PERS - GrandCare Systems

Going above and beyond the traditional PERS

July 27, 2015

If you were around during the 80’s and 90’s, I’m sure you remember that clever catchphrase, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”, and the television commercials from a certain maker of a medical emergency response systems. Fast forward to 2015, and a lot has changed in the way of digital health technology. The advent of smartphones, tablets, watches, fitness wristbands, and other devices are changing our world and just how mobile we can be without losing our connection to everything digital.

Let’s face it, we live in a fast paced world and people crave their technology gadgets, addicted sometimes, and when said gadget goes down for any reason, say, your kid drops it in the toilet, or you leave it in the bathroom at the airport in your rush to make your connecting flight…your digital life is temporarily ‘over’.

But, if you are someone over the age of 65, life tends to slow down a bit. Trading in chasing around kids to soccer practice, and making the early morning client meeting for a more relaxed lifestyle tending to a flower garden at home, enjoying time volunteering for local community causes, or even just unwinding in a favorite recliner while reading a good book. However, this newfound freedom and independence often comes with its own share of dangers of the unknown.

According to a recent article by Today’s Caregiver:

Studies report that 30% of people who are over the age of 65 (about 35 million Americans) fall every year, and that these incidences increase to 50% for those over the age of 80.

It’s been estimated that at least 60% of all falls occur in the home… people with neuromuscular or cognitive diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, ALS and even diabetes fall even more frequently.

Whatever the reasoning, the danger still exists for someone who has taken a fall, especially if they are elderly and alone. For those who are unable to get up from a fall, the amount of time they spend immobile will greatly affect the outcome of their health and rehabilitation. In other words, a fall that results in a serious injury may signify the beginning of declining health that may become an irreversible, downward spiral.

So, how can you ensure your loved one won’t become a tragic victim of this downward spiral from a fall that goes undected? You could opt for a personal emergency response system (PERS), such as the one from the tv advertisements, but those require your loved one to actually push a button. What if your loved one suffers a medical episode which hinders their ability to push this button? This is a gap of the traditional PERS solution, a gap that our technology can help fill.

Introducing the grandCARE system solution which incorporates a series of passive activity and motion sensing devices to better monitor patterns of behavior instead of requiring the user to push a button. If there is no motion, excessive motion, or activity patterns that do not fit the norm, an alert will go out regardless of the individual person’s ability to engage the push button. Download: Gaps of PERS System Flyer

Learn more about how passive activity and motion sensing devices can provide you added peace of mind by visiting our website www.grandCARE.com.

About grandCARE:

GrandCare Systems LLC, founded in 2005, offers the most comprehensive and holistic professional care giving and health coordination tool on the market. grandCARE is a large touch platform which provides health instructions, secure video chat, wireless vital recordings and analytics, medication compliance, activity sensing, and family communications into one intuitive and expandable platform. grandCARE focuses on true individual centered care, enabling better experience, better engagement, and better outcomes. For more information, visit: www.grandcare.com or call 262-338-6147.

Media Contact:

Amy Schwengels 262.338.6147 media@grandCARE.com

Note: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” is a registered trademark of LifeAlert.

HomeCare Magazine highlights grandCARE as an aging in place solution

April 2, 2015

GrandCare Systems was recently featured in HomeCare Magazine in an article by Graham Miller about aging in place. Technology is transforming the way both aging populations and health care professionals view and manage health care, with the reality being that the best way to keep people out of hospitals and long-term care is through prevention. Digital health tools, such as the grandCARE system, can be the key to greater prevention and managing long-term health needs for seniors.

In the article, Graham Miller writes:

“Every day, tens of thousands of Americans are turning 65, and three factors—longer life spans, rising health care costs and aging baby boomers—are driving the growth of this demographic. An overwhelming percentage of these aging adults desires to stay at home, maintaining an active, independent lifestyle for as long (and as safely) as possible.”

“The Affordable Care Act has changed how both consumers and companies view health care,” says Dan Maynard, president and CEO of GrandCare Systems. “The cost of health care continues to rise, especially for the aging populations that require more frequent and longer-term health care monitoring.” A large part of the new legislation focuses on hospital readmission reductions and consequences for reactive versus proactive care, he says, and there are significant financial incentives for hospitals to actively work with Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) to reduce costs associated with patient readmissions. Products like grandCARE incorporate resident information and support, captured resident data and professional caregiving tools, encouraging everyone in the caregiving support network to work together to achieve true patient-centered care. “A path of a patient/provider partnership results in better outcomes for both the patients and the caregivers because it creates greater efficiency for the caregiver staff by allowing virtual care, which results in fewer at-home visits,” says Maynard.

Our product is designed to reduce health care costs and improve outcomes by enabling family members, caregivers and health care professionals to remotely care for an individual living at home. The system uses a large touch screen in the residence, which provides the individual with social communications, health care monitoring, visual daily reminders and medication prompts. The easy-to-use interface means that no computer skills are needed for the resident to engage in all of the touch screen features. The system also supports virtual video visits, telehealth device recording (which takes vitals such as wireless blood pressure readings, weight, pulse oximerty, glucose and thermometer readings) and remote in-home activity sensing.

We recently incorporated a new professional caregiver and user task management feature into the system, which allows the resident and caregiver to follow a daily schedule of tasks (such as medication administration, caregiver education, scheduled appointments, etc.).

Caregiver showing grandCARE user new task list feature on the resident's touchscreen.

Caregiver showing grandCARE user new task list feature on resident’s touchscreen.

“This new feature enhances the resident engagement aspect by giving the resident a daily to-do list and establishes complete transparency for professional caregiving organizations by providing a task list that is required to be completed during home visits,” says Maynard.

– See more at: http://www.homecaremag.com/aging-place/mar-2015/smart-home-solutions-aging-population#sthash.Hxk28Xpy.dpuf

When PERS alone is just not enough…

December 6, 2012

I read a great article today by MobiHealth News’ Neil Versel.

“Panic Buttons for Seniors Must Go”

He shared a story about his own grandmother who was living in a facility with panic buttons. She had a fall and because she was unable to press the button, she ended up not receiving help for 8 hours. He called for more passive monitoring soutions that did not require involvement from the individual in order to effectively work.

Clearly at GrandCare, this topic is of utmost importance… I don’t think there has to be only one solution. Perhaps a combination of several pieces can cover several areas. We combine digital health technology (what are her vitals, is she taking her medications, touchscreen education, prompts & assessments) as well as Activity of daily living remote monitoring…what you were talking about – a series of motion/temp, door, bed sensors can passively give relatives and caregivers information on someone’s routine activities… could this have saved her life? Not sure… but you certainly would have known MUCH sooner that she hadn’t been moving around, perhaps she missed a medication dosage, perhaps you’d be notified she didn’t access the fridge at mealtime or hadn’t used a bathroom in a number of hours.

07a_GrandCare_Taking_BP_on_the_HomeBase_full

The perfect fit is having a combination of a PERS in Conjunction with a system like GrandCare. If someone is experiencing chest pain and is capable of pressing a button, a crisis mgmt system could be a life saving device. If someone is having other symptoms (excessive weight gain, wandering, noncompliance, failure to return to bed during the night, etc), the only way you would remotely know that is from a Digital Health/ADL system. There are some very forward-thinking providers and in-home caregivers out there that have seen the professional caregiving POWERED by technology is the way to go. I think many times a provider looks at technology as THE solution and instead, it needs to become a vehicle to provide a solution instead of letting the tech define the care.

So who is blazing the trail? Who is doing this right… Just a few honorable mentions go to:

LivHOME’s CareMonitor™ powered by GrandCare Systems®:
One of the largest in-home care providers who combine hands-on care management, caregiving & technology as one complete solution to keep folks independent at home.
www.livhomecaremonitor.com

Lutheran Homes of NY in Jamestown, NY:
They have created SMARTMENT™ homes that combine GrandCare’s digital health monitoring and socialization along with a Personal Emergency Response System and Activity of Daily Living Monitoring!!

I believe the digital health and activity monitoring space is heating up…It’s an exciting time to be a part of this disruptive industry! Thanks again to Neil for the insightful, personal and thought-provoking article!!

Laura Mitchell, GrandCare Systems
VP Business Development
www.linkedin.com/in/laurahmitchell

“PERS – More Than a Button & a Box”?! May 3rd

April 27, 2012

Join GrandCare Systems Thursday, May 3rd
for the Aging & Technology Webinar.

“PERS – More Than a Button & a Box”?!
With guest speaker Bill Lyon

PERS should be both a reactive and a proactive service solution. PERS anticipates that living independently has ever-changing challenges, with many that may be easily managed by a consumer in combination with her family, her friends and her neighbors.

It is about taking control; it is about managing one’s lifestyle to maximize independence; it is about family connectivity continuously and not the PERS of the 80s that concentrated on those most at-risk and ignored the rest. It’s about broadly engaging the majority population while serving the chronic care consumer . . . this is the Care-Anywhere PERS services in the second decade of the 21^st century.

Our Speaker

Bill Lyon is Director, Product & Business Development at LifeStation (a Top 5 M’Health Services Company). As the President at Visonic Americas & VP Corporate Strategic Business Development, for 10 years prior to LifeStation, accomplishments included worldwide business development for their PERS brand family, with a concentration on the successful launch in the Americas. His 7 years at LifeLine, as the VP Sales/Marketing (’86-’93), were the strategically formative years when PERS became an important healthcare business channel, expanding from acute care to senior living, consumer direct and at-home care segments .

Thursday, May 3rd 2pm ET – 1pm CT
GrandCareSystems.WebEx.com
Call in: 1-408-600-3600 Pin:665 632 100#
More information

Home Health Tech Launches Specialty Health Store

February 24, 2012

First of its kind, new website offers digital solutions for independently living.

Submitted to HomeToys.com on: 02/24/2012, 7:59 am

Home Health Tech by Home Controls has launched a fully-functional retail web store specializing in products that help the growing senior population live independently. The online store is at www.HomeHealthTechStore.com, and orders can also be placed by calling 888-220-7690.

Home Health Tech by Home Controls is the first store of its kind to provide high-tech products targeting the senior market, promoting the philosophy that a bit of technology can provide a safer and healthier environment. The products available at Home Health Tech are ideal for people living independently, their families, caregivers, health partners and care facilities.

“Home Health Tech by Home Controls is now a one-stop shop for a wide variety of simple digital products for our aging Boomer generation,” says Ken Kerr, President of Home Controls, Inc. “There is a great demand for these digital products to help seniors stay in their homes longer and live better and safer lives while doing so.”

Home Health Tech by Home Controls has partnered with some of the nation’s leading manufacturer’s to provide a comprehensive assortment of home health tech systems, covering digital health systems, safety and security, personal health, communication, cognition and more.

Featured product lines include caregiver assistance systems from GrandCare, amplified telephones from ClearSounds and Amplicom, personal emergency response systems (PERS) from Linear and LogicMark, personal health products from A&D Medical, medication management tools from MedFolio, MedReady and MedMinder, cognition tools from Dakim, and communication systems from Presto. Home Health Tech also offers remote controlled doors and windows, automatic lighting, sensor pads, wanderer alerts, flood and fire prevention systems, and much more.

“These products are state-of-the-art and very simple to use, helping those seniors who want to age in their own homes and helping their family and caregivers, too,” Kerr says.

In addition, Home Health Tech by Home Controls 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.

“Many integrators are looking to get into the rapidly growing home health tech market, but don’t know where to go for advice and products to fill the demand,” Kerr says. “Now integrators have a one-stop shop for information, marketing materials, and a wide variety of products aimed at the aging-in-place market.”

Two hi-touch technology providers, GrandCare & VRI, join forces and link their services to keep Seniors in their own homes

July 30, 2010

Two hi-touch technology providers, GrandCare & VRI, join forces and link their services to keep Seniors in their own homes

Dayton, OH, West Bend, WI – VRI, a medical alert, medication adherence and telehealth monitoring company, and GrandCare Systems, a provider of in home socialization, entertainment and wellness sensor technologies, announced today that they have developed a partnership to deliver an integrated portfolio of services. Now, GrandCare System care partners will be notified on GrandCare’s easy to use online interface when their loved one has activated their personal response system. In addition, VRI and GrandCare will be able to cross sell their integrated solution into their respective distribution channels.

“This was a natural partnership”, commented Andy Schoonover, President of VRI, “Both organizations are committed to safety and wellness, while giving the family members an unmatched ‘peace of mind’.

Laura Mitchell from GrandCare Systems added, “We know how difficult this whole process can be. We just hope we can help to make the family’s lifestyle easier, happier and more affordable”.

“It’s through partnerships such as these that innovation for elder-focused technologies will be accelerated”, said Peter Radsliff, chairman of the Aging Technology Alliance, an industry association developed to foster awareness of products and services geared toward the aging population. “Stimulating cooperation is why AgeTek was formed from the outset.”

“Blending our services can add a strong measure of comfort, convenience and control to those that desire to age in place but have conditions that may limit their ability to move freely, communicate effectively or otherwise navigate their environment”, said Steve Abate of VRI. “Partnering will ensure and encourage Seniors the opportunity to remain at home with safety and peace of mind.”

VRI is a healthcare services company with over 20 years of experience and is one of the largest providers of medical alert and monitored medication dispensing systems in the country. Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, VRI’s services enable seniors and those with disabilities to maintain their independence and avoid long term care facilities and hospitalization. The company’s service portfolio includes Medical Alert Systems, Monitored Medication Dispensers, Telehealth services and other specialty solutions to provide safety and independence for their clients. For more information, or to see the range of VRI’s products please visit www.monitoringcare.com.

GrandCare Systems offers a new WINDOW into the online world using a simple-to-use virtually programmed TouchScreen. The Loved One simply enjoys and interacts with the incoming pictures, messages, 2-way web chat, family videos, games, reminders, calendar appts, news headlines, etc. – all maintained remotely by care-partners through a user-friendly online interface. But that’s just the “tip of the iceberg”. Smart “activity of daily living” and Tele-wellness sensors quietly talk to the Trillium TouchScreen and generate text, email or phone alerts to designated care-partners.

The Savvy Senior: How to keep tabs on an elderly parent

July 20, 2010

Source: www.baxterbulletin.com/article/20100719/NEWS01/7190320/The-Savvy-Senior-How-to-keep-tabs-on-an-elderly-parent

My 80-year-old mother lives alone about an hour from me and I worry about her health and safety. Outside of the telephone, what types of caregiving devices can you recommend that can help me keep tabs on her?

Concerned Son

Dear Concerned,

There are many different tools and technologies available today that can help adult children keep tabs on their aging parents when they can’t be there. Here are some popular options and new products to check into.

Senior Help Line
One of the biggest concerns among families that have an elderly parent or relative living alone is them falling and needing help. For this, a “personal emergency response system” or PERS is the most affordable solution. For about $1 a day (available through companies like lifelinesys.com, lifealert.com and lifefone.com) you can rent the equipment which includes a small transmitter (SOS button) that your mom would wear, giving her the ability to call for help any time she needs to. The drawbacks, however, are that many seniors forget to wear their SOS button regularly, and if they do have it on and fall, they still have to be alert enough to actually push the button.

Upgraded PERSs
If you’re willing to spend a little more (around $50 a month), there are several more sophisticated PERS on the market. One of them is Wellcore (wellcore.com), a new device that has fall-detection sensors in the SOS button that can automatically summon help without the user having to press a button. Plus, it will beep to remind your mom to put it on, and if she doesn’t, it will notify you. And, when paired with a compatible cell phone, it can even be used outside the home. Halo Monitoring (halomonitoring.com) also offers fall-detection products, as does Philips (lifelinesys.com), maker of the popular Lifeline Medical Alert Service who just introduced an AutoAlert option.

Home Monitoring
Another more expensive option for keeping tabs on your mom is with a “home monitoring system.” These systems come with sensors, placed in key areas of your mom’s home that learn her daily patterns and notify you if something out of the ordinary is happening. For example, if your mom doesn’t get out of bed at her usual time, or if she went to the bathroom and didn’t leave it could indicate a fall or other emergency. The great thing about this type of system is it requires no input from your mom, and you can check in on her anytime through a password-protected website. You can find these systems at companies like GrandCare (grandcare.com), Healthsense (healthsense.com), and CloseBy (closebynetwork.com), with prices ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the options you choose.

Medication Management
If you’re worried your mom not keeping up with her medications, there are a wide variety of pill organizers, medication dispensing and alarm systems (see epill.com) that can help.

One of the best new systems on the market is TabSafe (tabsafe.com). A home-based device that dispenses medicine on schedule, providing reminders to ensure she takes it on time, and will notify you or other caregivers if her pills aren’t taken.

Medication reminding services like OnTimeRx (ontimerx.com) or Check-in Friends (checkinfriends.com) can also be helpful. For a small fee, these services will call your mom to remind her to take her medication. Pillphone.com offers a similar service for wireless phones only.

Communication
Videophones have become an increasingly popular tool for keeping in touch with older loved ones from afar. If you’re not familiar with them, videophones are like a telephone with a built-in camera and video screen that gives you the ability to see the person you’re talking to in real time. Two of the best on the market today are the “ASUS Videophone Touch” that works with Skype (skype.com), and the “ACN IRIS 3000” (myacn.com). Both require a high-speed Internet connection and are simple to use. Or, if your mom, and you, both have a home computer and a webcam you can video-chat online.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

90% of seniors want to stay home…is this a surprise??

July 6, 2010

90 percent of baby boomers say they want to age at home, not with relatives, in a nursing home, or at an assisted care facility.

By Laura Mitchell
REPOSTED FROM CEPRO http://www.cepro.com/article/whats_the_market_potential_for_home_health
April 16, 2008
According to AARP, when baby boomers are asked where they want to live as they age, 90 percent say, “In my home.”

They do not want to live with relatives, in a nursing home, or at an assisted care facility.

With this popular desire to remain at home comes great financial savings because every month a person stays in their own home as opposed to a an assisted living facility, that person can save $3,000 to $5,000 per month.

This leaves money available to invest in enabling technologies to keep seniors at home, safe and independent.

“Two-thirds of all men and women who have lived beyond the age of 65 in the entire history of the world are alive today,” according to Elizabeth Vierck’s “Fact Book on Aging.”

This includes 45,000 Americans over 100. In the year 2000, there were 35 million seniors, a figure that is expected to double by 2030.

By 2050 there will be more than one million people over 100 years of age. Americans over 85 are the fastest-growing segment of the population, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Families are assuming old-fashioned personal responsibility for aging family members, and they’re going back to the future to do it.

Facilities provide living arrangements to mimic family living, but more and more, seniors are actually “aging in place.”

Senior citizens fear moving into a nursing home and losing their independence more than death, according to a Clarity 2007 “Aging in Place” study.

The study also found that among baby boomers, 82 percent fear their parents will be mistreated in a nursing home, and 89 percent worry their parents will be sad.

Two-thirds of baby boomers said that financial problems were not likely to prevent their parents from remaining in their home, and 70 percent are concerned that their parent might be scared to leave their home.

While 49 percent of baby boomers are at least somewhat interested in using new technologies to help monitor their parents’ safety, 65 percent say they would like to use new technology, and 54 percent would consider sensors to monitor health and safety.

The 5 Home Healthcare Technology Categories

July 2, 2010