Tag Archive for: GrandCare Systems

2-18-10 AgeTech Webinar: Social Marketing in the home health industry

Dan Dunlop, Jennings President & Healthcare Marketer speaks on the growing phenomenon of social media and best practices for businesses who want to utilize it for marketing purposes.

Dan Dunlop is President of Jennings, a North Carolina-based branding and advertising agency. A marketer, author, blogger and public speaker, Dan brings to audiences a unique combination of marketing scholarship, real-world experience, and an engaging presentation style.

when: Thurs Feb 18, 2010, 2pm EST/1pm CST/12n MST/ 11a PST
where: www.dimdim.com meeting room: grandcare
dial in: listed on the top of the webinar

These aging & technology conference calls are open to anyone and everyone in the aging and technology industry and are meant to educate, learn from each other and network!

Thurs 2-11-10 AgeTech Call Topic: Beware These Aging Myths, Terry Lynch speaks

When: Thurs Feb 11th 2010
2pm EST/1pm CST/12n MST/ 11a PST
Where: www.dimdim.com meeting rm: grandcare
DIAL-IN will be listed at the top of the webinr

Topic: But I Don’t Want ElderCare, Beware these
Aging Myths!

Speaker: Author & Aging Expert, Terry Lynch
specializes in helping older people remain as
self-reliant and involved in community life as
possible, and helping caregiving family members
maintain the quality of their own lives. Terry
has been advancing the independent living cause
since 1977, when he served as assistant to the
Director of the White House Conference on
individuals with disabilities. He then managed a
federal disability rights program and had a key
role in developing what is now the National
Disability Rights Network. Through this
illuminating personal experience and his work with
other families, Terry learned that we have more
control over the quality of our lives as we age
than we realize, and how we can maintain this
control.

These Aging and Technology Webinars are open to
anyone and everyone in the aging and technology
field and meant to educate, grow the industry and
learn from each other.

JOIN US!

Thanks,
Your Host

Laura Mitchell
GrandCare Systems
www.grandcare.com
262-338-6147

GrandCare Systems combines ADL monitoring,
Tele-Wellness Assessment, Socialization &
Cognition into one easy-to-use smart home
technology.

WHY ATTEND EHX AS A DEALER???

GrandCare is sponsoring the Home Health Technology Pavilion and will be speaking on a few of the educational tracks! We are seeking both tech vendors and dealers to come and join us and learn why they cannot afford to not ride the aging tsunami!!

Have you heard the news — EHX has dealers from every state in the country registered to attend the show in Orlando. That’s right; they see and understand the overwhelming value of attending EHX Spring, March 25-27, 2010. Can you afford not to get in front of 2,000 dealers who have paid a registration fee to attend the show? We don’t think anyone can really pass up this year’s event. We’ve overcome all your concerns, so come jumpstart your year by exhibiting.

The dealers won’t pay to attend an expo?
That’s an easy one. EHX is more than an expo; it’s the path to growth. Serious dealer are registered and they are coming to Orlando. Over 1,500 CEDIA classes have already been reserved as part of the New Opportunities Pass. Believe us when we tell you dealers see the value.

57% of EHX attendees are Executive Management
A total of 68% hold Management titles

EHX is not in my budget
We’ve developed lots of ways to help you get in the show. Just ask us. We have discounts on hotels and reductions in your contractor costs to help you out. In addition, we have cost effective turn-key exhibit options that can be staffed with just a single person. You need to be there, so let’s talk!

Where’s the quality?
Another easy one. Did we mention that everyone is paying to attend EHX Spring this year? That means there are serious decision makers attending show. It’s not about the quantity; it’s about the quality.

58% of pre-registered attendees are final decision makers
A total of 84% have a role in either recommending, specifying, or deciding on new products or vendors

Get involved with EHX and find new business in 2010.

Contact Susan Celli today at scelli@ehpub.com or 800-315-1581 x312 to learn how cost effective EHX Spring is and how we can drive sales for you in 2010.

Thurs 2-4-10 AgeTech Call – Elder Atty Terry Campbell speaks on synergy between ElderLaw and ElderCare

When: Thurs Feb 4th 2010 2pm EST/1pm CST
Where: www.dimdim.com meeting rm: grandcare
DIAL-IN will be listed at the top of the webinar

Topic: Estate Planning/Elder Law and Technology for Independent Living
Speaker: Terry L. Campbell is a 1979 graduate of Marquette University Law School and is the managing shareholder of Moertl, Wilkins & Campbell, S.C. He is a member of the Milwaukee County Bar Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). Terry focuses his practice in the areas of lifetime and estate planning which includes wills, powers of attorney, trusts and estates, probate and tax planning and preparation. He also has extensive experience with elder law issues, including Title 19/Medical Assistance planning.

These Aging and Technology Webinars are open to anyone and everyone in the aging and technology field and meant to educate, grow the industry and learn from each other.

JOIN US!

Keep the vision
Laura Mitchell
GrandCare Systems
www.grandcare.com
262-338-6147

GrandCare speaking on Aging with Grace Radio Show Tonight!!

GrandCare will be the guest speaker on tonight’s (Feb 1st, 2010) Aging With Grace Radio Show at 630p EST.
We will discuss what GrandCare Systems is, why it is so important in this aging demographic and field questions from listeners!

Join us tonight!
The link is http://www.blogtalkradio.com/patricia-grace
Listener call in number is 914.803.4027.

Thanks!

GrandCare Systems in Rehab Centers/Hospital or Hospice Care

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6GFXVHVHsw

Stay in touch with a loved one in the hospital, rehabilitation or hospice care. Find out how one woman and her entire family stayed in touch with her mother (in rehab) – even though they all live across the world from one another.

GrandCare listed by Maturity Matters one of the providers in the “fore-front” of aging technology

Lifestyle … Technology

High Tech and High Touch: Eldercare in the XXI Century

Doris Bersing, PhD
President and Co-Founder, Living Well – Assisted Living at Home

89% of Americans do not want to leave their homes when they age. Most of these people will be live alone and receive support from a variety of health and community-based providers, family caregivers.

How will the long-term care system provide care to a growing number of seniors living in increasingly scattered locations? And more importantly, how can that system continue to provide quality care in the face of workforce shortages, rising care costs and decreasing resources? Technology has the potential to play a critical role in launching a new model of geriatric care that allows older people to live independently for as long as possible, supports family caregivers in the important work they do and gives health care providers the tools they need to deliver high-quality care at a reasonable cost.

The mix of caring people, technology, and expertise in gerontology is the key to being able to keep people living and aging within their own homes regardless of whether they are healthy and engaged or dealing with chronic physical illness or dementia.

The High Tech Element of the Equation: Technology Helps Seniors Live Independently

In March of 2008, the Center for Aging Services Technologies released a useful report on the state of technology in aging services. Three groupings of technologies are cited: health and wellness technologies, safety technologies, and social connectedness technologies.

Recently showcased at the Silver Summit at the CES in Las Vegas, there are many exciting technologies being developed to help seniors to stay independent and aging in place . Some of them are:

* Home Monitoring Systems – connect monitoring devices, deploying in ASP model with web interface including: emergency response, fall detection, passive motion monitoring (for persons with Dementia/wander risks), bed monitoring (for fall risks and incontinence). Intel, GE, and Grand Care are two of the providers at the fore- front of these technologies
* Tele-medicine Devices: Blood pressure, weight scale, pulse oximeter, all blue-tooth devices connected to a main platform that communicates information to the caregivers or medical centers. These can be combined with the home monitoring technologies
* GPS Shoes designing footwear with a built-in GPS device that could help track down “wandering” seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This will provide the location of the individual wearing the shoes anywhere on the planet and provide a virtual fence around the elder, enabling them to walk to familiar places but alerting others if they veer off track.
* Medication Monitoring Systems that range from InRange’s EMMA device to the “smart” pill dispensers that work with sensors to alert them to missed dosages and give reminders of the appropriate time to take their medications.
* Walking aids like walkers that can steer away from obstacles and be retrieved by remote control or a cane that can detect warning signs when a person is in danger of falling
* Intelligent phones helping people with memory problems to remember who called last time or the name and relationship of the person calling
* Robotic Nurses developed to help nurses, home health workers and caregivers lift people who cannot walk or help older folks with other activities. A prototype is developed by Vecna Technologies of College Park, MD, with funding from the U.S. military
…

http://stillvital.com/MaturityMatters.php?Category=Lifestyle&Nav=Technology&Title=High%20Tech%20Eldercare%20in%20the%20XXI%20Century

1-28-10 Age Tech Call – Passive Fall Detection

Date: Thursday Jan 28 2010
Time: 2pm EST/1p CST/ 12n MST/ 11a PST
Where: www.dimdim.com meeting room: grandcare
Dial In Information listed on the webinar

Speaker Name: Mike Dempsey
Position: Founder and CEO
Company: Independence Labs
Personal Bio: Mike Dempsey has over 40 patents for medical devices and has developed products or systems that have treated over 20 million patients. Independence Labs is a company whose mission is to help elders live in their own homes independent and safely for as long as possible. Mike also received a citation from the FDA Commissioner for “exceptional initiative and leadership to protect the public health.” He has a BSEE from The University of Michigan.
Topic: Overview of a new Passive Fall Detection System
We will review a system which can detect if people have fallen down but does not require them to wear anything, push any buttons or take any action.

Please join us! These web calls are open to anyone and everyone in the aging and/or technology industry! The purpose is to educate each other, learn and grow as an industry. Remember, the aging tsunami will float all boats!

Thanks,
Laura Mitchell
Your Aging and Technology Call Host

EVERY THURSDAY at 1pm CST
Go to: www.dimdim.com mtg room: grandcare

Various Models & Applications of GrandCare Systems & How it works!!!

There are various models of the GrandCare System to choose from. Ranging from independent home use, to nursing/in-home care staff member use to group homes to hospice/hospice care.

1. A mobile staff tablet to take to multiple resident’s homes/rooms so you can wirelessly record & assess bp, weight, pulse ox, glucose levels as well as record care notes about each resident. This can be accessed remotely by specified care-partners/family members.

2. A multi-resident wellness kiosk for residents to visit and take their vitals with the BP Device, Weight Scale, Glucometer or Pulse Oxygen. These vitals are automatically and wirelessly recorded to the system with allowances for the residents & staff members to jot down carenotes about the resident.

3. Community Room Entertainment Kiosk: Multiple Residents can also use the touchscreen system to play card games, see personal pictures, do trivia, receive incoming communications from family, see facility calendar events, view dining room menu options and more.

4. Multi-resident monitoring system. For multiple resident rooms or group homes. Monitors each resident’s door openings, bed, general motion and potential wellness information. One central TV can display communications, pictures, trivia, etc.

5. Individual (in the home model). There are two options for the in-the-home model. The interactive or passive model. Both will be placed into the independent home/residence and allows for family/care-partners to assess wellness information and be assured that all is well (got out of bed, accessed meds, accessed fridge, normal activity patterns, normal door activity, etc.). Care-partners can customize the GrandCare plan and determine which sensors are necessary for each individual installation. Sensors can EASILY be added or removed at ANY time, no wiring necessary.
A. Passive Model – allows family to send personalized pictures, messages, emails, reminders, family videos, etc to a dedicated TV monitor in the home. Resident needs ZERO technical know-how to use this. They simply watch the TV and the incoming communications.
B. Interactive “On-Demand” Model – allows family to send personalized pictures, messages, emails, reminders, family videos, etc to the easy-to-use, atm-like interactive touchmonitor in the home. The resident simply presses the buttons (pictures, messages, calendar, video, etc.) and chooses what they want to see and when!

6. Hospice/Hospital Model. A simple communication device goes into the room of the resident and plugs into any TV. Family and friends of the resident can go online to the GrandCare website and easily send “i love you” notes, messages, emails, family photos, inspirational words, calendar events and more. The system can also display spiritual offerings, trivia, weather reports, news headlines, nostalgia, stock photos, etc. The resident ONLY has to watch as new communications come in!!!

HOW IT WORKS:
The smart GrandCare System talks quietly and wirelessly with the chosen activity & telehealth sensors. Options range from motion, inside temperature, door, call-me buttons, bed/chair, caller-id on TV, blood pressure, weight, glucometer, pulse oxygen, etc.

Caregivers can log into our secured website from any remote location and check the sensor activity. They can also set up automated alerts. For example, they might want to receive an email if medications were not accessed and a phone call if there is a significant weight gain in a short period of time. Alerts are easy to set-up and can be customized to reflect ANYTHING you need to know. Of course, we walk you through all of this to ensure success!

There is a social/connectivity aspect to GrandCare, which separates us from other remote monitoring systems. It’s called the Communication Station. Caregivers and Family can go to our website and easily send pictures, messages, emails, reminders, calendar appointments, videos, music and more right to a dedicated TV monitor or to an interactive touchscreen. The loved one can also play card games, trivia, see news/weather reports and more using an easy-to-use ATM-like TOUCHSCREEN.

funding for home health providers…

An Excerpt from AgeWise Living Newsletter!
As long term care needs increase and families want to keep their loved ones at home, hiring home health aides often becomes necessary. As you can see from this picture (on a bench in Central Park), often the relationship between the aide and the elderly loved one is a long and devoted one. But in today’s economy, having a private aide for the rest of the elderly loved one’s life isn’t always an option and paying an aide, if not done correctly, can cause Medicaid ineligibility years later, after funds run out. Consider the following very common scenario.

Jane hires a home health aide at $700 per week cash, or $3000 per month. She keeps the aide 3 years until her funds run out and now needs round the clock care. A nursing home becomes the only option.

She applies for Medicaid but is told, “Sorry, you’re not eligible for 15 months. You’ll have to private pay until then.” Of course, Jane has no more money. She’ll have to come up with the funds some other way, perhaps from family members. But at $9000 per month or more that may not be possible. How did Jane get into this mess? Because Medicaid treated her payments to the aide ($108,000) as transfers subject to a penalty.

Qualifying for Medicaid requires spending down assets below $2000. Transferring assets may cause Medicaid ineligibility if you do not receive something of equal value back. Medicaid calls this a “penalty”. However, and this is key, you must prove to Medicaid that assets transferred are not subject to a penalty.

If you pay the aide cash (or by check) and don’t keep proper records Medicaid will assess a penalty. The penalty is calculated by dividing the transferred amount by the average cost of nursing home care. When one applies for Medicaid there is now a 5 year look-back period, meaning Medicaid will look back 5 years from the date of the application to find these transfers. They will add together all the transfers made during that time. The penalty will begin when all other assets have been spent down and the individual enters a nursing home and applies for Medicaid.

Of course, that is exactly the time when you have no more money. The State presumes you gifted the money and so will tell you to get it back, use it and then, after it’s gone to come back and they will pay for your care. But, you didn’t gift the money so you can’t get it back.

So, how can you avoid Jane’s problem? By keeping records to prove the payments were not gifts and not paying cash which is difficult to trace. It is also a good idea to generate detailed invoices of the services which you purchased. Another, perhaps better, solution is to hire a home health agency that will supply the aide. It will cost more than hiring an aide directly but your contract with the agency will insure that Medicaid can never challenge the payments as gifts. And, in the long run it may cost you less because you won’t be stuck with a Medicaid penalty.

For the past 14 years Yale Hauptman has devoted his time exclusively to the practice of elder and disability law with his wife and law partner in his firm, Hauptman & Hauptman. He is a frequent author and lecturer on elder law topics and also is the host of Elder Law Today Podcast, an audio podcast in the format of a radio show, that addresses topical elder law issues (which can be found at www.elderlawtodaypodcast.com). Yale’s law firm website is http://www.hauptmanlaw.com.