Grand Magazine Radio live from the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show talks to Laura Mitchell about GrandCare. This systems connects seniors to medical professionals and family through an efficient and simple touch pad system.
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — In its first annual Sterling Award competition, sponsored by AARP, Silvers Summit organizers today unveiled the five category winners, Silvers Choice winner and Innovator Award recipient during its 4th annual Silvers Summit conference held here at Consumer Electronics Show.
Award winners were chosen by the expert panel of judges in the following five categories:
The top five winning entries were posted to the Silvers Summit website and Facebook page. The competition relied on social media to invite the public to choose their favorite among the five to select the “Silvers Choice” award. The people’s choice vote winner was GC Homebase by GrandCare Systems.
In addition, Silvers Summit producers chose Martin Cooper, chairman of Dyna, LLC as the first Innovator Award recipient. Known as the “father of the portable cellular phone” which he created in the 1970s while at Motorola, Cooper is a renowned innovator in spectrum management. He is widely regarded as one of the leading visionaries and inventors of our time and has spent most of the past five decades creating some of the world’s most important business and technological concepts and offerings. He is also an activist who seeks to shape public policy in the U.S. and globally having testified before various committees and serves on the U.S. Department of Commerce Spectrum Advisory Committee that advises the President of the United States on spectrum policy.
“We were thrilled with the response to our first annual Sterling Awards call for entries and we thank the participation of our expert panel of judges,” said Sherri Snelling, executive producer, Silvers Summit. “All of our Sterling Award winners – the companies and our Innovator Award recipient Martin Cooper – offer unique ways to enrich the lives of the 100 million boomers and silvers in our society today.”
“These award winners, and all of our excellent award entrants, understand the importance of a market that has huge growth potential over the next 20+ years,” continued Snelling. “We hope these annual Sterling Awards become a showcase for ways that technology can help us stay healthy, happy, and connected to family and friends, living in our homes longer, and making a difference in the world as we age.”
“By sponsoring the Sterling Awards, AARP recognizes and encourages the important role that innovation and technology play in the lives of people 50 and older,” said Jody Holtzman, senior vice president of Thought Leadership at AARP. “We applaud the winners, the judges, Silvers Summit organizers and especially the people who chose their favorite among the top winners. Innovation around technology is empowering, and it allows the 50+ population to live life ‘re-imagined,’ which is what we at AARP work toward every day.”
For more information about the Sterling Award individual winners, click here.
Click here for more information about the Sterling Awards judges.
The 4th Annual Silvers Summit at the 2012 International CES is where the thought leaders on aging and technology come together. The one-day conference addresses trends, innovations and strategies in the areas of social media, gaming, driving safety, mobile technology, universal design, smart homes and communities, and customer service addressing the largest and most influential demographic in our society today – Americans age 50+.
Follow Silvers Summit on Twitter for news and updates: twitter.com/silverssummit.
About Silvers Summit:
The Silvers Summit at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is where the thought leaders on an aging society and technology come together. The conference and exhibit assembles companies, distributors, journalists, research firms, and think tanks, to demonstrate the products and services that will help consumers age 50+ stay engaged, empowered and help enhance their lives. The Silvers Summit and Exhibition is presented by Living in Digital Times, producer of the following summits and exhibitions at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show: Digital Health, Fitness Tech Summit, HigherEd Tech Summit, Kids@Play Summit, MommyTech Summit, Mobile Apps Showdown, and Last Gadget Standing. For more information about The Silvers Summit, visit: http://silverssummit.com/.
DISCLAIMER:
AARP does not endorse or promote any of the Sterling Award winners.
The Sterling Award is produced by Silvers Summit, a property of Living in Digital Times, Inc. Silvers Summit and Living in Digital Times do not endorse or promote any of the Sterling Award winners.
Silvers Summit and Sterling Award are service marks of Living In Digital Times, Inc.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/544470#ixzz1jACLTMWe
San Francisco – The Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek), a trade group of companies that develop and/or market technology-based products designed for the senior market, will hold its annual member meeting during International CES in Las Vegas next month.
The meeting will be held at the the AgeTek Pavilion in North Hall booth 3209 on Thursday, January 12th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. CES is being held in Las Vegas January 10 to 13.
The Alliance also announced that it would open its event to non-members who wish to learn more about the benefits of joining the consortium.
AgeTek represents companies and organizations dedicated to promoting the awareness, benefits and value of products and services for our aging society. Members’ products and services allow seniors to remain independent and age in place at home, as well as empower many seniors to enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle while securing their mobility. AgeTek is focused on bringing greater awareness to their industry, products, and to its select group of companies that are working together (and independently) to develop better-designed, less expensive and better-tested products for the senior consumer.
The AgeTek Pavilion will feature members such as Dr. M Media, GrandCare Systems *N-3209*, Presto Services, and VitalLink. Additional AgeTek members on the CES floor (North Hall) are ClearSounds (N-3106), GreatCall (N-2814), Independa (N-3235), LifeStation (N-2912) and Telikin (N-3008).
CES Attendees can enter to win a ClearSounds ClearBlue Bluetooth Mini-Speaker & TV/Audio Listening System, valued at $250, by getting an AgeTek CES Passport stamped at each of the AgeTek member booths at CES. AgeTek CES Passports are available inside the Silvers Summit program, and at the AgeTek Pavilion.
Non-members are welcome to attend both the annual meeting as well as the meet ‘n greet. Advance registration is not required, but for those interested in booking an appointment with an AgeTek board member in advance, please contact Laura Mitchell, Board Member, Aging Technology Alliance at: 262-338-6147.
New AgeTek members who register at CES will receive a 10% discount on their 2012 membership fee. To learn more about becoming a member of the Alliance, visit the AgeTek Pavilion or go to the Join page of the AgeTek website at www.agetek.org.
Barely two years ago, USA Today reported that 1 in 5 Medicare patients were readmitted to the hospital within just one month of discharge. While some readmissions are unavoidable, the article reported that, in 2004, a shocking $17.4 billion of the $102.6 billion that Medicare paid to hospitals went towards unplanned hospital readmission visits.1 Only 10% of 2009 readmissions were planned.
CBS News reported on the profits earned by extending life by a few days, an already high expense that, if uncontrolled, will rise dramatically as the U.S. population ages. According to a 2009 60 minutes report, 75% of Americans die in a hospital; in 2008, Medicare paid $50 billion for patient care during the final two months of life.2
Fierce Healthcare took it a step further. Citing medication non-adherence as the leading cause of hospital readmissions,3 the online magazine reported that noncompliance costs up to $250 – $300 billion per year in ER and readmission visits.
But medication non-adherence may not be the primary cause. It may itself be caused by an all-too-common practice, sending the patient home with a lack of resources and support for independent recovery. According to a new White Paper by Laura Mitchell of GrandCare Systems, there are six common reasons for hospital readmission and specific technologies that can counteract them.
Every home care clinician knows someone like Betty
Meet Betty. In 2008, Betty was admitted to the hospital for an infection in her foot that had affected her kidneys. After 5 days in the hospital undergoing tests and treatment, she was released and given many new rules, diet changes, strength training exercises, as well as a strict medication regimen prescribed by multiple healthcare providers. Betty left the hospital confused and loaded with new responsibilities and lifestyle changes. The pressure and stress of her new routine ultimately led her back into the same hospital bed just twenty days later. This is not an unusual occurrence. In Betty’ case, it was most likely a completely preventable readmission. Betty lacked a clear sense of direction, support and encouragement. She was expected to change her entire life within days without essential resources or available technologies.
The technology solution
To mitigate the turmoil of post-hospital transition, patients and their caregivers need to be equipped with education and resources to make good decisions. Forward-thinking business leaders, care providers, technology innovators, and other change agents are using technology to assist patients, especially seniors and the disabled.
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) or tele-monitoring technologies and telehealth devices provide an unobtrusive method for reporting the patient’s vital signs including blood pressure and weight; biometric data including pulse oximetry and blood glucose levels; and subjective data including disease signs and symptoms, medication, and/or diet compliance. With the safe haven created by in-home technologies, patients are able to feel safe while maintaining their independence.
Remote Patient Monitoring systems to improve patient outcomes, encourage patient self-management and reduce avoidable readmissions, long discussed in healthcare journals, are making their way into finance and investing publications. GrandCare’s Laura Mitchell quotes a stock market analyst writing inMobi Health News Report, to make her point.
“Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is minimizing hospital stays, resulting in a reduction of the cost of healthcare delivery. RPM helps healthcare centers reduce costs and increase business opportunities for healthcare service providers, while integrating systems and providing necessary operational facilities. As a result, the Patient Monitoring Systems market stands to gain.“5
Supporting Mobi Health News Report’s position, healthcare researcher Jenny Minott of Academy Health, writes in her report Reducing Hospital Readmissions, “Tele-monitoring high-risk patients alone has decreased readmissions by 15 percent.”6
CMS may not believe, but its sister department does
Studies of significance by the Veterans Health Administration have reported even larger reductions in hospital utilization through the use of in-home remote monitoring technologies. The VHA reports that it “delivers healthcare services that serve 5.6 million unique veteran patients annually. A total of 7.6 million veterans are enrolled to receive VHA care. The number of veteran patients aged 85 years or more that VHA treats is set to triple by 2011 compared to 2000. As the U.S. population ages, people are living longer, staying healthier, and choosing to live independently at home.”7
Next week: Our next excerpt from Laura Mitchell’s white paper will describe a care approach that integrates wellness, smart home systems, activity monitoring and social connectivity to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions.
______________________
1Information cited from the article “One in Five Medicare Patients Readmitted within month” from USATODAY.comhttp://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-04-02-hospital-medicare_N.htm
2http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/19/60minutes/main5711689.html
3Study shows that 40% of seniors do not comply with doctors’ orders. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/In-the-Literature/2007/Feb/Physician-Patient-Communication-About-Prescription-Medication-Nonadherence–A-50-State-Study-of-Amer.aspx
4http://www.aoa.gov/aoaroot/aging_statistics/Profile/2010/docs/2010profile.pdf
5Mobi Health News Report: Patient Monitoring worth $9.3 billion in 2014 http://mobihealthnews.com/10969/report-patient-monitoring-worth-9-3-billion-in-2014
6http://www.academyhealth.org/files/publications/Reducing_Hospital_Readmissions.pdf
72008 VA telehealth study: http://www.viterion.com/web_docs/VA%20CCS%20Outcomes%20Dec_2008_Darkins.pdf
About GrandCare
GrandCare offers a senior friendly, internet enabled, private home touch screen system aimed at maintaining independence, controlling chronic conditions, and reducing hospital readmissions. It combines the technologies of smart home, activity monitoring, wellness monitoring, and social connectivity. The wellness aspect includes wireless physiological readings (weight, blood pressure, oximeter, glucometer), self assessment, and medication compliance with associated rule sets, alerts, and congregate analytics. The social aspect includes one button Skype, wellness videos, reminders, and other standard social media content aimed at reducing isolation, educating the patient, and influencing them to better self manage their health.
grandcare.com
Just thought we’d share this. This is from 2010, a webinar led by GrandCare’s Laura Mitchell to the NAHB & CEDIA audiences… interesting what’s changed and what has stayed the same!!!
CEDIA, founding sponsor of NAHB’s Home Technology Alliance (HTA), offers quarterly educational webinars to supplement fundamental concepts highlighted in their joint newsletter. Moderated by leaders in the industry, these webinars offer insider’s tips to help you and your business take advantage of growing trends.
To this end, CEDIA welcomed Laura Mitchell of GrandCare Systems in Minnesota to share her insight into “Home Health Technology: A $20 Billion Industry.” Throughout this webinar, broadcast on September 1, 2010, Ms. Mitchell explained the impressive target base that currently is or will be shortly interested in home health technology while touching on some available solutions.
As indicated in the title of this webinar, the home health technology field is a $20 Billion industry and growing with many contributing factors. With a baby boomer turning 63 every seven seconds, the target audience for this technology is growing exponentially. While this fact remains undisputed, another fact also plays into the hands of this growing field: this group wants to remain independent as long as possible.
“A study conducted in 2005 indicated that 80% of the respondents would be willing to pay an extra $100/month for services and technology that would allow them to stay independent,” mentioned Mitchell.
Mitchell cited Laurie M. Orlov’s Aging in Place Technology Watch, a market research firm providing thought leadership, analysis and guidance about technologies and related services, while she discussed the four main aging in place technology categories available. Each addressed a contributing factor toward a person’s inability to stay independent. The first category, home safety and security, would attends to the fact that one-third of all people aged 65 and older fall each year. Utilizing a home monitor, care givers or loved ones will be alerted immediately in case of an accident. The second category, learning and contribution, recognizes that people who are connected socially live longer. The third category, health and wellness, relates to the fact that medication management is one of the leading drivers to assisted living and nursing home facilities. Utilizing technology for both cognitive and medication management at home can help prevent the necessity of moving into those facilities. Finally, the fourth category, communication and engagement, relates to utilizing email, video phone, cell phone and PCs to stay in touch and traverse the other categories as well.
Perhaps most importantly, trades need to become educated about the newest available technology and how to use it to service this growing cross-section of our society. The consumers all want this technology, but don’t know how to ask for it. It is imperative that each builder and ESC ask questions to determine which technologies best suit their clients both now and going forward into the future. With the demand and the willingness to contribute monthly income toward technologies to stay independent, it would behoove both builders and ESCs to explore home health technology options.
“We are currently experiencing the largest population shift in history,” said Ric Johnson, Chief Technology Officer of Elite Systems Solutions. “This particular group is much different than the previous generation in that they are technology-driven. Any builder who is ignoring this market is losing out because this generation not only has a lot of equity in their current homes, but also more discretionary income to put toward the technology they desire. Options exist today to allow those in the 50+ market to remodel their existing homes or upgrade to new homes and be fully equipped with home healthcare, entertainment, home safety and communication devices. All of this technology equates to a common goal shared by most people in this cross-section of America: allowing the population to age in place.”
Click here to visit CEDIA’s archive of past Webinars including Home Health Technology: A $20 Billion Industry.
In addition to these quarterly Webinars, CEDIA also offers online CEDIA education classes, which can be accessed here, that NAHB members may take for continuing education credit:
About CEDIA
CEDIA is an international trade association of companies that specialize in designing and installing electronic systems for the home. The association was founded in September 1989 and has more than 3,500 member companies worldwide. CEDIA Members are established and insured businesses with bona fide qualifications and experience in this specialized field. For more information on CEDIA, visit the association’s Web site atwww.cedia.org .
Date: Thursday, December 1st, 2011
Time: 2pm ET (1pm CT / 12p MT / 11am PT)
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will mark a paradigm shift in the way health care is delivered in this country and how providers will be compensated.
In this webinar, you will learn about:
Dan Santos is a regulatory and corporate attorney at the law firm Williams Mullen, and is a member of the Firm’s Long Term Care Industry Service Group and its Health Care Practice Group. Mr. Santos has extensive experience representing health care clients on a multi- state basis and at the federal level. He regularly counsels health care providers in transactional and regulatory matters, including hospitals, health systems, skilled nursing facilities, behavioral health companies, physician groups, rehabilitation clinics, and home health agencies, among others. He frequently interacts with federal and state health regulators on his clients’ behalf regarding compliance issues, such as investigations,enforcement actions and reimbursement issues.
Williams Mullen is a full service legal and governmental affairs firm of over 300 attorneys and professionals with offices in Washington D.C., Virginia and North Carolina.
Health care reform is rapidly accelerating changes in aging services that were already underway driven by consumer demands, capital and payment mechanisms, workforce, technology, quality, transparency and accountability. These changes are driving innovation and the emergence of a number of new care/ business models.
This presentation will outline innovative technology-enabled care models and describe key enabling technologies that CAST encountered in its recent Scenario Planning effort.
1. See how the field of aging services is rapidly evolving under health reform pressures, among other things.
2. Learn about emerging long-term and post-acute care models that CAST encountered in its Scenario Planning exercise.
3. Learn about key enabling technologies for the emerging future models.
Paul Burnstein joined the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) as Associate Director in 2011. Prior to CAST, Paul was the executive director of Sinai Family Home Services, a start-up, non- profit, in-home care agency in Portland, OR.
Paul helps execute CAST’s agenda in leading and expanding a national network of technology companies, providers and research institutions focused on technology solutions for an aging society. He coordinates state-level technology initiatives that aim to identify barriers and opportunities to facilitate the use of technology in an aging society, in partnership with LeadingAge State Affiliates.
Presto is a combination of the Presto Printing Mailbox and Presto Mail service. It allows you to use the convenience of email to communicate with loved ones who don’t use a computer or the Internet.
Presto Services is offering an exciting cross-promotion for AgeTek members: participating companies may receive ≈200,000 free ad impressions to promote their products to caregivers and family members.
Date: Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Time: 2pm EDT (1pm CDT / 12p MDT / 11am PDT)
Location: http://grandcaresystems.webex.com
Dial In: 1-408-600-3600 Pin: 666 610 551#
I wanted to post the following article on the rising cost of Home Health Care. To me, it’s kind of shocking how little technology comes up when discussing these looming problems, which are so easily enabled and supported by technology. Unfortunately, cost of care will just increase as the supply decreases. With the exponential aging boom, the rising cost of healthcare, and lack of caregivers and brick and mortar to support our aging population, we have to start supplementing hands-on care with technology tools. There are plenty technologies available to support caregivers, health professionals, family members and most importantly, to enable the seniors themselves to better care for themselves. GrandCare Systems is just one of the digital home health technologies on the market that provides a technology tool to the care providers. It can help to increase the level and efficiency of care, without having to have a “physical presence” at all times.
Think about how these technologies could be utilized – – family could make sure a loved one was eating, taking medication and provide cognitive assists & reminders. The loved one would be encouraged and supported to better care for his/her needs and chronic conditions. Health providers can monitor vitals and overall wellness patterns from afar. Family & Doctors could video chat with the Loved One right on the touchscreen. Family members can go online to view sensor data, set up alert parameters and add personalized content (pics, messages, reminders, calendar, videos, music) to the Loved One’s touchscreen. Caregivers can choose to receive automated email/phone/text alerts if anything in the home seems amiss (e.g. stove left on, got up during the night and didn’t return to bed, noncompliance, etc). Technologies like GrandCare can be a big time and money saver and can spread one caregiver farther…in essence turning them into a super caregiver… I am hoping that technology really helps to fill this critical void and bridges the family, loved one and professional care providers into a cohesive, connected virtual network. Do we really have a choice? If we do not utilize available and affordable enabling technology tools (and I meant tools because these absolutely do NOT replace the caregiver, but instead enhance the caregiver and the entire care network), then we will most certainly bankrupt this country, our children and grandchildren…
Anyways – just thought I’d share this interesting article from Smart Money Magazine…
Nov 01, 2011 blogs.smartmoney.com
By Catey Hill
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced yesterday that its payments to home health care agencies would decrease by more than 2% in 2012. The question for consumers who use home health care services is this: Will these decreased payments to agencies force consumers to pay more out-of-pocket costs for home health services?
Probably not right away, experts say. “Seniors may not feel the effects immediately through Medicare cost sharing, but the reduction might result in greater out-of-pocket costs for non-covered services as agencies increase other fees to make up for the loss in income,” says Mary Johnson, a policy analyst at The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan seniors rights group.
If someone is eligible for Medicare-covered home health care services, they probably won’t immediately feel the impact of these reductions in payments, since they currently have no Medicare co-pays or cost sharing responsibilities for those services (as long as they have original Medicare and get services from a Medicare-certified home health agency), she says. However, anyone who gets coverage through Medicare Advantage should contact their plan to figure out the co-pays.
That said, “there’s a considerable amount of home health care services, often the bulk of care, that Medicare does not cover,” she says. “Fees for those services might be impacted as agencies shift the cost to patients.” Examples include 24-hour-a-day care, homemaker services like cleaning and laundry, personal care provide by home health aides like bathing and dressing and assistance to the bathroom, she says. Often these non-covered services are “the single biggest cost of home care for any senior dependent on those services and their families,” she adds.
Seniors wanting to find home healthcare services or to learn more, should click here. For more information about how Medicare pays for home health care, see thePublication Medicare and Home Health Care.
West Bend, WI – November 2, 2011 – GrandCare Systems and Coro Health today announced a strategic collaboration to integrate Coro Health’s Streaming Music into GrandCare’s fully-featured remote activity of daily living monitoring, telehealth and socialization system. The result is a 
harmonious experience: giving the GrandCare customer a deeper level of musical entertainment, passion and familial communication.
“It’s a natural fit” states GrandCare Systems Founder and CEO, Charles Hillman. “GrandCare Systems has always embraced a holistic approach by considering the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of wellness. We are excited to collaborate with Coro Health, one of the pioneers in therapeutic music.”
“Music is much more than a series of notes” remarks David Schofman, Founder of Coro Health. “It can reach deep into the human spirit and change a mood in an instant. GrandCare’s platform provides a perfect home for Coro Health’s therapeutic music and will help to enable Loved Ones to remain connected and happy in their homes.”
GrandCare Systems and Coro Health will be showcasing the Digital Home Health and music partnership at the upcoming AgeTech California Technology Conference & Exposition on November 15th at the Hilton Hotel in Pasadena, CA.
About GrandCare Systems: On the market since 2006, GrandCare Systems is a pioneer in the aging and technology digital home health industry. GrandCare offers a senior friendly, Internet-enabled, private home touch screen system aimed at maintaining independence, enabling full family socialization, controlling chronic conditions, and reducing hospital readmissions. It combines the technologies of smart home, activity monitoring, wellness monitoring, and social connectivity. The wellness aspect includes wireless physiological readings (weight, blood pressure, oximeter, glucometer), self- assessment, and medication compliance with associated rule sets, alerts, and congregate analytics. The social aspect includes one button Skype, Coro Health music, wellness videos, reminders, and other standard social media content aimed at reducing isolation, educating the resident, and influencing them to better self-manage his/her own health.
About Coro Health: Coro Health is a new media healthcare company. We create, design and distribute therapeutic media to support individuals within a wide range of healthcare settings. Our flagship products include MusicFirst and CoroFaith. Both programs are individually designed for users and delivered via a cloud-based and device agnostic network. Our customers include long-term care communities, hospitals, rehabilitation agencies, home health companies and end consumers.
GrandCare Media Contact:
Laura Mitchell
VP of Marketing
262-338-6147
laura@grandcare.com
www.grandcare.com
Press kit: https://www.grandcare.com/presskit/docs/PressKit.pdfCoro Health Media Contact:
Leanne J. Flask
Chief Content Officer
512-553-6482
leanne@corohealth.com
www.corohealth.com
2pm EDT – 1pm CDT – 12pm MDT – 11am PDT
http://grandcaresystems.webex.com
This webinar will focus on:
- Overview of Digital Home Health Solutions
- Marketing Tips & Tricks
- How to avoid common sales faux pas
Join us at: http://grandcaresystems.webex.com Dial-in: 1-408-600-3600 Pin: * 669 477 157#
