Product FAQ’s

If I start with the least expensive system, can I add features later?

Absolutely. You might want to start with the basic communication package and then add telehealth features when there is a need. You won't have to change any equipment. It is all upward compatible.

Can multiple caregivers use Care Systems?

Of course! Each family will be issued a username and password to log onto the Care Systems website. The entire family can add notes, pictures & calendar events to their loved one's television screen. The caregivers can also simultaneously monitor the various sensors placed around the home. All of this can be done from multiple locations, simultaneously, from anywhere in the world!

Can multiple caregivers alternate who is "on call" for alerts?

Yes. The Care Systems website has an easy form for specifying the phone numbers/email addresses that Care Systems will contact and in what order. If the first person on the list does not acknowledge the call, the system will contact the next person on the list.

What if I don't answer GrandCare's Alert Call?

When Care Systems makes a call, the receiver has to push "1" to confirm the phone call. This feature can distinguish answering machines from a live person on the other end. If the call is not confirmed, Care Systems will call each additional number in the order submitted by the caregiver.

Can I choose how I want to be alerted by GrandCare Systems?

Yes. You can choose to be alerted by telephone, cell phone, email or all of the above. Change these options at any time by logging into the Care Systems website and clicking on options.

Does my parent need a high speed internet connection?

Yes and no. You will need a full time internet connection, but it does not really have to be that fast. Some of our current customers use a dialup connection. So, you should find the most economical connection available. Typically that is DSL or a cell modem connect.

Does my mother have to be living at home to use Care Systems?

No, Care Systems can work almost anywhere as long as your mother has a private telephone line and an Internet connection. She can live in her own home, apartment, condo, in an independent living facility, in a group home or in an assisted living facility.

The system will amass a lot of very personal data. How can I be sure that someone driving down the road can't pick up the signals and "steal" the data?

Care Systems is a proprietary system and has built in security mechanisms that use a combination of mathematical algorithms, timing, and encryption schemes to keep the data "disguised" to anything outside of the system. This really is highly sophisticated stuff. The wireless sensors use multiple types of technology. The wellness devices use Bluetooth technology. This is used commonly in wireless earpieces for cellular phones, and to enable hands free driving in vehicles. Bluetooth uses a "pairing" and a security key exchange when the devices are initially synchronized with each other. This process ensures that the devices will only talk to each other, when transmitting and receiving data. The governing or "monitoring" devices use a wireless technology called x-10 or z-wave. These devices operate and send signals on selected frequency ranges and have a similar pairing process to that of Bluetooth. The odds and ability of anyone driving down the road at a specific fraction of a second when a signal is sent, have the ability to capture and understand the signals being sent, is extremely unlikely, even for a very advance individual with highly sophisticated equipment. Even if they were successful in capturing the signals, knowing what the data says and how to interpret it, is another half of the puzzle which is determined by the Care system software. For the record we would like to say many of these devices are made by reputable security and medical equipment manufacturers and the ability of them to perform properly has already been established. These devices are not new or on the cutting edge of innovation in how they are engineered to perform.

If we do choose a camera, can someone pickup that signal and spy on my parent?

If you choose a camera, you will have the option of having that camera be connected to your home network either wired, wirelessly, or combination of either. Typically, wired cameras have no way a drive by person can retrieve the images, unless they get into your network from the internet. Any wireless camera will always have some risk associated with having the data victimized, and potentially viewed by a drive by person, only if the person has the advanced equipment necessary. This is known as "war driving". Most camera manufacturers have security mechanisms in place to protect their camera images as best they can. The pricing of the cameras are affected by these security mechanisms. However, we recommend that no matter what type of camera you decide upon, you select one with a privacy button on the camera, maybe that glows green or red to indicate if the camera lens is transmitting an image. That way your parent can see and/or manually press the button to allow or disallow the lens from sending an image.

Will Care Systems or their dealers use my name, address and personal data to sell to other companies?

This is a common question, and we totally understand your concern; there are many federal and state laws that are in place to protect and compensate you if we were to do this. Rest assured, Care Systems is not in the business to sell any clients information. They are in business to sell their products and services. They value you as a client, and are grateful that you have chosen to trust them with your health management needs. They will not sell your information. All of the dealers are individually owned and operated businesses. All dealers are made well aware of the legal rights, and privacy, of a client's personal information, and the ramifications of not keeping a non disclosure of that information without the client's permission.

My parent's income is fixed. Will Care Systems keep their monthly prices the same or will they increase them each year?

There is no absolute guarantee that the monthly cost for the Care Systems software updates will be the same forever. But we can tell you that, Care Systems knows their buyers and is aware that the majority of their clients may be on fixed budgets. The company and infrastructure to support the systems has already been heavily invested in, and built with the intent to be able to keep the costs where they are for quite some time. Unless there is some unforeseen legislation, or circumstances that dramatically prohibit Care Systems to provide the services they are contracted to do with the dealers and clients, nothing should change. Please note that any additional service contracts and agreements with individual dealers may be subject to increase since they are all individually managed businesses.

If we buy the equipment and then my loved one no longer needs it, can it be resold? Will the dealer buy it back?

Yes, we encourage dealers to work with clients to buy back, exchange, or re-lease systems no longer needed or not in use within the first 24 months of a sale. This is a win, win situation for everybody and eventually will allow those that cannot afford a new system, to be able to obtain one at a discounted price as long as they are ok with the risk, that is has been pre-owned. This would be similar to purchasing a pre-owned vehicle, from say like Ford motor company.

Care Systems does not buy systems back from their dealers or their customers. They are manufacturers and businesswise, they just cannot do that. It is not just Care Systems that won't buy back manufactured and sold goods, no manufacturers will. Although there is no set policy as to how much systems are bought back for, you must understand that the outcome needs to be fair, and also be able to cover the expenses associated with the repurposing the equipment for the dealer. In 99% of the cases, you will not get all the money you invested into your installation back. As a rule of thumb, don't expect more than about 50% of the hardware costs only to be returned. If for some reason your dealer will not buy your system back, you can contact Care Systems.

My mother/father wears Life Alert/Life Care "button" around her/his neck. Is this the similar? How is it different? Will she still need to have the Life Alert system? What does the GC system offer over and above what a LA "button" would offer?

Yes, Care Systems does provide similar "functionality", similar initiating items, and alerting capabilities. However there are differences that require clarification. Life alert and similar devices are sold as a PERS system, Personal Emergency Response System. There are many types of these devices now available for family's to purchase. Care Systems is a communication, health wellness, and governing (monitoring) system , not a crisis management system. A PERS company has a staffed contact center 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year so as to be able to respond to any personal emergency. Additionally, most PERS systems also have the ability to "listen in" to a home with a microphone in the case of emergency. This "listen in" functionality is similar to some home security and automation systems. Care Systems does not offer this "listen in" ability, or employ a staffed contact center, and can or will not accept responsibility as a manufacturer or for the dealers to sell the system as a PERS. A PERS is a welcome and complementary add-on to any Care System. If a loved one has a PERS system and you want to keep it, that's great! If you don't have a PERS system and would like information on one, our Care Systems team will be glad to help. Care Systems offer a whole lot more personalized features than a traditional PERS system, but does so without any written or implied guarantee to the PERS response and experience.

Is there a Care Systems person who monitors the alerts that are sent from a system?

No person at Care Systems or their affiliates, will be monitoring your alerts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Some caregivers may choose to do this. Typically, it is the family, caregiver, or a close neighbor that is designated as the primary responder. The primary responder is the person designated to respond to any of the personalized alerts generated by your Care system.

Can the Care system sense if a burner has been left on? (I saw an ad for something like this).

Care Systems does have temperature sensors that could be set in the area near the burner to detect the temperature rise that could indicate a burner has been left on. However, we recommend field testing these sensors thoroughly for this application. Since they are generic temperature sensors, the location, temperature alerting values, and rules need to be coordinated to minimize false positive alerts. Care Systems is, however, looking into these types of sensors for future implementation. Care Systems can help with the detection of burners, however, Care Systems will not guarantee and be reponisble for fires or damage created by activity in the home.

Are any parts of the Card System tax deductible?

Care Systems is a professional that can determine what items are tax deductible and what ones are not. If a doctor recommends an off the shelf device that integrates into a Care system, then it may be tax deductible. The total system may also be subject to the 7% medical expense minimum on an individual's return, or even available for other federal, or state credits. But this is a tax advisors decision, and we tend to think this decision will most likely will involve a doctor recommendation or prescription. We recommend you talk to your tax advisors, attorneys, and doctors before you deduct anything. Please remember that you are not buying Care Systems for a tax deduction; its value is so more than that!

Since there may be several people set up in a callout list, and could possibly be responding to an alert at the same time, is there a way for a person, on the list, to indicate that they have received the alert and will handle it? So that the others are n

Good question. First of all, all persons in a callout list are called when an alert is generated. So initially, everyone will be notified. Now in getting back to your question, YES, there is a way to minimize the confusion. When any rule is written to generate an alert, there is an option in the setup that asks, do you want to create a managed alert. When the rule is violated and the alert action initiated, the managed alert is shown on the dashboard. The dashboard is the first landing page of the website after log in. All managed alerts are red in color until checked by an authorized user. These managed alerts can be seen by anyone responding to the alert with a quick log in to the website. The person who is responding can acknowledge the managed alert. When acknowledged, the managed alert will then change to green in color. Any other persons responding would be able to log in and see the managed alert has been acknowledged. This will help minimize confusion rather quickly.

How can I ensure that the system doesn't generate a lot of false alerts that wake people up in the middle of the night unnecessarily?

This is one of the reasons why Care Systems is only installed by factory trained dealers. The installation and placement of the sensors will be the critical factor in minimizing false positive alerts at any time, day or night. But in the real world, as we all know, no electronic system is forever error free. Your dealer is taught how to thoroughly test the system and the communication of the devices when it is installed. Keep in mind that your relationship with the dealer does not end after the installation is done. There should be follow ups after the installation has been completed. As you and the caregivers adjust the rules, or if the needs of your loved one changes, it is advised that you consult every so often with the dealer. The residence assessment, field testing, and understanding of the care plan need to converge and always be synergistic, and understood by all parties involved. This is the primary reason why we do not like or advise that interested clients wait long before having a system installed, at the point where there is a rush, crisis or panic. A little planning goes a long way in allowing the experience to be pleasant, seamless, and non disruptive to all the other events happening in the residents home and lives of the family. Care systems work best when a "holistic" proactive care approach is taken.