Tag Archive for: Laura Mitchell

GrandCare Systems – Scheduled to Speak & Exhibit at 2nd Annual Digital Health Summit at CES

West Bend, WI, 2010 – GrandCare Systems is scheduled to exhibit in the Aging Technology Alliance Pavilion (AgeTek) and speak in the Silvers Summit at the 2011 International CES on January 7, 2011 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, LVCC North Hall, BOOTH 2812.

The one–day Digital Health & Silvers Summit and exhibition of more than 65 companies will bring together healthcare industry executives developers, manufacturers, buyers, distributors, service providers, academicians, and more, to examine the fast-growing digital health industry, and take a look at the trends and technologies leading the way and explore its future.

“CES is shaping up to be the premier event for digital health,” said GrandCare founder, Charlie Hillman. “I am appreciative and encouraged by industry giants like UnitedHealth Group, who are leading the way with their presence and sponsorship in the aging and technology field.”

Industry leader, GrandCare Systems, will provide full demonstrations of Aging in Place Communication/Cognition/ADL Monitoring and Tele-Wellness Assessment technology. Dealer/Reseller Opportunities are available. GrandCare has been available for sale since 2006 and has dealers and resellers throughout the United States and Canada. AgeTek Pavilion participants include: GrandCare Systems , Presto, Bath Packs and Wellcore.

The Digital Health & Silvers Summit exhibit hall is open January 6 – 9, 2011) and will complement the one-day event and showcase today’s generation of companies addressing a variety of industry needs. Products and services highlighted include those addressing managed care, patient/doctor communication, shorter hospital stays and faster recovery time, lowered costs for health insurance, early prevention and detection, digital patient information records, medical attention over distances, and diagnosing and battling disease. Now in its second year, The Digital Health Summit at CES focuses on the growing market of consumer-based innovations that sit at the convergence of technology and healthcare. For more information about the Digital Health Summit, including agenda and list of exhibiting companies, visit: http://digitalhealthsummit.com/.

About GrandCare Systems
GrandCare Systems is a caregiving and communications TOOL, designed to enhance familial and caregiving relationships while giving Loved Ones and their Care-Partners desired “peace of mind”, freedom, dignity and entertainment.
Using a series of wireless Activity and Tele-wellness sensors, GrandCare can notify care-partners if anything seems amiss, while allowing loved ones to receive pictures, messages, emails, reminders, calendar events, family videos and more on a simple to use, interactive touch panel. The Loved One can play interactive games like solitaire and tic-tac-toe, check news headlines, see weather reports, listen to favorite music and even have 2-way virtual video visits with family…all without having to know ANYTHING about using a computer.

For more information:
Laura Mitchell
Director of Business Relations
GrandCare Systems
www.grandcare.com
laura@grandcare.com
262-338-6147

12-2-10 GrandCare Webinar Topic: The Silver Tsunami: How Your Company Can Benefit

Thursday, December 2: Susan Ayers Walker speaks on the Silver Tsunami and how your company can benefit!

Join us TODAY at 2pm EST: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
Optional Dial In listed on the webinar

This call is sponsored by Dr. Marion.

Boomers and their parents continue to be the most powerful consumers in the marketplace, despite an increasingly challenging economy. In the United States alone, there are more than 108 million people over age 45 – a group with more than $2.5 trillion in annual spending power. The 78 million boomers born between 1946 and 1964 make up 28% of the U.S. population and own more than 77% of all financial assets, and the number of Americans age 65 and older is set to double by the year 2030. Your company cannot afford to miss this market opportunity.

Susan Ayers Walker is a leading edge boomer and a freelance journalist reporting on the intersection of technology and aging. Her articles have appeared in AARP the Magazine, AARP.Org, ACM’s Interactions, EETimes, MIT Insider, Caring.com., American Society on Aging Newsletter and other industry journals. She is a nationally known speaker on technology for aging-in-place and caregiving. She has appeared on NBC, and CBS, and participated in a variety of radio talk shows. She is a founding member of AgeTek and the AgeTek Chair of Standards and Innovation. Susan received her BSEE in electrical engineering from Northeastern University and her Masters in Computer Science from Rutgers.

11-18-10 Thursday Webinar: Home Technology Integrators: Understanding the Channel

GrandCare Systems 11-18-10 Webinar
We meet here: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
on Thursday November 18th, 2pm EDT (1p CT).

Topic: Julie Jacobson from CE Pro speaks
Home Technology Integrators: Understanding the Channel

More than 15,000 companies in the U.S. install integrated technologies for the home, offering customized audio, video and automation solutions for a wide variety of clientele – music lovers, movie mavens, the security and energy conscious, busy families, home-office workers, frequent travelers and now more than ever seniors who are aging in place.

These CE (custom electronics) Pros can be great allies in bringing technology into the lives of the elderly, their caretakers and their loved ones. In fact, no other class of professional can serve the unique needs of the aging population with technology for home security, personal safety, communications, entertainment, comfort and convenience. How can technology vendors work with CE Pros? This brief session will provide an overview of the channel, including the size of the market, the characteristics of CE Pro companies, distribution channels, purchasing habits, perceptions of home health technology, and what it will take to make them successful in the seniors market.

Our Speaker:
Julie Jacobson co-founded EH Publishing in 1994, and since then has been an editor for the consumer magazine Electronic House and the trade publication CE Pro. Both publications cover integrated home technologies including automation, audio, video, security, energy management, telecommunications and lighting controls. The daughter of a gerontologist, Julie has been covering technology for seniors and the disabled since the early days of EH. She lives in Stillwater, MN. Contact: juliejacobson@comcast.net, @juliejacobson on Twitter.

11-11-10 GC Webinar: Mary Furlong Speaks – new revenue streams

GrandCare Systems 11-11-10 Webinar
We meet here: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
Topic: Mary Furlong Speaks
New Revenue Streams
As aging in place technology companies go to market with products and services it is important to form partnerships with enterprises that have both distribution and trust with the end user. Given the current economic climate and conditions for nonprofits at the national, state, and local level there is a new interest and sense of agility about forming partnerships with companies that have great products, shared values, and are building solutions to endure.

Mary Furlong, Ed.D., MFA’s president and CEO, is a leading authority on the baby boom generation as it moves toward and beyond age 50. She has guided the offline and online 45+ market strategies of leading corporations and nonprofit organizations for more than 20 years, and her list of clients includes AARP, J & J, Microsoft, First Republic Bank, First STREET, Taheima, and Wellcore. Mary founded MFA in 2003 to help socially-and consumer-conscious companies understand the real needs of this growing market.

In addition, Mary is the Dean’s Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.

Mary is the author of the book Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace, which was published in February 2007 by Financial Times Press. She also co-authored the book Grown-Up’s Guide to Computing, published by Microsoft Press in 1999.

11-4-10 Webinar: E-Learning for Caregivers, Dr. Marion speaks

WHEN: Thursday November 4th, 2pm EDT (1p CT).
WHERE: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
WHAT: E-Learning for Caregivers, Dr. Marion speaks
WHY: With the senior generation living longer than ever before, Dr. Marion believes we are on the verge of an “elder care tsunami.” Her proven advice and support can help caregivers address the challenges they face as they care for their aging parents, spouses and loved ones.
Topic Description: Dr. Marion is about to release her E-Learning Tool for non professional caregivers. It is a program in partnership with Adobe featuring Captivate 3 technology. It is a 5 hour online class that walks Caregivers through the basics of caregiving from how to properly use a wheelchair to how to make the home safe. They are interested in embedding various products and services within the tool and offering them for sale under an affiliate model through the class.

About Dr. Marion:
A recognized visionary and thought leader in the elder field, Dr. Marion (Marion Somers, Ph.D) has over After decades of working directly with seniors and their caregivers, Dr. Marion launched a public effort to provide practical tools, solutions, and advice to those struggling to care for our aging population. She has helped millions of Americans through her book, “Elder Care Made Easier: Doctor Marion’s 10 Steps to Help You Care for an Aging Loved One,” and her web site, www.drmarion.org , speaking tours, syndicated column, national media appearances, and more.

Upcoming Events:
NAHB Webinar – Nov 17 (Laura M from GrandCare speaks) for info: nahb.org

CES (PRE CES WORKSHOP & ANNUAL AGETEK MEETING) – You don’t want to miss this!
ou are Invited to register for an exciting pre‐CES Workshop:
The Silver Tsunami’ is Coming: Is Your Company Ready?
Wednesday Afternoon ‐‐ January 5, 2011, Las Vegas
AgeTek member companies: $99, non‐members $149 suminfo@silverssummit.com
http://silverssummit.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183&Itemid=71

NAPGCM- – May 12-15, 2011 | Sheraton New Orleans Hotel | New Orleans, LA
AgeTek Discounts apply: http://www.caremanager.org/calendar.cfm

If only the elderly could stay HOME: GrandCare Featured in Inc. Magazine

Hot Market: The Aging Population
Baby boomers are hitting old age—and they are terrified of nursing homes. If only there was some way to keep the elderly in their homes and healthy.

By Leigh Buchanan | Nov 1, 2010
By 2030, 71 million Americans will be over age 65, according to the U.S. Census. Currently, 30 percent of elderly Americans who are not in assisted living live alone, and 90 percent say they want to grow old in their homes, according to AARP. Home health care, much of it for the elderly, is one of the fastest-growing segments in the country’s fastest-growing industry.

The Inspiration: In 1993, Charles Hillman, an engineering consultant, was living on a farm in Wisconsin. His great-aunt Clara, then in her late 80s, occupied a cottage 100 yards from the main house. One day, Aunt Clara called to complain she was cold. Arriving at the cottage, Hillman found all the windows flung wide; his aunt said she had opened them because the room was smoky. “I went down into the crawlspace and saw her furnace was on fire,” recalls Hillman. After extinguishing the blaze, Hillman asked his aunt why she hadn’t mentioned the erratic temperatures and strange noises that had been emanating from beneath the house for days. Says Hillman: “She gave the answer that boomers caring for aging parents hear all the time: ‘I know you’re busy and didn’t want to bother you.’ ”

The Business: GrandCare Systems, based in West Bend, Wisconsin, makes technology that helps seniors live independently. Sensors installed around the home monitor motion (tracking, for example, if the resident appears to be wandering or fails to rise from a chair or bed and how often doors open and close); check room temperature; and allow remote reporting of blood pressure, pulse, weight, and other health indicators. A communications base, accessed through an ordinary television, delivers content that includes weather and spiritual offerings and enables communication with family, friends, and caregivers.

How It Got Started: After rescuing Aunt Clara, Hillman had to wait for the technology to catch up to his idea for a system to help seniors and their caregivers avoid similar situations. He bided his time by studying the market. He joined the boards of a local long-term-care organization and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. “As we would discuss finances and state reimbursement, it was pretty clear that institutional long-term care was not a sustainable model,” says Hillman. “Also, the view of nursing homes has really changed. People fear them more than death.”

As he prepared to launch the business in 2004, Hillman joined a consortium of companies developing technology for the aged. The consortium’s large corporate members — including Intel and Philips — were generous with their survey data. That research helped Hillman determine how to price his offerings, market simultaneously to seniors and their personal and professional caregivers, and design products that wouldn’t simply be unplugged or ignored. “People are used to getting information from their television and their telephone, so that’s where we started,” says Hillman, who purchased sensors and other hardware components from GE and hired programmers to develop software linking it all together.

The company launched in 2005 and spent several years testing the system in the independent-living units of long-term-care facilities. Those facilities may become his customers as well, Hillman says.

The Result: GrandCare released its new core system, HomeBase, last summer, and had sold several hundred units by mid-August, after the product was featured on CBS’s The Early Show. The company, which expects to become profitable this year, has seven employees — chiefly programmers — and markets through a network of almost 200 independent dealers. It has sold systems in every U.S. state, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Comment by GrandCare Systems:
thanks for the wonderful article Inc. Magazine!!! The GrandCare System was released into the market in 2006 and has been installed by authorized dealers ever since into private homes, long term care facilities, independent apartments and group homes. Our latest model, the GrandCare HomeBase allows families to not only assess activities of daily living and tele-wellness, but also has an easy-to-use INTERACTIVE touchpad for the LOVED one to be able to see pictures, messages, emails (and post simple responses using the onscreen key pad), online family videos, two way interactive web chat via skype, check weather reports, play games like trivia, solitaire, tic-tac-toe and more. It’s simple for the LOVED one to use and requires ZERO computer knowledge or experience! Authorized family and caregivers can access info easily from any Internet Connected computer and send communications through the GrandCare web portal.

Thanks again to Inc. Magazine and Leigh Buchanan for covering the ever-important issue of staying safe, independent, healthy and HAPPY at home!!

The GrandCare Team
www.grandcare.com
262-448-6147
info@grandcare.com

AgeTek Alliance Newsletter

AgeTek Newsletter
From the Chairman Peter Radsliff

NEW AGETEK WEBSITE PROGRESSING
Great progress has been made on the new AgeTek website. Not only has the board website subcommittee vetted three website development firms and their bids, we have developed an architecture for the site and a basic framework is now ready for initial review on a test site. Our intent is to have the site up before this Holiday season and to have it be an important place on the Internet to showcase solutions for aging in place. See later in this newsletter for a request for content for your company’s listing.

PRE-CES WORKSHOP & GENERAL MEETING
AgeTek was invited to co-sponsor a special Silvers Summit workshop the day before CES. This workshop is being run by the Silvers Summit people but the AgeTek board provided assistance in the development of the curriculum. There is a cost for this workshop, and AgeTek is not involved with that, but, Silvers Summit has generously offered to let us use the facilities after the workshop for an AgeTek meet-n-greet followed by our Annual Meeting. I encourage all AgeTek members to dedicate one or
more of their employees to sign-up for the workshop (be sure to ask for your AgeTek discount – you save $50!). But whether or not you attend the workshop, BE SURE you attend the AgeTek meet-n-greet and Annual Meeting from 5:30 P.M. — 8:30 P.M.

Sign-up here: http://bit.ly/silversworkshop or, see the workshop flyer which is appended to this newsletter.

LAST CHANCE TO JOIN AGETEK PAVILLION AT CES
There is still one spot left in the AgeTek Pavilion at CES. This is a collection of exhibitors sharing a multi-booth space under the AgeTek imprimatur. My company is participating so that we can take advantage of what I believe will be greater interest from press and attendees to the AgeTek name than I could get alone. I suggest you look at this again if you haven’t already made plans for CES. It could be a cost-effective and no hassle way for you to get the most out of CES.

AARP’S NEW DIRECTOR OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
I had a chance to have dinner this week with a number of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Mary Furlong and AARP’s new Director of Thought Leadership, Jody Holtzman. It was a lively conversation where Jody and Jeff Makowka presented AARP’s plans to extend their brand to be as much about living well as it is about aging well. Jody is an influential guy with a ton of good ideas. He said that it is a major initiative for AARP to find out how to best support technology entrepreneurs that serve their members plus they expressed strong support for AgeTek itself. It was a great meeting, albeit early in the process,
but I came away truly impressed with what was said. Thanks to Mary Furlong for being sure to include AgeTek in the event.
Here’s wishing you a strong Q4,
Peter Radsliff
Chairman of the Board
Aging Technology Alliance

From the Secretary
Michele Ahlman
EMAIL
To all AgeTek Regular Members:

It’s hard to believe we are well into the 4th quarter of 2010. I’m still working on getting my head around the idea that we are already 10 years into the 21st century!

It’s voting season! Not just for some of our D.C. friends but for AgeTek as well. Attached is a ballot for our 2011 Board. Please take a moment to review and complete right now! Ballots must be completed and postmarked by October 28th. Or, if sending electronically, they must be received by October 29th (see email and fax instructions on the ballot which is appended to this newsletter). The tally will be complete by Nov 5th. Results will be posted on the web site.
We look forward to an exciting 2011!
Thank you for your participation.

Kindest Regards,

Michele Ahlman
Secretary of the Board of Directors
Aging Technology Alliance

From the membership committee chair
EMAIL

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Growth & Membership Committee to personally welcome all the new AgeTek members to the organization. Since the last newsletter you received, the following new members have joined: Halo Monitoring, National Alliance for Caregiving, VRI, Posit Science, BeClose, Happy Elder Corp., At GuardianAngel, Inc., and HB Building and Design, Inc.
The membership committee is not only working hard to enlarge our member base for the benefit of all of our members; we also want you to know that we are here for all of you and welcome your suggestions.

Our goals are simple – we want to increase the number of our members substantially over the next few months as well as ensure we are continuously meeting and exceeding the expectations of both new and old members.

How can you help? Please reach out to any member on our committee (Scott Collins, Joe MacAdams or Karen Routt) and share any thoughts you have regarding your membership. We are currently reaching out to all individuals and companies who have shown interest in joining the Alliance and will soon embark on an e-mail outreach campaign as well.

If you have any non-proprietary lists of companies who might benefit from membership in AgeTek please share them with us. We promise to take good care of your information. If you have any potential members you would like us to contact just let us know and we will take it from there. You can e-mail me directly
Thanks again for being a member of the Aging Technology Alliance.
Warmest Regards,
Shana Duthie
Committee chair, Growth & Membership Committee

From the board: awareness
EMAIL
The Awareness and Promotion committee is responsible for making sure there is real value to members by promoting the value of regular member products and services to the outside world. Examples include procuring discounts and strategic consolidations at tradeshows, creation and promotion of member directories, et al. It is also responsible for creating opportunities for associate members to access the regular members to promote their wares.

With the new website coming, this is a great opportunity to have another vehicle to drive awareness to your company and product. We are looking for committee members and a chairman for this all-important function. Please let me know if you wish to participate and in what capacity. It’s time to step-up and help the Alliance with your talents to provide awareness and promotion for all of our members.

Sincerely,

Laura Mitchell
Board Sponsor, Awareness & Promotion Committee

You are Invited to register for an exciting pre‐CES Workshop:

The Silver Tsunami’ is Coming:  Is Your Company Ready?
Wednesday  Afternoon ‐‐  January 5, 2011, Las Vegas
AgeTek member companies: $99, non‐members $149

If you plan to target one of the largest and fastest‐growing markets;
specifically the Boomer
Consumer and their elder parents, you will have to get ready and get
the inside information.  Learn from companies and thought‐leaders how
to develop a plan for success.

Boomers and their parents continue to be the most powerful consumers in the marketplace, despite an increasingly challenging economy.   In the United States alone, there are more than 108 million people over age 45, a group with more than $2.5 trillion in annual spending power. The 78 million boomers born between 1946 and 1964 make up 28% of the U.S. population and own more than 77% of all financial assets, and the number of Americans age 65 and older is set to double by the year 2030.  Your company cannot afford to miss this market opportunity.

Agenda:
1:00 – 2:00pm   Branding Your Products to the Boomer/Senior Consumer –
Create the Plan. Learn how to create a brand and message that
resonates for the boomer/senior market. What is the most powerful media vehicle to reach this audience?  Plus,
how do you create advertising on a shoestring budget that creates response?  We
want you to walk away from this session with a plan you can implement when you get back
to the office.
2:00 – 3:00pm  Channel Roulette:  View from inside the Retail, Catalog
or VAR Channels

Learn from the channel‐side when a new vendor shows up to pitch their
wares, what is the magic formula that will get them to want you on the shelf or in
the catalog or offer your services.   The panelist will discuss what motivates them to
chose a brand or product, how they test new product concepts, what defines successful
sell‐through and how does pricing play a role.

3:00 – 4:00PM   You know Social Media is Hot… But How do you Make it Pay off?
If you plan a social media marketing strategy it is essential that it
includes mechanisms to assess business value.  It might be a value placed on increased
product awareness, or solid sales leads or cost savings in reduction of print advertizing
cost.   ROI is easier to obtain if there is a goal set for the social media campaign.
Regardless of how value is determined, social media needs to be validated as a profitable
marketing channel. Learn from companies that have leveraged social media to their benefit.

3:00 – 4:00PM   Creating Partnerships and Strategic Alliances
The marketplace is rich with potential partners for strategic
alliances. Potential partners can be competitors, more often they are other businesses that provide
complementary goods and services.  Sometimes powerful partnerships can be created between
companies that have seemingly little in common. .  Hear from companies
that looked both inside and outside this market for alliance partners.   Learn
what to look for in a potential alliance and how to make this happen.

5:30 ‐8:30pm – 1st AgeTek Industry Alliance Annual Meeting and Networking Event
For more Information:  suminfo@silverssummit.com

GrandCare UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

Want to see how GrandCare works? View this 30 minute overview led by GrandCare Systems’ Laura Mitchell: https://my.dimdim.com/view/reco/all/grandcare/default/c2a49632-8b93-4352-aa65-1fe2232d470c

An overview of the need for a system like GrandCare, the various models and a quick look at the interface from the LOVED ONE side as well as from the CAREGIVER side!

10-22 GrandCare Webinar: Understanding & Connecting the Generations, Harper Tech Group speaks

WHEN: Thursday October 21st, 2pm EDT (1p CT).
WHERE: http://my.dimdim.com/grandcare
WHAT: Understanding & Connecting the Generations, Barbara Harper, DC of Harper Technology Group speaks
WHY: It’s important to understand each generation’s needs and wants in order to properly bridge the gap and allow all age groups to communicate in a comfortable setting.

Topic Description: Connecting the Generations using Technology.

About Dr. Barbara Harper:
Barbara A. Harper BS, DC
Present Regional Accounts Manager for HTG; 20+ years Chiropractic Physician specializing in brain, nervous system and bone function; Post-graduate studies in Alternative Medicine and Nutrition ; Reiki Practitioner; Currently employed part-time as a Professor of Science and Bioethics teaching courses in Anatomy& Physiology, Biological/Chemical/Environmental Sciences and as a Blackboard Online Course Instructor for Berkeley College, NJ/NY; Penn State Post-Graduate study in Educational Technology. Married to husband Robert for 40 + years with two sons, Jude and Robert, Jr.

This call is sponsored by Harper Technology Group

CES, Digital Health & Silvers Summit

I received a message today from Boomer Authority and wanted to share this – GrandCare will be exhibiting in the Aging Technology Alliance Booth (AgeTek Pavilion) at CES!!! Charlie Hillman & Laura Mitchell from GrandCare Systems will also be speaking during the Digital Health and Silvers Summit. Hope to see you all there!

WEBINAR ── “Emerging Trends in Technology for an Aging Population: An Advance Look at the Silvers Summit and Digital Health Summit” | Organized by: International Mature Marketing Network and Boomer Authority™ Association

Moderated by Lori Bitter, President, Continuum Crew, join industry Thought Leaders Susan Ayers Walker, Silvers Summit and Jill Gilbert, Digital Health Summit ── who are on technologies cutting edge ── and hear them share their views on the latest trends in technology for an aging population. Find details here. Register here.

Date: October 26, 2010 | Time: 1:00 PM (CDT)

Silvers Summit and Exhibition (January 6-9, 2011 at Las Vegas NV) ── “The digital life of this generation changes the rules about how we age” is the theme of the 2011 Silvers Summit, which is held in conjunction with the Consumer Electronics Show. The Silvers Summit will showcase the products and services that keep boomers engaged, entertained and connected. Silvers Summit will assemble companies, distributors, journalists, research firms, think tanks, to demonstrate the products and services that will help mature consumers maintain their high quality of life. The Conference takes place on Jan 8, 2011. Contact: Susan Ayers Walker at walker@smartsilvers.com.

Digital Health Summit and Exhibition (January 6-9, 2011 at Las Vegas) ── The Digital Health Summit is an important new conference and exhibition at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show. The Summit focuses on the emerging market of consumer-based digital health and wellness devices, related applications and services – – with a special focus on technologies for an aging population! Contact: Jill Gilbert jill.gilbert@me.com.

Visit Boomer Authority™ at: http://boomerauthority.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network