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GrandCare Making a difference for those wanting to live in their homes longer

This piece was recently modifed to correct a few specifics about Grand Care compliments of Grand Care!

A recent news piece from Cold Spring Minnesota shows first hand the difference that GrandCare can make for those who wish to live independently and their families who may live a distance away.

GrandCare monitors health and the taking of medication but some would argue that keeping them in communication with their loved ones is as important...for better emotional health.

One touch to Skype can make a monumental difference.

GrandCare helps give families peace of mind by the way it is able to remotely monitor daily activities with sensors that detect and report both ususal AND unusual activities for families and caregivers...:

When pills are taken (or not taken)
When a door is opened or not opened (like a fridge)
When there is irregular activity (like getting out of bed during the middle of the night and Not getting back in ...or Not getting out of a chair)
When there is more frequent or less frequent movement than normal (like wandering at night).


GrandCare monitoring costs around $100/month. Installation averages around $2,500 - $3,500 depending upon the extent of the health and wellness devices that are required. Leasing options are available.

See the quick video below for a first hand look at one family's how GrandCare makes a difference for one family:
Kare11 News Piece on GrandCare & New-technology-keeping-aging-relatives-in-their-homes-longer

Video 2012 by KARE

The future of aging….with Technology

It’s a global issue. Rising healthcare costs, looming age wave, increasing longevity bringing multiple illnesses and forgetfulness alongside older adult children who are sandwiched between aging parents and their own adult children and grandchildren. As a result, the way we care for our parents today will not scale with the same level of care, to meet tomorrow’s needs without the use of technology.  

Technology solutions offer the answer to improve both the quality of care and a way to keep health care costs from rising out of reach.   Our generation is used to using Technology in many facets of our lives already  by way of email, internet, cell phones, music, online shopping etc... 

So now is the time to advocate for technology to transform the future for an aging population and now is the time to investigate the exciting technologies that already exist on the market. New health and wellness technologies will continue to be developed to offer the potential of dramatically improving the quality of care we can provide and the cost of providing that care. However, the right vision, the right leadership, a certain amount of pressure to obtain the right commitment from government to prepare needs to be in place.

Leading Age is a US association of some 5,400 non profit organizations and 38 State partners in the US along with hundreds of businesses, research partners and consumer organizations that recognize the need for advocacy, leadership development, research, promotion, hospice care, additional community services and housing and technology solutions  and research. They Inspire, Serve, Advocate and Acknowledge their members.

These are 2 of the videos from Leading Age on the Future of Aging

The Future of Aging-One Family at a time

How to transorm an aging nation

Helping Seniors go digital makes ROI sense and is becoming imperative

A session presented at the American Society on Aging Conference, "Aging in America 2012" in Washington, DC, yesterday by the President of the Alliance for Aging in Miami, Florida suggests that Technology will make seniors more empowered as citizens.

Max Rothman, JD, LLM and his organization the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. AAA is a nationwide network of State and local programs that help older people to plan and care for their life long needs.

Their AAA pilot program demonstrated how well seniors adapt to digital technology, under the right parameters and their program also showed that bridging the digital divide and helping seniors feel in control can be accomplished for relative low cost if done right.

Rothamn noted that “Helping seniors go digital is becoming more of an imperative” “Many government services, from Medicare to food stamps, now conduct much business online, and families are scattered, which makes maintaining regular contact more difficult”.

Instead of feeling isolated and helpless, as many seniors do, which impacts their mental state, cognitive abilities, and their quality of life, being wired means they can take charge of tasks themselves, helping them to feel in more control of their lives. As their mental state improves as a result, they start to love to talk to family regularly via Skype, and can access health information, and even join social networks.

 Funding through the Older Americans Act helped get the training initiative in senior centers and in some participant's homes off the ground. The agency developed partnerships with other social service organizations, non-profits, universities, and Internet service providers for low-cost or donated equipment, services, training, and case management. AT&T and Comcast  provided a year of free broadband service and tech support.

 Training was designed to include:

·       Various technical and literacy levels

·       Limited English proficiency

·       Educational barriers

·       Health and age-related issues such as poor vision or difficulty holding a mouse or using a keyboard due to arthritis, Parkinson's or other degenerative conditions

It became immediately apparent that the increased access to technology reduced feelings of isolation and increased their sense of independence.  In the 2.5 years since the pilot began, 730 seniors and caregivers have been trained by volunteers at a cost of approximately $455,000 which included hardware, software, broadband access, and related expenses. That works out to approximately $622/ person.

 The AAA organization is looking for more funding to expand the program throughout South Florida as a way to empower seniors in a cost effective way through digital technology.  Their ultimate goal is to wire entire communities, especially high rise public housing. They quoted one of the students, age 93, who termed it in the best way possible:  I love my computer because my family and friends are inside.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/print/article/322130#ixzz1qqhivmG0

Personal Emergecy Response Systems by LogicMark

Research shows that getting prompt attention to an emergency situation can make a big difference to surviving an emergency but also to continuing to live independently after such a situation. The New England Journal of Medicine has noted that if you or a loved one incurs an emergency and becomes incapacitated preventing help from arriving when needed; it usually marks the end of independent living.  (New England Journal of Medicine)  Therefore, Personal Emergency Response Systems (“PERS”) are one of the most important technologies to enable and support an aging population to live independently.  

LogicMark LLC is a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative personal emergency response systems (PERS) which offers unique two-way voice communication directly through the pendant which means that help is “a push of a button away”  LogicMark was founded in 2006, and received an esteemed INC Magazine 500/5000 award in 2011 for being one of the fastest growing companies in the US.

LogicMark was the first to introduce a no-subscription PERS and they offer 2 such devices:

LogicMark’s GuardianAlert 911 directly calls 911. The user can talk directly through the pendant to a 911 emergency operator at the push of a button.

The system can operate anywhere in or around the home with the base station plugged into a phone jack in the centre of the house. The pendant runs on a AAA battery and lasts up to a year. The pendant is splash resistant so it can be taken into a shower.

No monitoring fees, service charges or contracts. The system uses your home phone line but the pendant is wearable so you don’t need to use your regular telephone when an emergency arises. The pendant range is up to 600 feet and will cover large homes and a short distance outside of your home.

Logic Mark’s FreedomAlert offers direct 911 calling and up to 4 custom contacts that can be direct dialed, so it is a personal link to family, friends or emergency services when needed. You can even use this PERS when travelling by unplugging it from your phone jack with the adaptor and pack it in your suitcase. It can be plugged into the local phone jack and power outlet at your destination with no programming required.  As an added convenience, wireless water-resistant wall units can be mounted to a wall in areas around the home that allow for permanent 2-way communication in cases of emergency.  

No monitoring fees, service charges or contracts.

LogicMark also carries a conventionally monitored PERS that is connected to a central station. There are monthly fees associated with this LifeSentry product as they provide fullsupport services  The LifeSentry products also offers up to a total of 4 pendants & emergency wall communicators that can be connected to a single base station.  This is ideal for a small facility.