assisting caretakers, facilitating the communication between all involved in the care of the individual, and equalizing availability of quality care to all persons.
Objectives:
1. Participants will recognize the social and health benefits of technological devices for the care and monitoring of elderly and their effects on enabling individuals to remain home as they age. Participants will be able to specify care scenarios in which technological devices could be used and select devices that would be applied.

2. Participants will identify resources for locating technology and give examples of technological devices and their sources, and innovations in new technology; state the benefits in bridging the digital gap to enable diversity in the availability of technology.

3. Participants will identify federal legislation and mandates influencing care of elderly such as remaining at home as much as possible, and coordination of caretakers and medical personal in sharing of information and roles and the practical effects upon the use of technology for care.
Presenter(s)
Laura Mitchell
Gene Loeb-Aronin, PhD
Housing, Accessibility and Technology
Technology, Technology and Health
Target Audience
Emerging Professional less than 5 years or Student
Established Professional 10 or more years in profession
Professional 5 to 9 years

Connected Home Reports on the Aging & Technology Market Citing GrandCare as a major player…

Great article today from Connected Home: Christopher Wells – – – I couldn’t agree more with the end of the article discussing that someone wanting to get in on this industry must do their due diligence and “have a plan” before diving in. There is obviously not a lack for customers and it is clearly a HUGE market to get into. However, we are building a brand new category here – home health technology. It is not really replacing anything, but rather adding another phase in the continuum of care. Somewhere between TOTALLY independent at home, and independent with enabling technologies. I authored an article for CE PRO back in 2008, which I think is still relevant – – it’s called The 5 Steps to Home Health Technology: New, enabling technologies put dealers in prime position for remote healthcare management. But how do you get started? http://www.cepro.com/article/5_steps_to_home_health_tech/D1 Take a look at the article for some more info! Again, thanks to Connected Home for shedding light on this very important and steadily growing industry! We do have an industry alliance that has formed (of aging technology enthusiasts and vendors) called AgeTek: Aging Technology Alliance – agetek.org – – from Laura Mitchell, VP Marketing, GrandCare Systems

Home Health
Jan 24, 2011 12:00 PM, By Christopher Wells
Systems For The Aging
“The market for technology for aging adults will grow to $20 billion by 2020, comprised of four categories: communication and engagement, home safety and security, health and wellness, and learning and contribution. Baby boomers are also caregivers of aging parents and see the opportunity to enable both themselves and their parents to age successfully in their homes of choice,” says Laurie M. Orlov, the founder of the website “Aging in Place Technology Watch.”

The upshot of all of this is that there is a large and willing market right now for technology systems that will get them what they want, which is to age in place and be as safe as possible while they are doing it. Here are a few of the solutions designed to address this market: Philips has systems designed for the end-user as well as a facilitywide system called CarePoint. The company’s system for the home, Lifeline, is a variation of a personal emergency response system (PERS) that connects to the Philips dedicated monitoring center when it is pressed. The CarePoint system is designed for managed care facilities and uses a call communicator, which offers the ability to communicate with facility staff and provides notification of wandering clients. Finally, a new endeavor named Philips Applied Technology is developing small-footprint ZigBee devices that will create a mesh network for a complete home-use medical monitoring system.

Xanboo offers monitoring in the residence, such as movement alerts and lighting and appliance control. Text and email alerts are sent to caregivers via a smart phone or PC. Part of the system exists on the cloud, where the caregiver can view live camera feeds (though there are the obvious privacy issues here) and the status of devices including thermostats, lights, and appliances.

GrandCare Systems exists as a premium system that offers all the bells and whistles and then some. It includes a full range of monitoring sensors and a system to chart activity, health vitals, and medication. Additionally, it gives the elder person the tools to communicate with loved ones. This takes the form of a touchscreen with large buttons that can operate as a standalone device or interact with a TV to display pictures from family members, emails, games, and upcoming events. All of this is said to occur seamlessly without the person needing to know a single thing about PCs.

BeClose leverages Alarm.com’s cloud technology for its informative Web interface.
In addition to Xanboo and GrandCare, there are a number of other companies offering cloud-based portals for communication and data tracking. For example, the company InTouchLink focuses on the social aspect, providing a simple, intuitive software that allows seniors to use email and the Internet. Another company, BeClose, leverages Alarm.com’s cloud technologies, delivering an informative Web interface. And then there is CloseBy Network, which has partnered with the automation company Control4 to deliver a comprehensive activity monitoring system.

While we probably can’t say the possibilities are endless, it is clear there is significant presence in this market of newbie startups and heavy hitters. So the question you might be asking is, “Is this right for me and my business?” That is the million dollar question and it depends on several factors. First, you will need to do your due diligence to decide whether the numbers work for your business. How will you approach this business? Will you target large heath care facilities, assisted living companies, or end-users? One of these approaches might be better suited to your business model. Also, while this business has hardware, it is not as hardware intensive as say, digital signage. If you target assistive living, it is more about efficiently integrating a simple system and beginning to build a recurring revenue stream through the monthly cloud subscription services. Finally, if you are the owner or a principal of an integration firm, do you think it would be a fit for not only your company but for you? You are going to be dealing with seniors and their family members, often at a time when life-altering decisions must be made. If it is a fit, home health technology might just be that type of business that will fill your wallet and your heart. What could be better than that?”