Tag Archive for: Celery

The New Wave of Home Healthcare


Electronic House Reports:

Electronic systems allow seniors to age comfortably and safely in their own homes.

Jul. 30, 2010 — by Lisa Montgomery

Talk to just about anybody, and they’ll have a story to share about an aging loved one. Often, those stories are punctuated with feelings of worry, guilt and uncertainty over how to best care for their elderly parent or friend.

Recently, a number of up-and-coming electronics manufacturers have developed a variety of technologies aimed squarely at this growing market of concerned caregivers. The solutions, they hope, will afford seniors the means to lead an independent life at home while giving their family members the assurance that all is well.

According to healthcare statistics, the timing couldn’t be better. In a June 2009 report from the AARP Policy Institute, the population of people 65 or older is projected to grow by 89 percent between 2007 and 2030, more than four times faster than the population overall. The aging population will skyrocket by another 118 percent between the years 2030 and 2050.

“The silver tsunami is coming,” says Laura Mitchell, director of business relations at Grand Care Systems, a manufacturer of monitoring systems for seniors. “As the generation of baby boomers grows older, we simply won’t have the resources—facilities or manpower—to adequately take care of our aging population, unless we invest in the development of digital home healthcare technology.”

Factor in the astronomical costs of long-term care, and it’s easy to see why some healthcare analysts believe the digital home healthcare industry will grow from a $2 billion business to a $20 billion industry by 2020. (Click here to view a slideshow of digital home healthcare products.)

Innovative Start-ups
Like any emerging industry, the digital home healthcare market today consists mainly of small start-up companies, although big names like GE, Intel and Philips are major players as well (see sidebar). Little synergy exists between the manufacturers, resulting in an industry that’s “somewhat chaotic right now,” says Laurie Orlov of market research firm Aging in Place Technology Watch.

“Products that should probably be sold together as a package are being sold separately, and pricing is all over the board.” Still, the technologies available are innovative, affordable and—most importantly—cater to the needs of both stay-at-home seniors and the people who care for them.

To gain a clearer sense of some of the solutions gaining steam, Orlov divides digital home healthcare products and systems into four main categories: safety and security, communication and engagement, health and wellness, and learning and contribution. Although technologies that help seniors stay mentally sharp are important, the systems and products that fall under the first three categories are expected to have the biggest impact on the aging-at-home lifestyle.

Safety and Security
The home safety and security market is driven largely by companies with systems designed to monitor the activities of an individual and report those findings to a preselected group of people. Personal emergency response system (PERS) devices, which typically alert caregivers of a critical situation after it has occurred, are one example of this type of product. However, today’s breed of alert systems focus on more on preventing and mitigating problems than sending out an S.O.S. Referred to as ADL (activities of daily living) monitoring systems, they employ a combination of small, unobtrusive wireless environmental sensors, a networking base unit, specially configured software, and the Internet to communicate to caregivers the daily routines of their elderly stay-at-home parents. The sensors and networking unit capture information about the person’s movement throughout the day and distribute it to a secure web server, where the software analyzes and organizes the data. Invited caregivers can then log on to review the recorded information. They can also receive instant alerts via email or text when specified sensors are tripped or if no activity has been recorded within a certain period of time…

Read more: http://www.electronichouse.com/article/the_new_wave_of_home_healthcare/C155

The Assisted Living Model AT HOME – 7/15/10 TOPIC

Greetings Aging & Technology Enthusiast!

Join our weekly INDUSTRY aging & technology networking forum!
where: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
(optional dial)
when: Thurs July 15th, 2010 2pm EDT (11am PDT)
Call sponsored by Home Controls, Clear Sounds Communications

TOPIC: Providing a new paradigm in for elders and their families.- providing everything that a high-end CCRC or Assisted Living Community offers, but in the security and comfort of the elder’s own home. By combining the smart use of technology with the high touch of upscale hotels and hospitality groups, set a new standard in senior care.

Speaker Bio: Dr. ten Tusscher was Vice President for the Institute on Aging (IOA) (www.ioaging.org) where she worked in leadership and entrepreneurial activities for 10 years. She directed over 250 staff in clinical, care-management, marketing, and homecare departments, and managed an annual budget of $20M. Tessa is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in working with older adults. A seasoned entrepreneur, Tessa was President and CEO of Bay Area Psychological Testing Associates (www.bapta.com), the largest psychological diagnostics company in Northern California.

This call is sponsored by Home Controls. Home Controls is proud to provide distribution and a full dealer support program for GrandCare Systems. You can view this system and many complementary products on their website, at www.homecontrols.com. Co-sponsors: Celery & ClearSounds Communications To sign up as a call sponsor, email: info@grandcare.com

Insight on how the Mature Consumer makes technology purchasing decisions

7-8-10
Join our weekly INDUSTRY aging & technology networking forum!

where: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare

(optional dial listed on webinar)

when: 2pm EDT (11am PDT)

TOPIC: Lori Bitter, Continuum Care Crew, Learn the misconception about how mature couples make their purchase decisions and why it is all about functionality, not features, that lead to adoption and a consumer devoted to your product.

Sponsored by Celery
Celery’s computerless email system keeps families connected… and keeps you, the installer/integrator, just as close as we help you enter the expanding, high profit senior market. http://www.mycelery.com
Co-sponsors: Home Controls & AARP Orlando @50+

New research gives insight on how the mature consumer makes decisions on personal tech, consumer electronics and gadgets/devices purchases. What does this mean for the tech marketer targeting the mature consumer? Learn which half of your consumers is most loyal, and how can you better appeal to them. Learn the misconception about how mature couples make their purchase decisions and why it is all about functionality, not features, that lead to adoption and a consumer devoted to your product.

Aging & Technology Topic: Elder Abuse – why we HAVE to know this 6-17-10 2pm EDT

Greetings Aging & Technology Enthusiast!
Please join us tomorrow (Thursday 6-17-10) at 2pm EDT (11am PDT) for our weekly aging & technology forum! Today’s Call has been brought to you by FineThanx: FineThanx is an automated wellness calling service providing twice-daily check-ins for people who live alone, and notifications to a Care Circle of family friends and professionals. Today’s Announcements has been sponsored by ClearSounds Communications with a Question/Answer Session sponsored by Celery.

TOPIC: “Elder Abuse, How Can I Help?”. We are all in the business of being around the aging population. Why we HAVE to be aware of this sad reality.
Dale Carter, founder and owner of Transition Aging Parents, will describe why each of us needs to be informed about Elder Abuse. It can happen to any older individual in any socio-economic class and includes more than just physical and financial abuse. Learn about the warning signs and what to do if you suspect someone is being abused.

Thursday June 17, 2010
TIME: 2pm EDT (11am PDT)
URL: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare

EHX Home Health Tech Pavilion – GREAT SUCCESS!!

Just returned from 5 days in Sunny Orlando (at least they tell us it was sunny) – wouldn’t know, we spent the entire time at the Electronic House Expo at the Orange County Convention Center! And wow – what a great show for the home health technology industry!

Overall, the show attendance was down. We had heard this and wondered what the show would have in store for us! We really couldn’t have been busier, so it really said a LOT about the shift towards home health for the dealers in this industry.

We arrived on Tuesday morning and spent the entire day in the Peabody, revamping GrandCare dealer training for the next day.

Wednesday, we arrived at 8am for GrandCare Authorized dealer training! The room was abuzz as 30 NEW GrandCare dealers loaded in ready to SPEED train as we powered through about 15 hours of material in 7.5….

Great session, the session went great and the dealers were very interactive and seemed to gain a lot of information!!

ON Thursday at 10am, the EHX show floor opened. It appeared to be about less than half of what it was about 2 years ago. A sign of a bad economy, that’s clear. The silver lining is that the people that DO come are the decision makers AND the ones TRULY interested. We had many dealers that came up and said home health tech is the ONLY reason they attended EHX. A truly positive sign for this industry!

GrandCare was pounded ALL day Thursday by interested dealers – we had an extra large booth with 5 GC reps(represented by a few GC staff and Home Controls (Strategic Dist Partner) and Elder-Watch (Master dealer)).

The first panel session moderated by Laurie Orlov was a huge success. It was standing room only as the 4 panelists from GrandCare Systems, Celery, LogicMark and Halo Monitoring explained their products as Laurie Orlov moderated (recap here: http://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/aarp-and-those-boomers-recareerers-and-home-related-professionals)

Later Thursday afternoon, GrandCare hosted the weekly agetech call LIVE FROM THE EHX FLOOR!!! Using a mic and webcam, GrandCare’s Laura Mitchell (host of the agetech call and VP Chair of the AgeTek Alliance board) hosted the weekly call from the GrandCare booth and interviewed other aging and technology vendors as well as some of the interested dealers.
Recording (including video) http://my.dimdim.com/view2/all/grandcare/default/138cae63-c640-42c4-9748-2888bdf11e5e

End of Day One – GREAT SUCCESS & Many Many Leads to show from it. 17 of us from the Aging and technology pavilion went out to celebrate with dinner and drinks at a local watering hole!!

Friday – Day Two…to be continued…

4-1-10 AgeTech Call Topic: Emotional Selling/Customer Support – Neil from Celery speaks

Tomorrow! Thursday April 1st, 2010
AgeTech Webinar/Conference Call

When: Thursday, April 1, 2010 2pm EDT – – 1pm CDT
Where: my.dimdim.com/grandcare
Optional Dial In listed there!

TOPIC: Technology and home automation gurus entering the aging field will find this is a whole new “sell” and very different than a standard custom integration scenario. Dealers must have passion, patience and great customer support! Neil discusses the emotional connection of aging and technology products!

Neil Grabowsky, is the CEO and founder of Celery, LLC, a cross-generational email service that connects Internet users to their non-computer-using loved ones using a simple fax machine. Grabowsky created “Celery” while away at college so that he could keep in touch with his own father, who was not using email. Today, Celery is used by clients throughout the United States and Canada, and is popular among the elderly and the Amish. Grabowsky graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 2004 with a degree in Product Design and Innovation. He lives in upstate NY with his wife, Mary Beth, and teenage miniature poodle, Josie, who they rescued from the streets of Troy, NY. http://mycelery.com

What you Can’t Afford to Miss at EHX 2010

Where is EHX Spring 2010 http://ehxweb.com/
March 25th – 27th, 2010
Orange County Convention Center
West Building – Halls A1-2
9800 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819
800-345-9845
www.occc.net

Home Health Tech Participants include:
GrandCare Systems
Celery
Halo
LogicMark
MyGait
Presto Services, Inc
Sponsored by: GrandCare Systems

The Schedule of AgeTech Events!!! Did I miss something (please post a comment on the bottom for me to add to the list)

Wed March 24th
9a – 5p (ROOM 304H) GRANDCARE DEALER TRAINING MEETING – open to ALL Authorized GC DEALERS
Thurs March 25th
10:00AM – 6:00PM Exhibits Open
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM ROOM New Opportunities Pavilion
CE Pro – Home Health: Technology Hot Seat Panel Discussion
Learn the different types of technology that are currently being used and integrated into independent living for our aging population.
Moderated by Laurie Orlov, Aging in Place Technology Watch
Speakers: Gaytha Traynor (GrandCare Systems), Neil Grabowski (Celery), George Kanelos (LogicMark), Pam Martin (Halo)
http://ehxweb.com/schedule/detail/D2D-Enabling-Technology-Manufacturers-Hot-Seat-Panel-Session
2:00PM – 3:00PM ROOM – EHX PRESS ROOM
LIVE FROM EHX Weekly AgeTech Conference Call Hosted AT EHX!! Please contact: Laura@grandcare.com to sign up to speak as an EHX attendee/exhibitor. We are looking for speakers to talk for 5 minutes during the LIVE FROM EHX conference and discuss what they are seeing, their impressions of the EHX show, and of course, discuss their personal interests in home health technology! PLEASE CONTACT LAURA to sign up for a speaking slot!
Friday March 26th
9am – 1030am ROOM 203B
When Grandpa wants the Cadillac! GrandCare Systems
This training session led by GrandCare Systems, discusses the latest home health technology: GrandCare Systems. A holistic combination of 4 “Smart Home” technologies: Activity Monitoring, Telehealth Assessment, Connectivity/Social Networking and Cognition into one easy-to-use system to help a loved one “Age Responsibly” at home! Using a series of wireless protocol-driven (Zwave/Bluetooth) sensors, GrandCare generates automated alerts to care-partners if anything seems amiss (vitals abnormal, medication noncompliance, someone does not get out of bed, etc.). Meanwhile, family can electronically send pictures, youtube videos, messages, music, emails and more to a dedicated SIMPLE-to-USE TOUCHSCREEN in the loved one’s home. Learn how you can do WELL by doing some Good!
10:00AM – 6:00PM Exhibits Open
1p – 2pm Room: New Opportunities Pavilion
CE Pro D2D – Healthcare Reform: Opportunities in Home Health Technology
Moderated by Julie Jacobson, CE Pro
Speakers: Paul Ebaugh (Elder-Watch), Jason Ray (Simply Home)
430 PM – 530 PM Room: CE PRO Stage
Developing Your Sales and Marketing Plan to DIVE into the $20 billion aging & tech market!
Speakers: Laura Mitchell (GrandCare Systems), Peter Radsliff (Presto Services, Inc.)
Saturday March 27th
10:00AM – 3:00PM Exhibits Open

Consider joining us at EHX 2010 as an attendee or home health tech exhibitor