Tag Archive for: GrandCare

AgingCare.com: Secrets our Loved Ones hide and How GrandCare can help….

Aging.com reported on 10 secrets that our aging parents keeps from us and some ways to deal with and approach them. I couldn’t help but think of all sorts of technology solutions (remote monitoring like GrandCare, Internet technology, etc.) that could assist in dealing with these 10 “secrets” shared in the story.

Of course, technology is only one piece to the puzzle. We are not quite at the point where technology comes immediately to mind when we are thinking about how to care for a loved one. It’s scary to embark upon caring for an aging parent and using a tool that is relatively new.  We did not grow up seeing technology used this way.  Many of us in today’s parenting generation have cared for children using all kinds of technologies (baby monitor, video monitor, bed monitor to detect SIDS, etc), but we don’t think to apply this to an obviously similar need among our aging parents. I get it, though, because although the caregiving process and stress can be similar to taking care of a child, it’s a completely different beast.

Children grow more and more independent as you guide them to do more and more things on their own. With an aging loved one, the opposite will occur. It’s much easier to give more freedom, obviously, than taking it away. I can imagine that it would be difficult to have someone tell you that you cannot or should not do things anymore.

Given this, we can’t be too surprised when a loved one hides or covers up certain things. I even think about my own kids cleaning up a mess they make, BEFORE I see it to avoid punishment or having things be taken away.

So what to do? How do we know if/when someone hides something? And what if it’s something that could be unsafe, unhealthy or potentially life-threatening? What steps could we or should we take to “get to the bottom” of things? How can we more closely monitor? How do we confront? I don’t know that there is an easy answer. I remember my parents having to “take away the keys” from my Grandpa. That was a hard day and it took him a while to get used to the loss of independence. It was the right thing to do (He was not even noticing if I passed him on the road and was repeatedly honking and wildly waving). Even though it was the responsible choice, it did not make it any less difficult.

The aging.com article lists 10 common things that people tend to “hide” or not reveal to those helping care for them. As I read the list I started to think that there really are some high tech and low tech solutions that could help out. Perhaps a telehealth assessment, a SKYPE visit, or even a remote activity of daily living monitoring solution, like GrandCare Systems.

Below is a list of the 10 secrets and the ways that I believe technology could be a piece of the puzzle:

1. Falls – – Technology can detect the actual fall itself, but even if they are not wearing anything…many technologies like GrandCare could alert a family member if they were not “up and about” as usual.
2. Pain – – So obviously technology can’t tell you WHAT they are feeling emotionally or physically, but can give you hints on it. For example, you could have SKYPE visits with a loved one and “see” how they are doing. Systems like GrandCare also have touch-based assessments that the loved one can fill out every day. People tend to be more comfortable telling a machine how they are feeling, versus “complaining” to their family. It can be a helpful resource and indicate if pain levels are there, swelling, happiness, etc. Activity Systems like GrandCare could also portray if a person was moving less than usual, which might be a good indication of a potential problem or pain.
3. Dizziness – – can be caused by many things such as low blood pressure or medication noncompliance…these things can all be remotely monitored by a tele-wellness system like GrandCare. GrandCare has several wireless, bluetooth enabled blood pressure, weight scale, pulseox, glucometer devices that can indicate a potential wellness issue. The medication dispenser could send out an alert if the meds were not accessed.
4, 5, & 6. Money Shortages, Frivolous Purchasing, Financial Abuse – – I put these together because I think they can be managed together. Technology is of great assistance as caregivers can check bank accounts, checks and credit card statements online. Not to mention, one of GrandCare’s initial goals was to help mitigate tele-marketing scams (the co-founder’s mother had an investment banker in Sun City West, AZ scam her, which gave a huge wake up to the entire family). GrandCare has a caller-ID sensor that can alert family members or primary caregivers of unusual, repeated incoming calls, etc. to help stop SCAMS!

7. Elder Abuse – – there are several factors to take into account with elder abuse. It can be very difficult to diagnose this, but technology systems in place can help. Technology can play a big role when determining neglect (caregiver is NOT arriving when they should be, patient is not being “turned”, fridge is NOT being accessed during mealtime, etc). SKYPE is a great way to “see” into the home and look into a loved one’s eyes to really determine what might be happening…

8. Auto Accidents or Driving Infractions – – Although technology won’t play much of a role with determining whether or not a loved one has gotten a ticket or driving infraction, it can share information about how your loved one is behaving in general. Is he/she wandering (could be indicative of sundowners, dementia or even seizures), is he/she complying with medications, eating regularly, normal vitals? sleeping well? All of these factors can help to give a bigger picture idea of what’s happening behind closed doors and allow family members to make educated, healthier and smarter decisions for a loved one.

9. Alcohol or Drug Abuse – – Again, technology can really give a better overall indication that all is well or not well at home. Eating/sleeping patterns, vitals, daily behaviors can help to give an educated view on what might be happening in a loved one’s life. In severe cases, it could be possible to use a monitoring system to monitor access to the liquor cabinet.

10. Gambling – – technology can help to assess when a loved one leaves the home and if they have their GPS enabled Cell phone, shoes or watch, a worried caregiver could be notified if they leave a designated perimeter (mostly used for wandering, dementia, etc)

Granted, there are many other (additional) ways to detect and mitigate these 10 secrets, but I wanted to note that there are some assistive technology solutions out there that are designed to enable a caregiver (call it a super caregiver) to become more aware (even if they don’t live close by) of how a loved one is doing. Because, after all, that’s what we all desire – for our loved one to be safe, be able to stay home (if that’s where he/she would like to be), stay virtually connected/socialized and continue to go about normal daily activities. These technologies were created so these four things could easily & instantaneously happen!

by Laura Mitchell, VP Marketing, GrandCare Systems

GrandCare is a comprehensive digital home health system combining aspects of home automation, activity of daily living monitoring, telehealth sensors, video chat, Internet communications and Social media, using a simple interactive TouchScreen (requires zero previous computer experience).

www.grandcare.com   dealers@grandcare.com   262-338-6147

Read the entire article:

Top 10 Secrets That Aging Parents Keep and what to do about it

Source: AgingCare.com

Your aging parent may be keeping secrets from you. Not necessarily lies, but withholding of information that may be important to their health, safety or general well-being.

Often, as people age, they become embarrassed when they have to ask for help, or require assistance in their care. So they cover up bruises, accidents and money trouble in an attempt to maintain their independence.

From falls to spending habits and from abuse to car accidents, there are a range of “secrets” that elders tend to keep, according to Marilyn Sharbach Ladew, MSW, a nationally recognized expert in senior caregiving….

08-18-2011 Aging &Technology Webinar – “Nutrition & Fitness: Promoting Healthy Aging”

Watch/Download Here

Thursday August 18th Aging/Technology Webinar:              

Date: Thursday, August 18th, 2011
Time: 2pm EDT (1pm CDT / 12p MDT / 11am PDT)
Location:http://grandcaresystems.webex.com

Topic: “Nutrition & Fitness: Promoting Healthy Aging”

Over the years good nutritional behaviors has gotten a little complicated to figure out…we’re going to make it easy for you! Good nutritional behaviors are not just about the food you put in your mouth.  It’s back to the basics with the ABC’s: Adequacy, Balance, and Choices. Don’t just “complete” (finish) your plate but learn how to make a “complete” plate a reap the rewards of a healthy diet.

Purpose of Presentation:

  1. To focus on good nutritional behaviors
  2. To learn the ABC’s of nutrition
  3. To learn how to make a “complete” plate

Our Speaker: Ron Butts, Senior Fitness Account Manager, Healthway’s SilverSneakers®  Fitness Program

Ron has spent the past 25 years actively promoting the benefits of Health & Fitness. He currently holds the position of Senior Fitness Account Manager for Healthways in Southeast Wisconsin.  Ron is responsible for the development, implementation, and supervision of the SilverSneakers® Fitness Program, the Nations leading exercise program for older adults.  He works closely with the partnering Fitness Facilities and Health Plans which offers the SilverSneakers Fitness Program as a benefit to their members. Prior to joining the Healthways staff in 2006 Ron spent 15 years with the Elite Fitness & Racquet Clubs of Milwaukee where he served as the General Manager for the North Shore and Southport Elite facilities.

Our Sponsor: Home Health Tech by Home Controls

Home Health Tech by Home Controls specializes in high-tech products targeting the senior market to help this growing population live independently.  Home Health Tech offers several programs for integrators and health professionals working in the independent living or aging-in-place markets. These programs offer special wholesale pricing, extended technical support, customized marketing support, system training, networking and more. 

‘Human factor’ often overlooked in home health device creation: Fierce Health IT reports

I couldn’t agree more with this article. There is definitely a gap

between the wide spectrum of technologies currently available on

the market and the professional aging service providers.

Getting involvement from the professional caregivers as well as

training on home health will be critical. Usability is (of course) significant

as well, so design regulations will be a good idea. We at GrandCare started

developing in 2005, when the idea of the home health technology was still

an “imagine” scenario.  At the time, we were one of the “three”

(QuietCare, GrandCare, HealthSense). We all kind of made up the rules as we

went along, changing with the times & trying to educate providers and the market.

Now that we have reached the point of acceptance, basic education & understanding,

it’s a good time to start setting up some guidelines/education for the best and most

successful practice of these technologies!  As one can imagine, systems like GrandCare

do NOT function without the human touch – it is critical to the caregiving puzzle!

Enabling technologies were designed to enable humans, so for the time being,

taking humans out of the picture is not an option!

“Care Thee Well”

-Laura from GrandCare Systems, www.grandcare.com

'Human factor' often overlooked in home health device creation
July 18, 2011 — 4:04pm ET | By 
The National Research Council believes that home health device manufacturers don’t give enough consideration to human factors like ease of use when creating their technology, according to a report released this week. The report, commissioned by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, also calls on government agencies, in particular the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, to work together more closely in regulating such devices, as well as any accompanying applications.

Patients and caregivers should be able to use such devices easily and also should have a mechanism for providing feedback on their design flaws, the report notes. At a time when hospitals and healthcare systems are placing increased emphasis on post-acute care, the report’s recommendations highlight wide gaps that currently exist in home care regulations.

Among the study’s specific recommendations:

  • ONC, AHRQ and the National Institute of Standards and Technology “should establish design guidelines and standards…for content, accessibility, functionality, and usability guidelines” for information technology used in home care, such as personal health records and patient portals.
  • To improve FDA’s understanding of user difficulties with home health devices, the agency should improve its adverse events reporting system so that it can collect data from both “lay users” and professionals.
  • The FDA, in conjunction with device manufacturers, should develop a database to guide physicians in prescribing home health devices appropriately.
  • Caregivers should be well-trained in home care and in using home health devices.

NRC’s announcement was made one day before the FDA released its draft guidance for mobile medical applications.

To learn more:
– read the NRC press release
– see the NRC report

Read more: 'Human factor' often overlooked in home health device creation - FierceHealthIT http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/human-factor-often-overlooked-home-health-device-creation/2011-07-18#comment-1580#ixzz1T5Mj8fnS 
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Home health devices, mobile apps need to be connected to providers: FierceHealth IT

This editor’s article is absolutely on the money!  There needs to a continuity between hospital providers and in-home health care providers (hopefully with the tech solution as that bridge). It’s so difficult as we tech providers bring these enabling solutions to market with our hands tied. Obviously, the use of remote monitoring and socialization technology will provide enhanced care and enable a caregiver to more information than he/she might have had. It can also remind, record and track vitals remotely and doctors can check in on these (obviously going to be a better indication of overall trends)…  In order to get this off the ground, changes do need to be made. Doctors need to be reimbursed for their time…in this day and age it doesn’t always HAVE to be in office visits. There are several times when I can chat with my family doctor over email or phone with just a few questions, no office visit required. Imagine a SKYPE visit that would not make me have to leave bed with 103 degree fever, just taking my vitals (doc accesses them immediately) and diagnoses me. People need to be encouraged to care preventatively for themselves at home…going home (previously coined discharge, now coined transition) should be JUST that…a transition and there should be a technology involved that can still keep the doc and healthcare staff in the loop, provide instructions for the Loved One (perhaps on the TouchScreen), Web Chat opportunities, medication prompts and reminders, as well as track daily activities (eating, drinking, sleeping, etc) and alert a caregiver if anything seems amiss. This is all part of what GrandCare has been building for the past 6 years (avail on the market since 2006)…and with some changes, we will see some big savings & better care!

July 24, 2011 — 9:27pm ET | By 

Read more: Home health devices, mobile apps need to be connected to providers – FierceHealthIT http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/home-health-devices-mobile-apps-need-be-connected-providers/2011-07-24#comment-1582#ixzz1T9ZGgxgP
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Home healthcare, an essential ingredient of post-acute care, can help people recover from injury or illness faster, which ultimately can prevent relapses that leads to an emergency room visit or hospital readmissions. Increasingly, home devices are being used to monitor the health status and vital signs of patients; at the same time, there also has been an explosion of mobile apps that can work with such devices, smartphones, and/or tablets to aid consumers in managing their own health. Both of these developments hold promise for improving post-acute and chronic care.

Unfortunately, the guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on mobile apps and the report from the National Research Council on flaws in home health devices–both released last week–failed to address one of the main problems in health IT for home use: a general lack of connectedness between home and provider information systems. To really apply the new technologies in ways that will prevent readmissions, doctors must be online with their patients and their caregivers, and must receive relevant data from both in a way that’s easy to use.

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Today’s approach to remote monitoring has not progressed far beyond that of a decade ago: patients in a disease management program for, say, congestive heart failure, still receive telephonic support from nurse case managers. In some cases, the nurses might be able to monitor the patients’ weight online via digital scales, and patients might be able to answer questions about their symptoms and diet through a web-connected device.

Despite evidence of home monitoring’s efficacy, payers that cover it are few and far between; so, unless there’s a financial reason for hospitals to pay for home monitoring, as there is with heart failure, it may not be done at all. For example, a 2008 article in Managed Care Magazine notes that most insurers don’t cover blood pressure monitoring at home, even though it’s been shown to be more accurate than in-office measurements. As for connecting digital blood pressure cuffs directly to an electronic health record in a physician’s office, we’re talking about the impossible dream. Even if health plans paid for the technology, physicians would not be reimbursed for keeping tabs on patients at home.

Home care nurses are actually more likely to use an electronic health record than physicians, partly because of Medicare documentation requirements. But physicians usually don’t hear from these caregivers unless a patient has a serious problem, or needs to have their medication adjusted.

Connecting home care records online with ambulatory-care EHRs is still the exception, but at least one prominent healthcare organization has made progress. A few years ago, the Cleveland Clinic interfaced its discharge planning software with its home care application–both of which happened to come from Allscripts. By 2010, Cleveland Clinic had also found a way to send the home care data into its Epic enterprise EHR so that physicians caring for patients could view it.

With bundling and accountable care organizations looming on the horizon, I wish I could say that other healthcare systems are following Cleveland Clinic’s example. But frankly, I haven’t run into much of it, outside of St. Vincent Health System in Indianapolis and Partners HealthCare in Boston. This is a big hole in enterprise health information exchanges, and one that will have to be filled sooner rather than later. – Ken

Read more: Home health devices, mobile apps need to be connected to providers – FierceHealthIT http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/home-health-devices-mobile-apps-need-be-connected-providers/2011-07-24#comment-1582#ixzz1T9YwDnP3
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Intel/GE recognizes the HUGE importance of linking socialization to remote monitoring…we’re obviously on the right track!!!!

This is great news, seeing the big giants like GE & Intel embracing and realizing the value of socialization, reminders and cognition (being equally important to the wellness & ADL monitoring). QuietCare was bleeding edge, I would venture to say they were the first ones to really get out there with their Activity of Daily Living remote monitoring system back in 2005.  GrandCare & HealthSense were not far behind. The three of us watched each other, paved roads for one another and learned from each other. I am so glad that QuietCare is being used in this venture, it really is a great system. GrandCare founder, Charlie Hillman, was so visionary back in 2005 – being the first to combine socialization/cognition along with ADL monitoring into one system. Funny thing is, even I (at the time) didn’t “get it” – didn’t see why it would be so important to have that “GrandCare Communication Station”, which of course has turned into the interactive touchscreen/video chat… Think of how far we all have come since 2005, especially with all of the new players in this market and the new focus to the digital home health field. I see great things happening every day in this industry and look forward to what the future will bring…

 

Take a look at Laurie Orlov’s blog entry on this:

Care Innovations Connect Makes Telehealth Social

Submitted by Laurie Orlov on Wed, 07/20/2011 – 09:49

http://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/care-innovations-connect-makes-telehealth-social

Care Innovations — tackling social isolation and wellness.  In some ways, yesterday’s launch of Connect from Intel-GE’s wholly owned Care Innovationjoint venture should come as no surprise. When the companies combined last year, spun out of Intel’s Digital Health group and GE’s QuietCare business units, I was hopeful that they would transcend limitations of the previous parents. Especially given Intel’s investment history of researching social needs of seniors, Omar Ishrak’s comment last August really resonated: “We recognize that the conditions faced by home health patients are not necessarily clinical. It is part of our core mission [in the Joint Venture] to address social and support needs.”

Beyond patient to the person behind the monitoring.  A touch-screen device placed in the home enables a senior to have access to social networks, customized content, news, and also wellness surveys that are typical of telehealth devices – which historically have been useful for health providers, proven beneficial to seniors with chronic disease (reducing those dreaded re-hospitalizations).  But fun, social, two-way experiences, as much about enabling a senior to see out as well as caregivers see in? When the person is viewed as a patient, that can’t happen. Care Innovations’ Connect targets the person (and patient to a lesser degree) in a device paradigm that, for now, can be useful to frail seniors. When I chatted with him a few days ago, Care Innovations GM James Pursley did not rule out the possibility that future versions may take advantage of growing tablet mania – placing Connect as a starting point in the evolution of technologies that will connect caregivers, providers, and seniors together – as it must be.

Tech platforms are transitory – vendors must pick a platform for now. We are in yet another platform shift today – recognizing that a relatively small percentage of the frailest seniors are comfortable with computers or have high-speed data plans, for that matter, so dedicated appliance solutions make sense during the transition – Sonamba’s Wellbeing Monitor uses a picture frame paradigm to provide similar social connection functionality as  Connect. Other vendors, including Independa’s recently launched Angela targets the same market by customizing software into an ‘off-the-shelf’ tablet that also enables video chat.

Despite tech paradigms shift, products must launch.  In some ways, it is a particularly murky and complex time to be launching technologies in this market.  Complicated channel strategies must parse a fragmented prospective audience –healthcare? Senior housing? How to reach families? What about home security and electronics dealers – are they vested and interested in this space? Can they reach the last few feet into the home?  Today’s PERS pendant/service (a market that’s been around FOREVER) may migrate right onto a smartphone, Telehealth devices may migrate to tablets (Dell thinks so and doctors ‘embrace’ the iPad), and there’s the television, sitting not so quietly in the corner of every senior’s living room – maybe a future social engagement device that is (comparatively speaking) designed for all.  Designing for all (including the loneliest seniors in nursing homes or their own homes) is what vendors must do.  Emerging markets reflect flux in both user willingness, channel interest, and market readiness.  Let’s applaud Care Innovations – and its Intel/GE backers! They validate and verify the value this market brings to the lives of older adults.

Aging Baby Boomers Drawing Attention to Health Monitoring Tools – Ihealth Beat

Read an article from HealthyCal in ihealth beat the other day on the lack of awareness of Technology from the aging boomer perspective!

I agree with Lynn Reddington from the article – – the awareness that such technology even exists as a piece of the puzzle is not there. The numbers that Douglas provides in the article are astounding, the cost of technology as a supplement to hands-on care should be a no brainer. What we need is for the media, home health care providers and medical care providers to promote the use of technology to help provide ultimate care.

GrandCare technology has helped families to keep a loved one at home, independent and safe, while giving them a new window into the virtual world (SKYPE, email, online games, weather/news, videos, music, etc.). Why shouldn’t our aging population be able to experience all of the wonderful things that the Internet provides for us every day? Thanks for the article HealthyCal and keep spreading the word!

Monday, July 11, 2011 

Aging Baby Boomers Drawing Attention to Health Monitoring Tools

As baby boomers age, more companies are creating remote health monitoring and telemedicine devices to help elderly residents remain in their homes, but the public and physicians are not widely aware of such tools, HealthyCal reports.

Details of the Devices

Homes and assisted living facilities are being equipped with new technology designed to cut medical costs and comfort patients.

Such devices are aimed at:

  • Coordinating care among health care providers;
  • Improving cognitive function using “brain fitness” programs;
  • Monitoring chronic disease;
  • Providing early detection of illness; and
  • Reminding seniors to take their medication.

Steps Taken by Industry and Education

General Electric and Intel recently formed a joint venture to develop new health care tools. Among other products, the joint firm offers tools that track vital signs and patient movement.

In addition, the University of California-Davis Medical Center is scheduled to open a Telehealth Resource Center next summer. The center will be used to train medical professionals on how to use home telehealth technologies, according to Thomas Nesbitt, associate vice chancellor for strategic technologies and alliances at UC-Davis.

Challenges, Benefits of the Tools

Despite the growing interest in remote monitoring tools, several hurdles exist for seniors who want to use the devices. For example:

  • Medicare and private insurers typically do not cover the costs of devices;
  • Most family physicians are not technologically knowledgeable enough to promote the devices; and
  • Patients could be harmed by the systems in some cases if they fail to work properly.

In addition, a lack of awareness of such tools exists.

Lynn Redington — senior program director for the Center for Technology and Aging — said, “We find the awareness level of telehealth solutions is pretty low.”

Even so, observers say the lower cost of care associated with using the devices can be beneficial to family and state budgets.

Douglas Busch of Intel estimated that the cost to provide care to aging adults at home is about $10 per day, compared with $10,000 per day at an intensive care unit.

Remote monitoring devices also can help ease transportation problems and the need for family members to take time off work to provide care (Perry, HealthyCal, 7/10).

Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2011/7/11/aging-baby-boomers-drawing-attention-to-health-monitoring-tools.aspx#ixzz1RvOvM1OO

GrandCare Selected as Finalist for ‘Innovations in Healthcare’ ABBY Award

12 Healthcare Companies Achieve Finalist Status for Innovations in HealthcareSM ABBY Awards

— 13th Annual Awards Event to be held September 28, 2011

Santa Ana, CA, July 11, 2011 – The Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL) Organization has announced the names of 12 innovative healthcare companies which have been selected as Finalists for the 2011 ABBY Awards.  The ABBYs will be presented at the 13th Annual Innovations in HealthcareSM Awards Event, on September 28, 2011. The ABBY Awards honor companies, selected from throughout North America, which have developed ways to lower the cost of providing quality healthcare through their medical or information technologies, or innovative approaches to the delivery of healthcare.

The 12 Finalists– three each in each of the four categories – were selected by a Committee composed of ABL Members who are C-level healthcare executives with deep domain knowledge in each of the Award areas. “In this, our 13th year of selecting Finalists for the ABBY Awards, the Committee was truly impressed with the caliber of all the nominees, representing companies from throughout North America,” noted Mimi Grant, President of the ABL Organization.  “Not only are they all innovative, they have convincingly demonstrated that they are currently in use in the United States, and have clinical and financial metrics that prove their product or service reduces the cost of providing quality care.”

Four ABBY Award Winners will be selected via secret ballot by the healthcare executives attending the September 28 Event, after viewing presentations made by the CEO representing each Finalist company.  Attendance is open to ABL Members and their guests, as well as non-Member senior executives of healthcare providers and payers, health IT, medical technology, and services firms.  Details about the Innovations in HealthcareSM Awards Event, to be held at the Marriott Hotel, in Long Beach, CA, can be found at http://www.abl.org/IIH.htm

Finalists in the “Healthcare Information and/or Telecommunications Technology – Consumer-Facing” category are:

Westbend, WI-based GrandCare Systems provides a telecommunications system that enables individuals to remain independent and at home by remotely assessing their activities of daily living and managing their chronic health conditions. It also offers virtual communication and visits with family and caregivers via two-way web conferencing, and stimulates brain activity and fitness with such activities. GrandCare Systems helps relieve individuals’ feelings of isolation and gives caregivers peace of mind.

 

Boulder Creek, CA’s HeartMath’s Revitalize You! Resilience Training program provides a video-based online course for organizations and consumers, teaching how to maximize heart-brain communication for increased physiological well-being and cognitive performance. Research has shown that the heart is a primary generator of body rhythms and powerfully influences brain processes that control the nervous system, cognitive function, and emotion.

 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada’s IDEAL LIFE is a multinational company that delivers secure, reliable remote health management solutions for individuals with chronic conditions – on demand, to any location – accessible through major brands of cell phones, computers, and other devices. The FDA-approved products are wireless, easy-to-use, and affordable, with an open technology platform that supports customization and integration with existing information-based systems, including electronic medical records.

Finalists in the “Healthcare Information and/or Telecommunications Technology – Business-Facing” category are:

Houston, TX-based Blausen Medical Communications has developed and deployed the Blausen Human Atlas app for smartphones and tablets, utilizing its world’s-largest library of 3D medical animations. Doctors and nurses use the app, at the point of care, to explain often-complex medical concepts to patients. The app contains 300+ topics covering medical conditions and treatments, with easy-to-understand animation and narration. Clinicians report that using the Blausen app has resulted in better-informed, less-anxious, and more treatment-compliant patients and their families.

 

San Mateo, CA’s Extend Health, which operates the largest private Medicare-focused health insurance exchange in the U.S., developed its patent-pending call center solution, Complemax, to shorten average telephone hold times for its customers, while maximizing agent utilization. Using an innovative algorithm, Complemax matches the calling customer’s location and profile with an agent who holds appropriate credentials to provide service – i.e., state licensure, insurance company appointments, and certification to sell specific products in that region.

 

Irvine, CA’s PathCentral, Inc. offers a scalable web-based anatomic pathology laboratory information system that seamlessly integrates all of the critical components of a pathology practice’s day-to-day operations into a single platform. PathCentral’s system quickly and inexpensively interfaces with hospital electronic medical records, doctors’ offices, and a wide range of laboratory instrumentation. It reduces costs through improvements in operating efficiencies and enhances patient safety using state-of the art specimen identification and tracking.

Finalists in the “Medical Device” category are:

Cleveland, OH’s Chart SeQual Technologies’ Eclipse 3 Personal Ambulatory Oxygen System provides reliable continuous flow and pulse dose options in a 24/7 portable device that satisfies both stationary and ambulatory oxygen needs. Eclipse 3 lowers operational costs by reducing monthly deliveries and simplifying inventory management and space; it also uses less electricity than traditional stationary concentrators. Clinically, studies have shown that active oxygen therapy patients have 80% fewer hospitalizations than inactive patients.

 

Austin, TX-based Vermillion, Inc.’s OVA1 is the only FDA-cleared blood test intended to help physicians identify the likelihood of a woman’s ovarian mass being malignant prior to surgery, thus facilitating her referral to the most appropriate specialist (i.e., a gynecologic oncologist) for her initial surgery. Incorporating OVA1 into physicians’ preoperative assessment may also help reduce the number of second surgeries, therefore reducing overall healthcare costs.

 

South San Francisco, CA’s VitalWear’s VitalWrap System provides heating, cooling, and compression through a family of body-part-specific therapeutic wraps, combined with a base unit and tubing set. This continuous thermal therapy reduces pain and dependency on pain medication, and minimizes tissue damage and scarring. In an orthopedic rehabilitation field study, VitalWrap was shown to reduce recovery time in half.

 

Finalists in the “Approaches to the Delivery of Healthcare” category are:

Aliso Viejo, CA-based CareMeridian’s continuum of post-acute care and rehabilitation options to people with life-altering injuries (i.e., brain, spinal cord) and medically complex illnesses, merges a skilled healthcare team with state-of-the-art technology in community-based settings. With over 1,400 admissions and discharges in recent years, CareMeridian has experienced successful outcomes in 96% of those cases, returning one-third of its short-term admissions directly home and another 40% to acute rehab environments for intense therapy prior to the ultimate discharge home. The company’s 44-day average length of stay is less than half of the benefit days that most patients have in their long-term care plan.

San Fernando, CA’s Partners in Care Foundation Institute for Change developed and disseminated the In-Home Palliative Care (IHPC) program in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente, providing home visits to patients with serious chronic illnesses and an estimated life expectancy of one year. The IHPC significantly reduced ER visits (20% for those receiving the intervention vs. 33% of usual care patients), hospitalizations (36% vs. 59%), and hospital use by 4.36 days. Overall costs of care were 33% lower for those receiving the intervention, and the average cost per day was $117.50 lower ($95.30 vs. $212.80) than for the usual treatment group.

 

Dallas, TX-based Teladoc, Inc. provides access to U.S.-based, board-certified physicians, 24/7/365, via telephone or videoconferencing, for a variety of medical issues, offering an affordable and convenient alternative to using an ER or urgent care facility. Teladoc patients receive a response from a highly-qualified physician within an average of 22 minutes; the average consultation lasts 12 minutes and costs about $38. Teladoc’s solution reduces patients’ workplace absenteeism and presenteeism, and alleviates the strain on urgent care providers. The service is covered by many employers and healthcare plans in an effort to drive down their own healthcare costs.

 

Semi-Finalists

 

The Semi-Finalists for the 2011 ABBY Awards were – in the HIT-Business category: BioStorage Technologies, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN); CareCloud (Miami, FL); eBridge Inc. (Tampa, FL); Happtique, Inc. (New York, NY); Informatics Corporation of America (Nashville, TN); Mitochon Systems (Newport Beach, CA); NaviNet (Boston, MA); NetChemistry (Newport Beach, CA); Quality Systems, Inc. (Irvine, CA); and Sajix Inc. (Pleasanton, CA).  In the HIT-Consumer category: CaringBridge (Eagan, MN); Conceptus, Inc. (Mountain View, CA); Healthagen, LLC (Lakewood, CO); Pharos Innovations (Northfield, IL); and RememberItNow! (Orinda, CA).  In the Medical Device category: Cobalis Corporation (Irvine, CA); Hartwell Medical (Carlsbad, CA); Lerner Medical Devices, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA); Masimo Corporation (Irvine, CA); SI-BONE, Inc. (San Jose, CA); and Vertos Medical, Inc. (Aliso Viejo, CA).  And, in the Approach to the Delivery of Healthcare category: AccessOC (Laguna Hills, CA); Catholic Healthcare West + Blue Shield of California + Hill Physicians (Northern California); Forefront TeleCare, Inc. (Emeryville, CA); MediCall (Pleasanton, CA); Private Health Management (Los Angeles, CA); Satori World Medical, Inc. (San Diego, CA); and The Orthopedic Clinic Association (Phoenix, AZ).

Past ABBY Award Winners

Past ABBY Award nominees and winners have included companies that have made breakthroughs and transformative advances in medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics, information technology, and electronic solutions, as well as organizations that have applied innovative systems and technology to providing care and coverage, decreasing the numbers of uninsured, and engaging healthcare consumers more actively in their care and health status. Specifically: A-Life Medical; Accuray, Inc.; Alameda County Medical Center; Aperio; BeWell Mobile Technology Inc.; Blue Shield of California; Care Level Management; Dakim, Inc.; Diversa Corporation; eHealth, Inc.; Epocrates Inc.; eV3, Inc.’s Neurovascular Division; FoxHollow Technologies, Inc.; Gen-Probe, Inc.; Health Allies; Health Hero Network, Inc.; I-Flow; IPC – The Hospitalist Company; InSight Health Services; InTouch Health; Kaiser Permanente’s eHealth Initiatives; M*Modal, Inc.; Masimo Corporation; Memorial Health Services; Osmetech Molecular Diagnostics; Refractec; Santa Clara Family Health Plan; Silverado Senior Living Center; Specialists On Call; Sutter Health’s eICU; Trizetto Group; Vocera Communications; VQ OrthoCare; and WorkWell Systems, Inc. 

About the Adaptive Business Leaders Organization:
ABL supports the needs of its Member CEOs by providing a place for top-level executives to draw on the experience, knowledge, and skill sets of their healthcare and technology industry peers in a vertical industry, personal advisory board setting. Members meet monthly in Round Tables, as well as near-monthly in workshops and conferences to hear from cutting-edge experts, to exchange ideas, and connect with other chief executives. ABL’s CEO Round Table program is offered throughout California: in Greater Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara Counties. More information can be found at http://www.abl.org and http://www.abl.org/IIH.htm. Contact: Laura Grant, Events Director, at 714/245-1427 or Mimi Grant, President, at 714/245-1425  # # #

2011 CEDIA Future Technology Pavilion to Simulate Home Environment of Tomorrow

GrandCare is honored to be a sponsor (for the 2nd year in a row) of the CEDIA Future Technology Pavilion as well as be exhibited throughout the home.  Witness first-hand the GrandCare System telehealth Bluetooth-enabled devices (blood pressure, weight, pulseox, glucose), along with a medication dispenser and the activity of daily living smart-home sensors such as motion, temp, door, bed/chair, lighting, etc.  It’s going to be a highly interactive experience (participants will be able to touch/see/feel the entire Connected Home experience) with tour guides available throughout the home to explain the various technologies and how to get involvedFor a teaser home health tech experience, join the CEDIA sponsored July 26th FREE WEBINAR: Home Health Technology & You…in 60 minutes or less.    Register Here

Look forward to seeing you all at CEDIA!

GrandCare Systems

2011 CEDIA Future Technology Pavilion to Simulate Home Environment of Tomorrow

July 6, 2011

 

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – July 6, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) has announced details surrounding the 2011 Future Technology Pavilion that will appear on the CEDIA EXPO tradeshow floor.The Future Technology Pavilion first appeared on the CEDIA EXPO tradeshow floor in 2010. This year’s pavilion will simulate a future home environment with individual rooms showcasing technologies for the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, home office and garage.

“The Future Technology Pavilion is designed to be a preview of how emerging trends will be integrated into home technology systems in the coming months and years,” said Dave Pedigo, Senior Director of Technology for CEDIA. “CEDIA EXPO attendees are getting a sneak peek at how they will be able to capitalize on these cutting-edge technologies in the near future.”

Highlights of this year’s pavilion include a video wall, smart appliances, wireless power for cooking and charging, and fully integrated home health and wellness products. The systems on display in the Future Technology Pavilion will represent a model of how new and emerging technologies will be integrated into the homes of tomorrow. Some products are just hitting the market, and others will be available within a few years.

The Future Technology Pavilion will be open during tradeshow hours, Thursday September 8 and Friday September 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday September 10 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A list of participating companies is available here. CEDIA will release additional details regarding the Future Technology Pavilion as the show approaches.

The CEDIA EXPO virtual registration brochure offers more information on the Future Technology Pavilion as well as other events planned for the show. Registration for CEDIA EXPO 2011 is open at www.cedia.org/expo. Early-bird registration discounts are available until July 15. For more information, visit www.cedia.org/expo or call 800.669.5329/317.328.4336.

Read more

A Connected Living Boom for Boomers

An article from viodi.com
June 21st 2011
By Ken Pyle, Managing Editor

Declining population and an aging demographic are challenges for many rural U.S. telecom operators and their communities. These challenges may be even greater in other countries, such as China where it will only take 26 years for its population aged 65 and over to increase from 7 to 14% of the general populace (as compared to 76% for the U.S.). Where there are challenges, there are also opportunities and the focus of last week’s 8th Annual Boomer Venture Summit at Santa Clara University was on the opportunities to serve an aging population through new devices and services.

Greg O’Neill, PhD, of the National Academy on an Aging Society, indicated that as societies move from an agricultural to industrial to service economy and get wealthier, they also make a demographic transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates. There is concern that some of the developing countries will make this transition too quickly and that they will, “Grow old before they grow rich.”

Panel at 8th Annual Boomer Venture SummitOne implication of this demographic trend is that China will not be the low-cost labor competitor in 10 years. O’Neill thinks there is an opportunity to create products and services for the growing senior market, whether in the U.S or internationally. The challenge may be making these products and services affordable.
Panel at 8th Annual Boomer Venture Summit

Scott Collins, president and CEO of Linkage, which is essentially a buying organization for senior living communities, warned of “A wave of poverty coming down the road.” He said that affordability is a key need.

One organization that is morphing to reflect a changing environment is AARP. Jody Holtzmann, SVP of Thought Leadership for AARP, emphasized how AARP has to be mission driven, instead of organization-driven. Their mission of improving the quality of life of all, as people age reflected the conference exhibitors and speakers who offered up products and services such as:

  • A Cellular radio-based, inexpensive Personal Emergency Response System, from SurePod, that provides mobility and a two-way voice connection to a call center in the event of an emergency.
  • Body Area Networking – ReFlex Wireless, a start-up has developed a series of wireless sensors for monitoring parameters such as pulse, heart rhythms, position and envisions applications both within the hospital and at home.
  • More than just transportation, SilverRide provides companionship and personalized activities for their customers. Reliable transportation is an important element in helping people age at home.
  • Flipper Remote – a simple, six button remote control. Their new model promises to tune Internet video programming as well.
  • Home Health Tech – a distributor to dealers of technology that helps people live independent in their own homes. Home Health Tech distributes products from GrandCare Systems and Presto were featured in this video interview at CES 2011.
  • Cookstop – stovetop fire prevention, which turns off the stove if motion isn’t detected in a user-determined amount of time. They are finding that it has use from seniors to college students.

The Cookstop product is indicative of a design approach that AARP advocates in their recently issued report, “Connected Living for Social Aging: Designing Technology for All.” In the forward to that report, Holtzmann suggests that, “the ‘lens’ of every user group must be a conscious part of the design function.”

An underlying assumption to the report is the availability of some form of wired or wireless broadband. AARP sees broadband, coupled with new devices, transforming the way people volunteer, socialize and work in their senior years. The report advises vendors to move forward with better products that will help baby boomers stay connected and live social lives; echoing the theme of the 8th Annual Boomer Venture Summit.

Why Digital Home Health Isn’t Selling by Jason Knott

Here’s an article from CE Pro  June 20th 2011 By Jason Knott – his view on Why Digital Home Health Isn’t Selling….what do you think??? To read the article: http://www.cepro.com/article/why_digital_home_health_isnt_selling/  

Dealers lack the sales skills for digital home health market that is ready to take off.

As the residential market continues to flatten and integrators seek out alternatives, why haven’t more dealers looked into digital home healthcare? After taking a full-day GrandCare Systems training recently at Home Controls Inc., here are a few of my conclusions.

The market is growing: There will be 70 million senior citizens by the year 2030, double the number from the year 2000. This one is even more mind boggling: there will be 1 million people over the age of 100 by the year 2050. Almost none of us will able to afford nursing homes.

The systems are profitable: Systems from companies like GrandCare offer healthy margins for dealers.

The systems offer recurring revenue: Dealers can earn solid “alarm-like” recurring monthly revenues from home health systems.

There is an entry-level option: Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) offer a lower-cost option to “get your feet wet” in the market.

Systems are easy to install: The GrandCare System is stand alone, it does not and cannot integrate with a home control system. That might be a drawback in terms of providing a totally seamless solution for customers, but is probably not a reason for not even offering these systems. Plus, the installation is way easier than installing a control system or even an A/V system.

There is no liability to the dealer: In the case of GrandCare, the system liability is borne by the manufacturer, not the integrator. Besides, the system is not a PERS. It is not designed to detect when granny falls down the stairs.

Since all the stars seemed to be aligned for aging in place systems, why aren’t they selling? The only conclusion I can come to is that integrators are unwilling to put in the sales effort. For the average integrator, the systems are not easy to sell. The sales process requires educating both the caretaker and/or the family of the elderly client. It can be slow with a lot of hand-holding.

Selling digital home health also means you have to establish relationships with a new set of partners (nurse care, physical therapists, oxygen supply providers, etc.), and A/V guys don’t want to do that.

If you want to put in the work, the home health market is ripe for the picking. If you don’t, then you will be on the outside looking in on a market that is unquestionably going to be huge.

Am I wrong?

CE Pro  June 20th 2011 By Jason Knott

About the Author

Jason Knott, Editor, CE Pro
Jason has covered low-voltage electronics as an editor since 1990. He joined EH Publishing in 2000, and before that served as publisher and editor of Security Sales, a leading magazine for the security industry. He served as chairman of the Security Industry Association’s Education Committee from 2000-2004 and sat on the board of that association from 1998-2002. He is also a former board member of the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation. Jason graduated from the University of Southern California.

5 Comments

Posted by Paul Self  on  06/20  at  10:04 AM

I believe it is more about the transition from the AV/Home Theater dealer to being a true Electronics Systems Contractor (ESC). This industry is struggling to transition from “Home Theater” guys to really address the electronic needs of our lives (even as we age). This same speed bump happened with IT services and video gaming. The CEDIA market practically fought back because it was not home theater, whole house AV, or control system. The industry is still struggling with energy management, which is a lot more than energy monitoring. This industry is at an important juncture that will require a lot of dealers to adjust to being a true ESC.

Posted by Stephen  on  06/20  at  12:41 PM

Have you ever tried to sell tech to old people?

Posted by Paul Self  on  06/20  at  01:03 PM

Therein lies the problem. This article is about selling piece of mind to care givers and helping an aging population live in their own home with autonomy. It isn’t about selling technology to old people. They do not want to live in a “old people’s home”. They want to live at home and not be a bother to their children. They key is to sell the benefit, not to sell the technology. The CEDIA market is struggling past that transition of selling the cool technology and start selling the benefit. We are touching everything electronically in the home, and yet we ignore a major lifestyle shift, aging in place.

Posted by Jason Knott  on  06/20  at  01:17 PM

Paul is right on. The primary sales target is the family member and/or caregiver, not the elderly “loved one.”

Posted by Laura Mitchell – GrandCare Systems  on  06/21  at  09:17 AM

This is an interesting article, Jason, thanks for posting!

I see a few reasons why the market has been slow to accept!  One of the problems was technology in general!  It took a while to really get a hold on the industry!  We started selling GrandCare back in 2006, set up a dealer network in 2007.  Some of it was just a waiting game, waiting until the market caught up with the early dealers’ visions.

I think in a lot of ways, all of our dealers have been extremely visionary, so often way ahead of the curve. They saw the need, they saw the solution years before the general public noticed.

So, some of it was just getting prepared, waiting it out, getting educated and educating their local population on the solutions available.

I do agree with you that so often, there is much more hand holding and explanation/education involved (at least for now) in this industry. We often find that many of our dealers that are successful have experience already in the elder care market OR have been smart to partner with an aging expert.  Some of our dealers have partnered or hired on a geriatric care manager, nurse, continuum of care expert, etc.  These partners are the ones that know HOW to talk with the caregivers/loved ones AND they know how to identify problems and help to solve them using technology.

It’s darn hard to sell something to a demographic that you really know nothing about. For this very reason, in 2008, I started up industry wide aging/technology webinars. They were designed to educate our dealers on the aging market and how to apply tech to those situations!  They are still happening – the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month – we meet here: http://grandcaresystems.webex.com (all are welcome)

Biggest mistake is when a dealer joins this market to “make a quick buck” – it’s not an easy sale, but it IS fulfilling, heartwarming and as an added bonus, the margins are good!

Thanks for the post!