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Adults with elderly parents who are frail can help them continue living at home, even if their mental or physical health is deteriorating.
It’s important for baby boomers to know about things like this. We may have a mom or a dad who is aging quickly, or we’re starting to think about our own vulnerabilities.
Also, there’s a chance we’ve visited an assisted-care facility. Even the nicer ones make us feel uncomfortable.
Too often we think of them as places where people go to die. Most of us would love to keep our parents in their own homes for as long as possible.
A new system, available at Evolution Independent Living in Agoura Hills, enables parents and caregivers to communicate with and monitor the health and activities of their older family members.
When a parent with declining health cannot care for themselves completely and an adult relative cannot help them full-time, we generally must choose from two options: 1. Place them in an assisted-living facility. 2. Hire full- or part-time caregivers.
Evolution Independent Living offers a third choice.
Jim Alexander, CEO of Evolution Independent Living, told me that a nursing home can cost between $6,000 and $20,000 per month, depending on the environment, amenities and services. Professional caregivers are also expensive, and the cost varies depending on their expertise and the number of hours they work.
HIGH-TECH—Above, Leon Frank with Evolution Independent Living shows how the GrandCare System transmits blood pressure rates.
An Evolution Independent Living
System ranges from $3,000 to $6,000, which includes installation and programming.
The final cost is determined by the system that’s needed and the size of the person’s home. Systems can also be leased for $150 to $400 per month for two to four years.
Alexander describes Evolution Independent Living as the “Grand- Care” system. It allows aging seniors to stay in their own home, instead of being forced to move into a new environment.
The centerpiece of the system is a 15-inch touch panel. It’s easily operated and is more user-friendly than a computer or a smartphone. The senior simply touches the screen to select topics such as email, news or entertainment. T h e touch panel can be equipped with a built in camera to accommodate two way Skype capability, so parents or caretakers can communicate via video.
Family members and caregivers can use computers, iPads or smartphones to access the system.
Children and grandchildren can send videos and digital images.
Small sensors keep track of all activity inside the home. If it’s Mom you’re looking after, you can tell when she went to bed, got up, her medicine or visited the bathroom.
If she has high blood pressure, the system can record it, and a graph will show her blood pressure for several months. The same information is available to a parent or caregiver on their remote device.
Mom wears a pendant around her neck. If she falls, she presses a button that sends an audible alarm through the system to designated caregivers or loved ones who are immediately alerted.
The alarm and message also appear on smartphones and computers.
If Mom is incontinent, a sensor in her bed can signal that she’s had “an accident,” so a caregiver can respond immediately.
A sensor at the door will tell when Mom leaves home and returns.
If Mom gets dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, she’ll need assisted living or full-time caregivers, but if her quality of life can be extended by staying at home for as long as possible, it’s worth considering.
Jim Alexander, CEO of Evolution Independent Living, demonstrates the brain exercise feature. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers
The Evolution Independent Living System is on display in a simulated apartment. Call (818) 879-0240 to see it at Evolution Audio & Video, 5341 Derry Ave., Suite S, in Agoura Hills, east of Kanan Road, off Canwood Street, in the northwest corner of the complex.
Steve Holt, former Acorn editor who retired last September, can reached at stevencholt@gmail.com.
See the article here at The Acorn.com
Going to ASA? M Listen as Laura Mitchell, Dr. Gene Aronin and Joel Shapira discuss the future of aging. Using technology to “age in place”
Thursday April 28, 2011: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
2. Participants will identify resources for locating technology and give examples of technological devices and their sources, and innovations in new technology; state the benefits in bridging the digital gap to enable diversity in the availability of technology.
3. Participants will identify federal legislation and mandates influencing care of elderly such as remaining at home as much as possible, and coordination of caretakers and medical personal in sharing of information and roles and the practical effects upon the use of technology for care.
View the article in full from Benton County, MN News
LA Home Care, a home care provider, located in Sauk Rapids, is making an impact on area residents through use of The GrandCare System, a combination of Smart Home Technologies, Activities of Daily Living monitoring, Internet communications and Tele-Wellness, which supports an entire network of caregivers providing greater security and less social isolation.
Last fall, after partnering with Cybermation, Inc located in Waite Park, LA Home Care www.mylahomecare.com received $16,000 in funding from the Living Connected in Benton County Steering Committeewww.bentoncountyconnected.org to help make this technology available to area residents.
“Technology has been such a growing force in our health care system. Now is the time to make the technology affordable, easy to understand and easy to use for all of us,” said Leslie Ann, owner of LA Home Care. “The GrandCare System, I believe, has done just that.”
This technology, which is currently in five homes, serves three main purposes:
LA Home Care cites Dorothy O. as an example of someone who is benefiting from this technology and who has been able to stay in her home longer. Without this technology Dorothy O. would likely be in an assisted living facility. “We have used Skype to see her newest great-grandchild in Hawaii,” says Leslie Ann. “She has some medical issues that have greatly improved while using the GrandCare system. She likes the fact that if she is in need of a nurse she only has to push a button and I would receive a message saying she needed help. Of course for emergencies she continues to have the Lifeline pendant. I can monitor all movement in the apartment and that can be reassuring to family members who are only hearing part of the issue over the phone. Family members can also log into Dorothy’s computer and see the same information that I do. This makes a well rounded caring atmosphere.”
For more information about LA Home Care, Leslie Ann or this technology visitwww.mylahomecare.com or call 320-828-0802.
Living Connected in Benton County www.bentoncountyconnected.org is a project partner in the Minnesota Intelligent Rural Communities Initiative (MIRC). MIRC is a coalition of 19 statewide partners and 11 demonstration communities funded in large part through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. The work of the coalition focuses on bringing the full promise of broadband technologies to rural Minnesota communities, businesses and people. Blandin Foundation serves as the project administrator. More about MIRC is available at www.blandinfoundation.org.
Read the article <a href = “http://www.co.benton.mn.us/News_Item.php?NewsID=59“> HERE </a>
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DB-NGBRJsQ]
GrandCare’s VP of Marketing, Laura Mitchell, is interviewed by Rave Publications at EHX 2011.
Another Interview at EHX with VP Marketing, Laura Mitchell: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqw89ArzbGw]
Just wanted to shoot out a quick post and give out a shout to the EHX folks as well as the fantastic dealers who attended this year’s EHX in Orlando, FL. While the event was smaller than the last few years, we found the attendees to be highly qualified, educated, motivated and enthusiastic about home health. A great testament to the industry and the work that has been done in the past 4-5 years.
In fact, many dealers confided that they ONLY came to EHX this year to learn more about the home health tech market and learn about GrandCare Systems.
GrandCare led 3 seminars on the Show Floor and was on another digital home health panel. They were all packed with interested dealers!! Very exciting for this industry!
GrandCare was displayed in 3 booths on the EHX floor. At the GrandCare Booth, Home Controls (Home Health Tech) Booth and the Worthington Booth. The only other home health tech products on display were the Presto Computerless email and various Personal Emergency Response Units (both quite complementary to the GrandCare System). We also got some good PR out there for the Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek) many of the dealers expressed great relief at the notion of an organization like this that guide them on their way in the home health journey!
Now it’s back to the grind and following up with the hundreds of leads received. Good work GrandCare, Home Health Tech, Worthington, ad Presto team on a job well done!
CE Pro: Why Home Health Technology Will Explode in 2011
In the January 2011 issue, the editors of CE Pro feature the Five Technology Opportunities for CE Pros. Once again, aging in place/home health technology made the list at number three and GrandCare is featured front and center as the industry leader. Here is what Julie Jacobson – a recent guest speaker on GrandCare’s weekly webinar – writes:
We’ve hailed the coming of home health technology for several years now, but we really believe CE pros will embrace the market in 2011 and beyond. That’s when we reach a critical point in terms of the aging population, financially burdened healthcare system, and emergence of exciting technologies for seniors and their caretakers.
That’s also when many CE pros will have exhausted their growth options in traditional home systems integration.
The opportunities in the health technology sector are plentiful as are the terms you may hear to describe them: telehealth, telemedicine, telewellness, connected health, e-health, mHealth (as in mobile), aging in place, digital health and more.
They also encompass a number of technologies and markets, so it is difficult to pin down the numbers. At the very least, all of the players agree that the market – whatever you call it – is growing. Research firm InMedica predicts that the “telehealth” market will grow 55 percent (CAGR) per year in the next five years.
Of the disparate health technology sectors, CE Pro believes the best opportunity for residential integrators is to stick with their core competencies: security, home control and communications.
The bustling health tech pavilions last year at the Electronic House Expo and CEDIA Expo provided a good overview of the opportunities for integrators:
Whole-house care: Monitoring seniors via sensors, and sending alerts to loved ones and caretakers.
Communications: Establishing videoconferencing, email and telecommunications between the client and family, friends and health professionals.
Environment: Creating well-lit, appropriately cooled/heated, safe and secure, and otherwise comfortable environments for the elderly.
In the Field
Cybermation, based in Waite Park, Minn., is a typical home systems integration firm. Like many CE pros, the company thrived during the home construction boom and continues to enjoy a strong relationship with homebuilders, but that doesn’t help these days.
In his quest to find new markets for Cybermation’s mid- to high-end integration services, CEO Tom Ardolf explored commercial installations, as well as mass-market opportunities. In the end, he decided to address the aging population, and he is nowdoing that with systems from Grandcare that provide monitoring, communications and messaging for the elderly.
Deciding on a product line was the easy part for Cybermation, as it is for many integrators exploring the seniors market. The hard part is learning the industry protocol and finding customers and partners, including third-party payers.
“I spent months trying to figure out how home healthcare agencies work,” Ardolf says. “There’s a humongous government bureaucracy. It’s tricky trying to figure out who the gatekeepers are.”
The effort is paying off. Cybermation has tapped funds and grants from private and county agencies, and the company is working with a local home healthcare agency (HCA) to offer Grandcare solutions to seniors.
Currently, the HCA offers Grandcare free of charge to prospects as a way of attracting new business for its home health services. Cybermation installs the system (paid for by the various grants) for 60 to 90 days. If the client decides to keep the system, they pay only the $50/month fee for system hosting and software maintenance (through Grandcare). Otherwise, Cybermation removes the system so it can be offered to another prospect.
The outlay for the “free” install is nominal, Ardolf says. Currently, Cybermation budgets about one hour of labor for setting up a basic Grandcare system, plus 45 minutes per wireless sensor, but that estimate is extremely conservative.
Work with the one HCA has given Cybermation the confidence and the resolve to invest more heavily in the seniors market. Ardolf is calling all of the local HCAs – for profit and not-for-profit – and educating them about new and forthcoming technologies for seniors.
The word is getting out, and Cybermation has sold a few jobs. A basic system that monitors and responds to “activities for daily living,” or ADL, sells for about $3,000. A blood pressure cuff is included. From there, Cybermation can add touchscreen stations for social and medical interactions, and a host of other medical devices and environmental sensors.
Why Home Health Tech is Hot
Demographics, demographics, demographics. Your customers are growing older … and so are their parents.
CE pros already master most of the technologies demanded by seniors and their caretakers – security, lighting and temperature control, audio, video, communications and remote monitoring, to name a few. Even without learning new technological tricks, you’re ready to go.
The aging in place industry has no other suitable channel for bringing technology into the homes and lives of seniors. They are starting to realize the value of CE pros.
While there is work to be done, reimbursement rates for home health technology are on the rise from both private and government insurers, spurred by the overburdened healthcare system. Grants from various agencies also are available. For reimbursement resources visit click here.
Recurring revenue opportunities abound.
This post was originally written by Home Controls, an authorized GrandCare Distributor: To learn more about how GrandCare can benefit your family, contact Home Controls at 800-266-8765 to find a local authorized dealer near you.
Technology A Blessing, A Curse For Remote Island
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS by Martha Irvine, Associated Press national writer.
BEAVER ISLAND, Mich. November 8, 2010, 12:14 pm ET
Muggs Bass doesn’t own a computer. She’s pretty much dead set against e-mail. Anyone who calls her home on Michigan’s remote Beaver Island should be prepared for a busy signal, if she’s on her land-line phone. She has no cell.
“When you don’t have it, you don’t miss it. That’s what I say,” says the spunky 70-year-old grandmother, who’s as comfortable telling jokes at the local pub as she is attending Mass each morning.
Technology isn’t really her thing. So, it’s a small miracle when Bass drives, once a month, to her island’s rural health center to sit down in front of a wide-screen television. There, she and a handful of other islanders connect by video conference with a similar group in Charlevoix, Mich., a two-hour ferry ride to the south and east.
They chat. They laugh. They cry together.
All of them have, or have had, cancer, Bass included. Hers started with a lump in her breast and has since metastasized to her bones, making her cancer treatable, but incurable, her doctors tell her.
Her own grandmother died of the same disease and went off the island for occasional treatments, as Bass does every few weeks. But that grandmother could hardly have imagined a day when islanders talked openly about their cancer, face-to-face with people in a support group miles away.
It’s just one of many ways technology is making this rugged place less remote than it once was and, some would say, more livable for more people.
It also gives islanders hope for new jobs that could attract residents to this island in northern Lake Michigan where the year-round population is about 650 people, give or take a few dozen.
“In the last few years, technology has sprung,” says Joe Moore, a retired teacher who’s known as one of the geeks on the island who helps keep computers running.
Not that the change has come quickly, or that technology always works perfectly.
That’s just how it is on an island where a popular bumper sticker reads “Slow Down! This Ain’t The Mainland.” It’s aimed at anyone who’s in too big a hurry, including lead-footed tourists who kick up dust on the many dirt roads or who panic when cell phone service drops.
That’s life on wired — or at least, semi-wired — Beaver Island… (continued)
OUR THOUGHTS:
I think this is a Great article – I love hearing positive tech success stories & how it’s used to connect with loved ones as well as communicate with remote care providers. This is the way technology should be used. Certainly, like with anything, it can be over-used and abused. Thinking about the island visitors who freak when cell reception goes dead finds me feeling a bit sheepish – perhaps we ALL could use a little more of the Beaver Island attitude. What really is important is that with tech today, all age groups can CONNECT & benefit! Muggs discusses that she doesn’t really care to use tech & while that may partly be true (no cell or PC), she really IS using technology every day. Using web chat (via skype) an I would guess that much of her medical care utilizes cutting-edge tech as well. At GrandCare Systems, we do the same thing. Smarthome Tech, Activity of Daily Living monitoring, Telehealth, Remote Socialization Tech to individuals who want to stay independent & connected to family. Similarly, GrandCare allows a loved one to Skype with ONE touch on the interactive touchpad. The loved one doesn’t have to know anything about computers to use it – perfect for beaver island! Thanks again! Laura Mitchell, GrandCare Systems
www.grandcare.com
According to CE PRO’s Top 10 List of Must See Products at CEDIA: http://www.cepro.com/slideshow/image/7215/
GrandCare Systems HomeBase System
With healthcare costs spiraling out of control, technology has come to the rescue. A number of companies are developing digital healthcare monitoring systems that allow users to remotely communicate with caregivers. One company that’s leading the charge is GrandCare Systems. Its new GC HomeBase system offers a portal for communication that’s non-invasive and requires no computer experience. Instead, users touch icons on a touchpanel to open email correspondence, pictures, music and reminders. A video chat feature lets users talk face to face with their doctors and family members.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD0qdEZd1PM]
GrandCare Systems grants independence to the elderly and peace of mind to caregivers.
Demographics are changing. The elderly are growing as a group, and many of them want to maintain independence and stay in their homes. GrandCare System’s range of products creates a communication and monitoring path for the elderly, allowing them to retain their independent lifestyle.
Technology serves the elderly by using simple-to-operate touch screens that create a care triangle among seniors, families and caregivers. This allows the elderly to communicate with their family, doctors and even a monitoring company. In addition, it gives the elderly several layers of monitoring that assure family and friends that the senior citizen is safe and secure in their environment.
Ken Kerr, CEO of Home Controls, the nationwide distributor for GrandCare Systems, believes in the opportunity custom installers have with GrandCare Systems products.
“The elderly want to stay where they are and not go into assisted living. This demand is increasing as the baby boomer population ages. The time has come to meet this demand and technology has met the demand through GrandCare Systems products.”
The value proposition, as Kerr explains it, is that the family can constantly monitor the activities of their loved one. From making sure that they don’t leave their home unexpectedly through the use of door monitors, to monitoring blood pressure and other measureable health parameters, to offering a communication system via the touch panel, the elderly remain in contact with family members and health care providers.
Additionally, sensors can be installed to show whether a pill draw has been opened on time or if a bed has been slept in by using pressure-sensitive monitoring pads on the bed…All of this monitoring is pre-programmed so the elderly person does not need to be a technology expert to operate.
The touch screen can be programmed to have as many or as few buttons on the screen as needed for easy operation. The elderly person does not have to interact with the system at all, but if they are able, it can be the center for e-mail, Web browsing or any communication possible via the Internet. The system even has a button on the screen for getting the local weather.
Asking Kerr about the benefits of selling GrandCare for the typically A/V installer, he talked about the ease of installation and the remote programming of the system. Typically, it takes about half day to install, and most of the system uses wireless communication.
The recurring revenue stream from monitoring is an important part of the value proposition for the dealer. Although Kerr does not recommend a specific price for (monthly maintenance fee), he did mention that many dealers charge from $49.95 to $79.95 per month depending on the level of service included in the price.
Kerr’s company, Home Controls, is a national distributor. and by representing over 110 manufacturers, he emphasized that he understands what the dealer needs to be successful with GrandCare products. Education and training are fundamental, but they also need help with the marketing side. Kerr realizes that for dealers to be successful, they need to get the word out about this product range.
GrandCare products are selling to a market that is growing, working with families who want to take care of their loved ones. -end
NOTE FROM GRANDCARE SYSTEMS:
Hello and thanks to Custom Retailer Magazine for reporting on the Aging Tsunami and enabling technologies like the GrandCare System! I wanted to make a few clarifications: Ken Kerr’s company is called Home Controls (www.homecontrols.com). Also, there is no monitoring center officially involved with the GrandCare System. The system is a tool that authorized family & care providers can use to remotely access activity of daily living & tele-wellness information. They can use that info to set up automated notifications (someone didn’t take meds, left the house during the night, excessive weight gain, etc).
The monthly fee involves 24-7 online user access, full installation/maintenance support, automated software updates, automated GrandCare email, text, phone alerts to designated Care-partners.
Thanks so much to Ken Kerr from Home Controls & Custom Retailer Magazine for spreading the word on the ever-growing aging & technology industry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD0qdEZd1PM
To find a dealer near you: www.grandcare.com
The GrandCare Team!
