Tag Archive for: CBS Early Show

GrandCare saved us over $230,000…

Carol Roberts with her mother Jean in Daytona Beach, FL

My name is Carol Roberts and I have been using the GrandCare System for my mother since February of 2006. In late 2005, my mom started experiencing Petit Mal Seizures during the night.  The after effect would be disorientation and confusion, which worried our family and her doctors.  We were advised that her only option was assisted living. Mom found that idea to be absolutely abhorrent. She was physically fit, mentally acute and a fiercely independent person. Mom was the one that found GrandCare Systems online back in late 2005 and we decided to give it a shot and see if it might help us to keep her home for a little bit longer, although we had no idea it would be 6+ years longer.

In February of 2006, 2 GrandCare team members flew into Daytona Beach to install the GrandCare System, a series of motion sensors, door sensors and action alert buttons.  It was so simple for me to log in from my home computer and view the motion graphs, and set up alert parameters.  I opted to receive alert phone calls if the front door opened during the night or if wandering motion was detected (a symptom of the seizures).  The GrandCare staff even volunteered to be “on call” for me if I was unable to take the phone call.

GrandCare has the ability to grow with you. We upgraded mom to an Interactive touchscreen and added the blood pressure device recently.  GrandCare has kept me on top of mom’s overall wellness.   I recently noticed that mom’s sleeping patterns were irregular, she was agitated and exhibiting signs of sundowners.  I took her vital charts and the motion graphs to the doctor consultation to figure out the problem.  Thanks to the information that GrandCare had collected, the doctor saw that the time frame of the changes was at the same time he had altered her medications.  He made a few changes and she started sleeping better, was in a better mood and was more mentally acute.

The GrandCare System saved our lives!  Mom got to keep her independence, I got to live my own life and with some “peace of mind”.  I am proud to report that 6 years later, we are still actively using and relying on our GrandCare System.   The average cost of assisted living in Daytona Beach is around $3200. The GrandCare System has already saved us about $230,000 and still counting.

Mom and I consider the folks at GrandCare as a part of our extended family. They truly care about us, the quality system they provide and are genuinely good people.  I highly recommend them and the GrandCare System.

Thanks,

Carol Roberts

Daytona Beach Florida

Watch the 2010 CBS Early Show Interview on Jean & Carol using GrandCare here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main6745504.shtml

GrandCare featured on CBS Early Show

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main6745504.shtml

Watch The Live Video Here

(CBS) It’s a role reversal that many Americans go through — adult children taking care of their elderly parents.

And new technologies are helping to take the burden off the kids — and helping parents remain independent.

Jean Burkhart, 80, enjoyed living independently. Five years ago, however, she suffered a seizure while alone in her Florida home. More than four critical hours passed before her daughter discovered what happened.

Carol Roberts, Burkhart’s daughter, said, “I called to wish her a happy Mother’s Day and found her confused.”

In an instant, managed care became a necessity for Jean, but like a growing number of older Americans, she wasn’t ready for a nursing home.

Burkhart said, “I wanted to age in my home and not go to a long term care facility or a personal care facility.”

Burkhart and Roberts looked into alternatives and found the GrandCare System. It’s a high-tech set of sensors installed throughout the home that monitors and sends reports about Jean’s movements to family members down the street — or halfway around the globe for as little as $50 a week. It provides a realistic alternative to nursing home care, where the average price tag is more than $50,000 per year.

Edward Schneider, dean emeritus at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, told CBS News, “Most people want to live in their own homes and technology can enable people to do this. Using technology they can stay where they want to stay.”

While GrandCare allows Burkhart to live on her own and gives Roberts peace of mind, there are other benefits for the entire family.

Burkhart said, “It’s sort of comforting to know that they can check on me. I’m really comfortable. I don’t mind the sensors.”

Roberts said, “I’m not ready to have mom live with me, and I don’t think she’s really ready to have me live with her.”

Sensors systems — like the one that Burkhart uses — are just one part of the many new technologies available to aging parents. Here are a few more recommended by Alexis Abramson, a lifestyle gerontologist, on “The Early Show”:
….Read more here:
href=”http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main6745504.shtml”>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/earlyshow/leisure/gamesgadgetsgizmos/main6745504.shtml