Here’s a fantastic write-up about a local West Bend business that is doing great things by innovating and disrupting.

Born between 1946 and 1964, the Baby Boomer generation came along right after WWII. They make up about 26% of the entire United States population, a number that is only matched by Millenials. They own the majority of the homes in the United States and, in fact, usually own more than one property. With such numbers, boomers are determined to change the way we age in America. They will not settle for the care and surroundings that their own parents received. The boomers want to remain independent and in their own homes.

In a world of Uber, GrubHub, and Amazon, at-home caregiving and independence-enabling services will be the “go to” for our aging neighborhoods. GrandCare Systems, located in the heart of downtown West Bend, has been on the cutting edge of the digital caregiving bubble since the late 2000s. We had a chance to sit down with co-founding members, Charlie and Gaytha Hillman to find out more.

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Charlie knew there had to be others experiencing the worry and stress he was. He searched for existing products and came up with nothing. He put his engineering mind and MIT education to good use and decided to design a technology to provide remote monitoring capabilities and enhanced communications between the loved one and family members. GrandCare is available not only for use in the United States, but internationally in countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Aruba, Bermuda and New Zealand.

The system can be used in both single-family homes or in senior living communities. GrandCare is a large touchscreen that is placed into the loved one’s residence. It is a source of information and communication with pictures, videos, games, trivia, weather/news, simple video chatting and reminders. Caregivers can simply log in or check the GrandCare app to add communications or check on activity, medications or health readings.They can also get alerts if something seems amiss (e.g. didn’t take medications, blood pressure is too high, didn’t get out of bed, or isn’t moving around normally). GrandCare requires zero computer knowledge on the senior’s part.