GrandPad and Orange Belgium
A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) points out that more than one-third of adults aged 45 and older feel lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated. Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation because they are more likely to face factors such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and hearing loss.
GrandPad’s tablet and cellular connectivity are helping seniors simply and securely connect with their friends, family and caregivers. The GrandPad purpose-built tablet is designed specifically for seniors over the age of 75 who are unfamiliar with or have difficulty using traditional technology. GrandPad keeps elderly seniors connected to family, friends, and caregivers and helps address social isolation, which can have adverse effects on the health of older adults.
“There has got to be a better way.” This was the primary motivation when the family-driven company, GrandPad, started seven years ago. From their own need to communicate and stay connected with family members thousands of miles apart, GrandPad’s founders knew that there were better technology solutions.
GrandPad is more than a device; it is a full-service solution that reduces the devastating impact of social isolation on the health and well-being of older adults, something made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic social restrictions. The customizable platform of GrandPad allows healthcare companies to keep patients and families engaged and improve clinical workflows and outcomes.
Seniors are often challenged with standard technology and have limited connectivity. GrandPad had first intended to launch their tablet with WiFi, but they quickly discovered that over 60% of this age group has no WiFi access. Even among the 40% that theoretically do have WiFi in their home or senior care facility, they struggled with passwords, needed to learn how to log on, or the WiFi was extremely slow.
The challenge, then, was to make the tech simple and secure and the connection super fast. This would allow seniors to do everything on their GrandPad from secure video calling, private family photo and video sharing, multi-party Zoom calling, safe internet browsing, streaming radio and music content, weather, news articles, and the wide variety of games that come pre-programmed on the tablet and a Moods app that helps reduce anxiety and supports relaxation.
To avoid Wifi connectivity challenges, Grandpad made the smart decision to select 4G LTE instead. Because 4G LTE is ubiquitous and outperforms WiFi, users experience cellular connectivity that is fast, reliable, and cost-effective. GrandPad’s functionality is made possible through a built-in LTE service that allows users to connect from anywhere at any time. When seniors receive their GrandPad, it’s already pre-configured and automatically connects to the cloud.
In Europe starting with Ireland and UK, GrandPad has partnered with Orange Belgium to provide GrandPad users access to broad network coverage and fast, secure, and reliable 4G LTE. Orange Belgium delivers cellular IoT connectivity management services and SIM cards for GrandPad users. Connectivity management is made possible with IoT Accelerator, an industry-leading IoT platform, enabling cost-efficient, reliable, and secure IoT global connectivity management and operations for any enterprise of any scale, anywhere in the world.
The Cellular Connection
Cellular connectivity is the core technology of GrandPad – ensuring an effortless and rich connective experience.
Improving Reliability
Orange Belgium provides a secure IoT network, powered and managed by Aeris IoT Accelerator.
Simplicity and Enhanced Efficiency
With IoT Accelerator, GrandPad can easily manage and monitor assets and improve user experience on a global scale.
– Scott Lien, Co-Founder and CEO, GrandPad
Today, Grandpad is used by 1.7 million people in 120 countries. Cellular delivers fast, reliable, cost-effective data connectivity – essential for GrandPad users and their trusted circle of contacts. For GrandPad, extensive cellular coverage is vital as many seniors can live in dense populations in cities within cities, in apartment buildings, nursing homes, or rural areas. Cellular technology also has the advantage of fast, secure, and reliable connectivity, making it more reliable when caregivers have a video check-in. Enterprise healthcare companies save a tremendous amount of time and mileage by simply doing a video call. The growing telehealth industry also helps to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
For GrandPad, the administrative connectivity tools have been vital to managing tablets, provisioning devices, and unlocking data intelligence. They can monitor and manage fleets of GrandPads, aggregate, organize and manage large amounts of data on usage and performance to help them deliver superior customer experiences. The ability to review billing has also been a benefit of the administration tools.
5G is on the roadmap for the future of GrandPad; the next generation of tablets will support 5G and leverage all the capabilities that it brings, such as high-speed, high-quality imaging. With its deep involvement in the telehealth industry, GrandPad will be exploring these technologies to help transform the interaction between caregivers and patients.
Aeris is a pioneer and a leader in the market of the Internet of Things
with a proven history of helping companies unlock value through connected technologies. We strive to fundamentally improve business performance by dramatically reducing costs, accelerating time-to-market, and enabling new revenue streams. Built from the ground up for IoT and road tested at scale, the Aeris Intelligent IoT Network and the Aeris Mobility Suite span the IoT technology stack – from global connectivity to application services. Visit www.aeris.com to learn how we can inspire you to create new business models and to participate in the revolution of the Internet of Things.