2) How does what Home Controls is doing in the home automation market relate to what Caregiver Systems is doing in the senior, aging in place market?
Caregiver Systems is just an example of the strong commitment Home Controls has always demonstrated in helping integrators grow and sustain their businesses for the long haul. Through GrandCare technology which makes these systems possible, there is a new channel of revenue for our dealers.

Independent authorized dealers are trained and fully supported by Home Controls to make their own system sales for maximum profit, and by Caregiver Systems to help generate additional installation revenue.

3) Why would a company so entrenched in the home automation industry make this leap?
Home Controls is continuing full force in the home automation and networking industry, representing over 100 manufacturers in lighting & appliance control, home controllers, security, audio video distribution, communication, environmental controls, wiring systems and more.

The launch of Caregiver Systems by Home Controls represents our dedication to growing with critical new markets as they emerge. Integrator websites, green building products and home care technology are simply the latest areas of expansion.

4) Is this an indication of where the home medical technology industry is heading?
The home-health-meets-home automation concept has been on the horizon for quite awhile and right now is definitely the time to jump on board.

According to AARP, 90% of seniors want to age in their own homes. Finally, the medical technology, residential automation and networking industries are making this dream possible for more people than ever before.

5) Why should grandma or grandpa or their families care about what Caregiver Systems does?
90% of aging seniors want the option to stay independent in their own home as they age according to AARP. Caregiver Systems can help make this possible by bringing peace of mind to family members who otherwise may feel compelled to enlist in-home care or assisted living. Additionally, our systems increase communication and a sense of connection between loved-ones, families and even professional caregivers when they are utilized.

Caregivers and families gain peace of mind, too, not just the loved-one. As adult children, we worry and take responsibility for our parents’ safety and wellbeing. Nobody wants to be a burden, so many aging seniors do not mention when something goes wrong. This is when 37% of family members quit their jobs or drastically reduce their hours to fill the role of full time caregiver. Others live too far away and struggle with how to best care for their parents.

Now family members can continue to work, knowing they will automatically notified if their parent’s room temperature gets too hot or too cold, if phone scams are targeting their loved-one or if they fail to get out of bed in the morning. Perhaps they stop eating, lose weight rapidly or do not access their medications regularly. Any of these situations can trigger an automatic alert by phone, email or text message.

6) Is the system installed by the caregiver or does Caregiver Systems handle all of the installation and training?
Good question. Caregiver Systems handles everything, including the coordination of a trained local dealer to install the system.

Caregivers and family receive a brief orientation to ensure they are comfortable utilizing the full capabilities and benefits available to them. The whole thing is very user-friendly for everyone involved.

7) What functions do the systems typically do?
The comprehensive and highly flexible nature of this system is one of its greatest assets. From active seniors running marathons to bed-ridden loved-ones in a nursing home, this system will smoothly adjust and give benefit to everyone involved.

Primary functions include:

• Communication – Email sharing, pictures and website displays from your existing internet connection direct to the loved-one’s super-simple touchscreen. Share care information online (restricted access) between adult siblings across the country, professional caregivers or anyone you designate. Gather information in the form of automatically compiled lists, graphs, printed docs, time lapse visuals and more.

• Wellness Reporting aka “monitoring” – Automatic collection of vital statistics from wireless Bluetooth devices including a weight scale, blood pressure cuff, glucometer, oxygenator etc. This info can be viewed by the loved one on their touchscreen, viewed online by caregivers (restricted access), printed for doctor’s visits or set to trigger automatic alerts to appropriate individuals by phone, email or text message.

• Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Alerts aka “monitoring” – Automatic collection of data based on the loved-one’s daily routine. Using sensors in the locations of your choosing, our system takes note of whether medications or food is accessed, whether someone is in or out of bed, if someone leaves the home, etc. Information from each location can be viewed separately or together if desired. More typically, these activity sensors are used to trigger automatic alerts when there is a specific change in routine such as not getting out of bed in the morning.

• Cognitive Tools – Games, trivia, memory matching, event calendars, medication reminders and more.

8) As we all know, the Elderly are not "machine friendly" and can get easily confused with their TV remote. How does your system work to avoid this issue?
There is no learning curve or change in routine for the loved-one. The system itself is completely unobtrusive, primarily consisting of small sensors and wireless devices which blend into the existing environment.

With Caregiver Systems, the primary connection to “technology” will be a 17” touchscreen perfect for any stage of cognitive ability. On one end of the spectrum a loved-one sees a screensaver-type slide show of photos and messages from family, with no interaction required. On the other end of the cognitive spectrum is trivia in large type, games like solitaire and tracking their own health history…all without a computer or any technical know-how whatsoever.

9) Part of the problem with these systems in hospitals is that they set off many false alerts. How does your system handle this?
Our system uses a suite of sensors to determine what is occurring, providing more intelligence to back up its alerts than systems currently used. As such, false alerts are highly unlikely to occur and have not been an issue. Because this system has the capability to look at the full situation, it is difficult to compare this technology to anything else on the market.

10) Is the cost of the system covered by any medical insurance policies or medicare?
The technology is so new that it's not specifically mentioned in government programs or insurance policies. At the same time it's not excluded. Although nobody should count on coverage, it does make sense for people to apply just in case. Some claims may be honored, and the more agencies that become aware of the technology the sooner it is likely to be covered

Cheryl Kerr, Division Manager
Cheryl Kerr heads up Caregiver Systems by Home Controls, reporting directly to the president. Kerr is responsible for defining Caregiver Systems’ long-term business strategy as well as system development, product line management and nationwide system installation. Kerr and her staff are tasked with developing the complete range of fully installed systems specifically for aging loved ones, based on the most innovative technologies available today.

Her main goal is to provide seniors and their families with affordable monitoring systems that enable seniors to remain in their homes longer than ever before. Prior to Caregiver Systems, Kerr filled a vital marketing role at ConnectHome, a national network of qualified home automation dealers. She was responsible for working with the nation’s top home automation integrators to help improve their business development and marketing programs.

Kerr has been recognized by Empire’s “Who’s Who of Executives & Professionals” and is a member of the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW). She is a graduate of the Residential Integrator School (RIS) for low voltage home automation sales, marketing and installation.