Tag Archive for: GrandCare

GrandCare Systems to Offer GreatCall’s 5Star Urgent Response to its Clients

WEST BEND, WIS. AND SAN DIEGO (July 16, 2013) Care in WI

GrandCare Systems LLC and GreatCall, Inc., announced today that GrandCare will be adding 5Star Urgent Response®, the leading mobile personal emergency response solution (mPERS), to its comprehensive caregiving technology platform.

GrandCare’s simple, touch platform enables an at-home senior to view pictures, receive incoming messages, watch videos, video chat with family, listen to music and play fun games. Using a series of wireless activity and telehealth devices, GrandCare can alert designated caregivers by phone, email or text if anything unusual occurs. GrandCare’s technology is used today domestically and internationally by residents of senior living communities and assisted living facilities, seniors living independently, and by recipients of in-home senior care.

5Star extends the GrandCare platform by enabling seniors with immediate access to help in an urgent situation, while they are in their home or away.  Seniors carry or wear the compact 5Star device and press the button to connect to a 24/7 professional emergency response agent when they feel vulnerable or uncertain, or are experiencing a health or safety issue. The highly trained, NAED-certified 5Star agents have immediate access to the senior’s personal profile and location, evaluate the situation, determine the right course of action and coordinate the help needed, remaining on the line until the situation is resolved.  5Star also includes access to a URAC Accredited Health Call Center, registered nurses, and physicians when appropriate.

Designated caregivers can log into the GrandCare website to send communications to the loved one, view activity & digital health sensor information, and customize the automatic caregiver alerts. A caregiver may choose to receive a call, email or text message if specified conditions occur. With the addition of 5Star, caregivers can use an on-line locator service to find a loved one who is missing or hasn’t responded to a call, and can be designated as a contact in the case of an urgent incident.

“We have always known GreatCall as a capable and visionary leader in the mPERS industry,” said GrandCare Systems founder and CEO Charlie Hillman. “Adding their mPERS solution to our existing caregiving technology platform is a natural fit”.

“5Star Urgent Response offers a crucial safety net for senior care recipients and peace of mind for their caregivers.  GrandCare serves a market segment that is important to us, and we are pleased to add them as a distribution partner.”  said GreatCall CEO David Inns.

About GrandCare Systems LLC

GrandCare Systems, on the market since 2006, uses a series of wireless activity & telehealth sensors in a loved one’s home to alert family members if anything seems amiss. Family members can Skype and send pictures, messages, videos, etc., to their loved one using a simple touchscreen interface. GrandCare combines a digital health assessment, biometric readings, activity of daily living sensing, medication management, smart home automation, video chat, and virtual touch-based communications into the most comprehensive and fully-featured caregiving technology in the private home market.  GrandCare has received  world-wide attention from the BBC World News, Italian and French news networks, and U.S. media platforms such as:  The Today Show, the Discovery Channel, CNN, CBS News, etc. To learn more about GrandCare Systems, please visit:  www.grandcare.com.

About GreatCall, Inc.

GreatCall provides easy-to-use wireless health and safety products for aging consumers and their families, allowing them to enjoy a worry-free independent lifestyle. The company stands apart from other wireless services providers through its simplified, personalized and humanized approach, as well as its commitment to providing a high quality customer service experience. The company has been widely praised for its ability to deliver the benefits of innovation and technology in a meaningful and easy-to-use format. GreatCall has received prominent national media accolades from the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, Washington Post and major TV broadcast networks.

GreatCall’s products and services, including The 5Star™ and the Jitterbug® are sold nationwide at leading retailers such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Sears, Radio Shack Dealer Franchise, Fry’s Electronics and ShopKo, as well as direct to consumers at 1-800-918-8543 and online at GreatCall.com. Service coverage includes the U.S. and Canada. GreatCall is located in San Diego, CA.

To learn more about all available GreatCall products and services, please visit: http://www.greatcall.com. This GreatCall news release and other announcements are available at http://www.greatcall.com/buzz. Or follow our news on Twitter @GreatCallInc and on Facebook facebook.com/greatcall. For access to company logos and high-resolution images and screen shots, please visit: www.greatcall.com/assets

West Bend Daily News: GrandCare receives $200K county loan

Company offers health care, technology

By DAVE RANK

A $200,000 county low interest loan was approved for GrandCare Systems LLC, a growing technology company in West Bend, through the Economic Development Washington County, the EDWC announced Monday.

GrandCare is rapidly expanding sales of its digital health monitoring and socializing technology for the elderly both domestically and internationally, GrandCare co-founder and CEO Charlie Hillman said.

GrandCare Systems combines digital health assessment, biometric readings, daily living activity sensing, medication management, smart home automation, video chat and virtual touch-based communications technology for the private home market since 2006.

“Home health care is a growing segment of the global economy,” EDWC Executive Director Christian Tscheschlok said. “We are excited to support the growth of a local company that offers significant potential to elevate our economy through its noteworthy leadership in that expanding market.”

Hillman’s wife, Gaytha Traynor, co-founded GrandCare and is the company’s chief operating officer.

In part, the company’s current expansion is due to the the Community Development Block Grant loan from the EDWC, Hillman said.

GrandCare now is available for retail purchase throughout the United States, Bermuda, New Zealand, Australia and [soon] the United Kingdom, Laura Mitchell, vice president of business development, said.

The daughter of Hillman and Traynor, Mitchell has been a part of GrandCare since its founding. “It started with just four of us in 2005,” Mitchell said. “We now have 18 employees.”

In January, GrandCare announced it had an exclusive contract to provide technology to the largest home health care provider in the United Kingdom, Mitchell said.

“It’s an exciting time for GrandCare and the ‘aging in place’ technology industry,” Hillman said. “The vision that the EDWC has shown will not only help build up our team to support our large contracts, but also will showcase that Washington County is a pioneer in the Health Information Technology space.”

The loan will help GrandCare expand its staff, Mitchell said, including finding a new CEO to step in for Hillman.

“Charlie has been the vision of GrandCare and he wants to remain the visionary,” Mitchell said. Hillman and Nick Mitchell, vice president of product development, built GrandCare’s products from scratch, Laura Mitchell said. “He (Hillman) wants to stay in development.”

Nick and Laura Mitchell are married.

“We are considered the pioneer in the industry,” she said. “We have that credibility.”

GrandCare’s largest competitor is a partnership formed by General Electric and Intel, she said.

The company is also preparing to launch its own e-commerce online site to sell its products directly to consumers, Laura Mitchell said.

GrandCare is located at 327 N. Main St., Lower Riverside. For more information, visit www.grandcare. com or call 338-6147.

GrandCare Systems awarded CDBG loan from EDWC

WEST BEND, Wis., (July 8, 2013) – GrandCare Systems®, a Washington County-based organization, is rapidly ramping up deployments of their touch-based digital health monitoring and socialization technology both domestically and internationally. This expansion is in part due to funding provided through the award of a CDBG loan for $200,000 from Economic Development Washington County (EDWC).

“It’s an exciting time for GrandCare and the ‘aging in place’ technology industry”, says GrandCare founder, Charles Hillman. “The vision that the EDWC has shown will not only help build up our team to support our large contracts, but also will showcase that Washington County is a pioneer in the Health Information Technology space.”

The GrandCare System starts with a large, user-friendly touchscreen placed into a loved one’s home. This touchscreen displays weather, news, calendar events, medication prompts, reminders, family photos, videos and allows for one-button Skype with designated family and friends. Various activity, smart home sensors & telehealth devices are placed around the home to give authorized caregivers and family “peace of mind” that all is normal and safe at home. Caregivers can choose to receive email, text or phone alerts if specified conditions occur (e.g. medication noncompliance, unusual night activity, failure to access the kitchen during mealtime, etc.)

GrandCare also enables the loved one with their own large sized “smart device” giving them easy access to family photos, videos, web-based content and one-touch Skype calls with children and grandchildren. These features are critical to help overcome the very real and damaging effects of social isolation.

“Home healthcare is a growing segment of the global economy”, states Christian Tscheschlok, Executive Director of Economic Development Washington County, “We are excited to support the growth of a local company that offers significant potential to elevate our economy through its noteworthy leadership in that expanding market.”

GrandCare is available today for retail purchase throughout the United States, Bermuda, New Zealand, Australia, and soon in the UK. For more information, visit www.grandcare.com or call 262-338-6147

About GrandCare Systems

GrandCare Systems, on the market since 2006, uses a series of wireless activity & telehealth sensors in a loved one’s home to alert family members if anything seems amiss. Family can Skype and send pictures, messages, videos, etc, to the loved one using a simple touchscreen interface. GrandCare combines digital health assessment, biometric readings, activity of daily living sensing, medication management, smart home automation, video chat, and virtual touch-based communications into the most comprehensive and fully-featured technology in the private home market.
For more information, visit: www.grandcare.com

About Economic Development Washington County

Economic Development Washington County (EDWC) is an independent economic development organization fueling growth businesses and industries for the creation of quality jobs and wealth in Washington County. EDWC accomplishes this through a focus on existing business development consulting; engaging in driver-industry business attraction; supporting qualified start-up enterprises and serving as a central voice on economic development issues.

About CDBG RLF Funds

Economic Development Washington County (EDWC), on behalf of Washington County, administers a pool of funds that can make loans to businesses wishing to expand or locate in the county. These loans are customized to a project but have typically been smaller in size ($20,000-$100,000) and are made at a low interest rate. Principal and interest repaid by those businesses with loans are reinvested back into the fund to be lent out again, making it a “revolving loan fund,” or RLF.

Laura Mitchell on BBS Radio – Reaching For The Gold

“The GrandCare System helps connect elders with the world in ways designed to maximize their independence while also ensuring their safety. This technology not only tracks when they take their medication and other important health statistics. It also allows elders to send e-mails and other important correspondences without the technology frustrating or intimidating them.

Laura Mitchell serves as VP of business development for this company. She has spoken throughout the country about how digital home health can mitigate hospital admissions and otherwise have positive outcomes for elders and their family.”

Reaching For The Gold with Harriet Tramer

Reaching For The Gold airs every other week
BBS Radio Station 1 – Tuesdays
2:00 – 2:55 PM (PST)
5:00 – 5:55 PM (EST)

Harriet Tramer is publishing journalist and a college instructor. Harriet finds that these two careers have much in common as they both demand honing communication skills every day. Over the years, however, her understanding of precisely what is meant by “communication skills” has changed exponentially. At first, she taught classes in the most traditional sense, standing in front of students. And she wrote for print media. But now she instructs her students almost exclusively online and her writing is published in print and over the web. Times have changed but the need to speak to your audience by being concise, yet intriguing, remains the same.

—– Contact Harriet Tramer —–
Email: harriet.tramer@tri-C.edu
Website: http: www.justwannatalk.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/JustWannaTalk1

Michael Neuvirth Reviews GrandCare Systems

Home Care Services And Monitoring At The Touch Of A Finger

Michael Neuvirth give GrandCare Systems a Four and a half Star Review
http://caregiverreviews.com

This Review covers a product and technology that has been helping Caregivers since 2005. It is specifically designed to let your loved ones enjoy a high quality of life – while living in their own homes.

Visit Caregiver Reviews online at caregiverreviews.com

Easy To Use, Feature Rich Home Care System

GrandCare Systems combines digital health, biometric readings,  daily living sensing, medication management, smart home automation, video chat and virtual touch-based communications into a comprehensive home care monitoring system.

Caregivers can virtually engage with a loved one, regardless of geographic location.The simple to use, touch-based platform lets your loved one look at family photos, get, read and send “email”, watch videos and conduct video chats, listen to their favorite songs, play games – and more.

Created By Caregivers For Caregivers

Pricing

I spoke with the very nice people at Grandcare. We discussed pricing and they told me that each customer has his/her own specific needs and should end up with a system that suits those particular, specific needs. Grandcare told me that the best way for the customer to get started with Grandcare and learn about the particular pricing is to contact Grandcare directly via a very short questionnaire. You can access the questionnaire here.

Grandcare told me that their goal is for each customer to get the perfect system that suits their need and the questionnaire is the first step in the process. After you submit the questionnaire, Grandcare will contact you directly.

After speaking with Grandcare, it was clear to me that they will not push you to buy more than you need. There is no obligation to buy and they are really good at answering your questions.

I am honored to have included GrandCare in the very first dedicated review site for Caregivers – Caregiver Reviews

Initially, we are only reviewing sites that we know really help Caregivers and improve their quality of life and the quality of life of their loved ones.

Caregivers are extremely busy and we will not waste their time telling
them what not to read – rather we are focusing only on sites like GrandCare – that truly help Caregivers everyday…

Sincerely,

Michael Neuvirth
Founder
Caregiver Reviews
www.caregiverreviews.com

Grandcare’s system gives Caregivers peace of mind – plus the entertainment and socialization features are great for your loved ones. So, just for this – I highly recommend that you check it out further.

The Next Step Please visit Grandcare’s website, submit the questionnaire and learn more about Grandcare yourself.

Take a look at Michael’s full review of the GrandCare System.

10th annual Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit

The Summit will attract more than 300 entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and leaders in the fields of aging and health.

Laura Mitchell, VP of Business Development at GrandCare Systems, will be presenting at this year’s event.

The 2013 Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit is where the most promising entrepreneurs and investors meet to launch and discover innovative products and services for the global boomer and beyond market.

  • NETWORK in a unique setting comprised of leading investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, analysts and marketers addressing the needs and wants of the 50+ demographic.
  • MEET key members of the media who report on aging, health, finance, technology and care giving.
  • HEAR about the latest trends in the field of aging from key strategic partners in the non-profit sector.

At the Boomer Venture Summit and Business Plan Competition, meet at the crossroads of market opportunity, entrepreneurial talent and leading investors, and discover the power of the 45+ market. Whether you are an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, corporate strategist, marketing expert, industry analyst, age beat reporter or boomer-oriented organization, the Boomer Venture Summit will give you an inside look at the trends and talent that will become an integral part of the aging marketplace, and to connect with other leaders in this field.

The culmination of the Boomer Venture Summit is the Business Plan Competition, which offers a $10,000 prize to the team with the best business plan for tapping into the burgeoning 45+ market. Since the first Boomer Venture Summit in 2004, this competition has fostered a cutting edge community to explore, share and design products and services that will dominate this market in coming years.

Register for the 2013 Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit and learn how to make these facts work for your brand.

“Livable Cities”: What it takes for today’s cities to cater to our aging population!!

Technologies & Requirements to Enable Independence for Seniors in Cities

A musing by GrandCare founder, Charlie Hillman

GrandCare creates technology to empower the elderly to age and heal in place.  Our mission is to reduce the societal cost of long term, post acute, chronic condition, and hospice care while providing a safer, healthier, and happier life for seniors.  The notion of livable cities is of particular importance to our aging population.  Many cities, particularly those in nicer climates have seen large increases in their senior populations. Certainly part of this is the natural aging demographic of the first world, but there is clearly a movement of seniors from rural and suburban venues into the cities.

And it makes sense – cities have a number of big advantages for seniors.

  • They can walk to products and services.
  • There is mass transportation, often with senior discounts
  • There are downsized accommodations without lawn work.
  • There is easy access to senior services.
  • There is good access to healthcare, a particularly important need of seniors.

And, seniors are good for cities – they pay their taxes, they represent considerable wealth, they require services, they volunteer, they provide the wisdom of the ages, and of course, they have a pretty low crime rate.  Given all of this, a larger senior population also presents challenges to cities. Many of these seniors are the recipients of some sort of government assistance. While the federal or state government may be the ultimate payer, the Cities are often responsible for the actual frontline provision of services. Clearly the goal is to provide these services in a compassionate and yet efficient manner.

It is my contention that technology can play a vital component to meet these challenges.

Allow me to muse for a bit and describe what that technology might look like.

Read more

GrandCare Systems Partners with mySmartCTI to Bring Aging in Place Technology to Australia

mySmartCare delivers touch-based digital health monitoring technology

mySmartCTI Logo

GrandCare Systems® appoints mySmartCTITM as Australian distributor

GrandCare Systems of the USA has today appointed mySmartCTI as the Australian distributor of its touch-based digital health monitoring and socialization technology solution.

mySmartCare powered by GrandCare’s technology will be available throughout Australia and includes telehealth functionality, socialization and family coordination features as well as activity of daily living monitoring.  For the residents, it means social connection, games, weather and news reports and one button video chat calls with children and grandchildren.

mySmartCare is also designed to provide family & caregivers with “peace of mind” by looking after activities of daily living (e.g. medication access, fridge access, sleeping patterns and door monitoring) as well as automatic monitoring and recording of vitals.  If a specified check point is not met, the system can alert a designated caregiver by email, text or phone call.

Says Peter Garrett, Managing Director of mySmartCTI, “As a leading technology integrator in Australia we are proud to be able to deliver a solution that assists the 90% of older Australians who wish to stay living in their homes whilst delivering peace of mind for them and their loved ones.”

“We are looking forward to entering the Australian market through mySmartCTI and utilizing their credibility and expertise”, said GrandCare founder Charlie Hillman, “the GrandCare technology takes away distance as a barrier to connectivity and care, reconnecting the aging population with their family, friends and social networks”.

About the partners

mySmartCTI is an Australian company that prides itself on making a positive difference for its customers, their employees and the environment. mySmartCTI helps to create the most energy and resource-efficient environments possible. Using the latest technologies with highly trained consultants and technicians, mySmartCTI is able to optimize buildings and outdoor environments so they more comfortable, and use less energy and resources with a resulting reduction in ongoing operational costs. mySmartCTI is Australia’s largest commercial building systems integrator with over 50 staff and offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth.

GrandCare Systems on the market since 2006, uses a series of wireless activity & tele-health sensors in a loved one’s home to alert family members if anything seems amiss. Family can Skype and send pictures, messages, videos, etc., to the loved one using a simple touchscreen interface. GrandCare combines digital health assessment, biometric readings, activity of daily living sensing, medication management, smart home automation, video chat, and virtual touch-based communications into the most comprehensive and fully-featured technology in the private home market. If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Alistair Grice, Marketing Manager at mySmartCTI on 02 9887 1000 or email Alistair.Grice@mysmartcti.com.au

Contact: Alistair Grice​
Tel: 02 9887 1000
Mob: 0405 111 122
Email: Alistair.Grice@mysmartcti.com.au

Another Great Piece from Savvy Seniors’ Jim Miller

What types of new home technologies can you recommend to help me keep tabs on my elderly mother? She lives alone, about an hour’s drive from me, and I worry about her safety.

— Concerned Daughter

BRADENTON HERALD – Helping an aging parent remain independent and living in their own home has become a little easier in recent years, thanks to a host of new and improved assistive technology products. Here are some top rated options you should know about.

[…]

Monitoring systems

System Comp TRANS HR03-13

GrandCare offers a wide variety of sensors and devices for customers to choose from.

Another more sophisticated technology for keeping tabs on your mom is with a home monitoring system. These systems will let you know whether she is waking up and going to bed on time, eating properly, showering and taking her medicine.

They work through small wireless sensors (not cameras) placed in key locations throughout the home. The sensors will track her movements, learning her daily activity patterns and routines, and will notify you or other family members via text message, email or phone if something out of the ordinary is happening. For instance, if she went to the bathroom and didn’t leave it could indicate a fall or other emergency.

You can also check up on her patterns anytime you want through the system’s password-protected website. And for additional protection, most services offer SOS call buttons as well that can be placed around the house, or worn.

Some good companies that offer these services are BeClose (beclose.com, 866-574-1784), which runs $399 or $499 for the sensors, plus a $69 monthly service fee if paid a year in advance. And GrandCare Systems (grandcare.com, 262-338-6147), which adds a fantastic social component – through a senior-friendly computer – to go along with the activity monitoring. GrandCare leases for $150 to $300 per month.

Medication management

Med Minder

MedMinder provides the only pill dispensers with their own, built-in Cellular connection.

If you want to make sure your mom is keeping up with her medications, there are medication management devices you can now rent, that will dispense her medicine on schedule, provide constant reminders, and even notify you if her medicine is not taken. Two products that offer this are MedMinder (medminder.com, 888-633-6463), which rents for $40 per month, and the Philips Medication Dispensing Service (managemypills.com, 888-632-3261) that costs $75/month.

Jim Miller, a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book, can be reached at Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.
Or visit www.savvysenior.org.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/05/07/4514595/assistive-technologies-that-help.html#storylink=cpy

Grand News for GrandCare this April

Front Page! Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

“A Time To Build – Why entrepreneurs are key to jump-starting the Milwaukee area’s economic rebirth”

By Rick Romell

“Or consider the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where in January Hillman climbed onto a step stool in front of GrandCare’s booth and told scores of invited media and other guests, virtually all of them sipping free beer from the company, that the little West Bend firm had signed its biggest contract ever.”

Read More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiXTbBhCBH4&w=560&h=315]

Midland Daily News:

“GrandCare Systems provides seniors peace of mind”

Congratulations to David and Becky Schmelzer of Reassure Resources for their appearance in the Midland Daily News!

“The goal is to keep people in their homes for their enjoyment and for caregivers to stay in contact,” said Dave Schmelzer, owner of Reassure Resources and area distributor for GrandCare. “A lot of these people are lonely and don’t have any socialization.”

Read More on why his organization chose to partner with GrandCare Systems.