Senior Care

Zeen, a Mobility Device Beyond a Wheelchair or Walker

 
Rick Sherak, the CEO of Zeen, a mobility device beyond a wheelchair or walker joins eHealth Radio and the Health News Channel. Rick has been a major player in the medical device industry for over 30 years within the medical diagnostic industry as a commercial and product development executive.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest Rick Sherak discuss the following:
Can you tell the audience about your early career in the Air Force and what drove the transition to the medical health and diagnostics industry?
What is Zeen and how did the company start?
What makes Zeen different than a standard wheelchair?
What were some of the early obstacles of Zeen?
What is the foundation that Zeen is associated with?
Rick Sherak has over 30 years experience in the medical diagnostic industry as a commercial and product development executive. He became CEO of Exokinetics in March 2024 to lead the company into its next expansion phase of market awareness and revenue growth.
Throughout his career, Rick has been a passionate and proven commercial leader building, training, and unifying teams to deliver on aggressive revenue goals for Fortune 500 and early-stage medical diagnostics companies. After serving as an Air Force officer, he began his medical diagnostic career with Abbott Laboratories based outside of Chicago.
Recruited by Ventana Medical Systems in Tucson, Rick spent over 15 years as a commercial leader growing the company until it was purchased by Roche Diagnostics. Leveraging his broad leadership, product development, and medical domain experience, Rick has worked with start-up clinical oncology companies, where he built several world-class sales, marketing, and customer service divisions tolaunch new products and drive revenue growth. He has also helped early-stage companies bring their novel diagnostic technology ideas to market assisted by third-party design and development engineering firms.Rick has a passion for bringing innovative technologies to market for underserved communities and for building and growing best in class organizations.
Website: https://gozeen.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gowithzeenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/go_zeenYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/GoZeen
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Nobody Should Grow Old Alone

 
Ivan Wicksteed, the Founder and CEO of Eve, a new virtual companion aimed at older adults who live alone joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care and Health News Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest Ivan Wicksteed discuss the following:
What made you create Eve?
How does Eve work?
What problem(s) is Eve addressing?
Who was Eve created for and what audience is she aimed at?
How is Eve different from Alexa or other services on the market today?
TIP: Talking is better for brain health than playing games or doing a crossword puzzle, because it engages many different parts of the brain. We lose 5% of our brain cells every decade past the age of 50. It’s time to build them back up? 
Ivan Wicksteed is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eve Communications. Eve is a virtual companion for older adults living alone. Prior to starting Eve Communications, Ivan served as the CMO of Go Henry, the Chief Growth & Revenue Officer at Go Henry, the CMO of Oscar Health and a Founding Partner at FNDR. Wicksteed created Eve after seeing the impact of loneliness on his grandparents which led to their eventual decline in health. He understand the importance of communications at every age.
Website: https://iameve.ai 
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Housing Transitions for Seniors with Nelly Some

 
Nelly Some, an entrepreneur and business leader who has developed systems and cultures for residential care homes that make them stand out from others on the market joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Senior Care Channels. She's the author of Making a Difference: Investing in Better Lives for Seniors.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest Nelly Some discuss the following:
How did you become involved in creating residential care homes?
What would you say to families trying to decide the best place for their senior loved one?
Why is the adjustment to a new kind of living situation particularly hard on seniors?
How can people make it easier for a senior to adjust to their new environment?
How can residential care managers help their staff be more sensitive to the senior residents?
Why can the "traditional" options for senior care be harder on residents and their families?
Why are residential care homes an investment worth considering?
Nelly Some is an entrepreneur and business leader who has developed systems and cultures for residential care homes that make them stand out from others on the market. She has spent more than two decades in healthcare, real estate, and construction, and has owned and managed multiple residential care homes. She's the author of Making a Difference: Investing in Better Lives for Seniors.
Website: https://makingadifferencewithnelly.com
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How To Peer Into The Future Using Technology For Seniors

 
 
Ryan McEniff, owner of WellAware Care, a fall detection and remote monitoring service for seniors living at home or in senior communities like assisted or independent living communities joins eHealth and the Senior Care and Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Ryan McEniff discuss the following:
What is WellAware Care service?
How did you get involved in this company?
How is it different from other fall detection companies like PERs?
Why is this important for seniors to have?
What is your data showing you with falls?
Ryan McEniff is the owner of Minute Women Home Care, a private home care company as well as WellAware Care. He is active in his community with the National Aging In Place Council as well as the host of his own podcast, The Caregiver's Toolbox.
Website: https://wellawarecare.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://facebook.com/wellawarecareLinkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/wellaware-care

How Technology is helping Seniors Age at Home

 
 
Chia-Lin Simmons, the CEO of LogicMark, a NASDAQ company which provides medical alerts, remote monitoring hardware and SaaS services joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care and Technology Channels. LogicMark offers two-way communication devices for emergencies, helping to give caregivers peace of mind and their loved ones the independence they deserve.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Chia-Lin Simmons discuss the following:
We will be soon experiencing the largest group of aging seniors, are we prepared for these large numbers? How will this impact caregivers?
Chia-Lin, tell us a bit about your company’s product that helps people live more independently.
Are we overlooking our veterans? How can your technology help them? Tell us how you work with veterans.
Your company Logicmark is leveraging some new and emerging technologies in your business. Is there something you might be able to share with us today?
Where can listeners get more information on Logicmark and its offerings?
Chia-Lin Simmons joined LogicMark as CEO on June 14, 2021. Before LogicMark, Ms. Simmons was the CEO and Co-Founder of LookyLoo, a patent-pending AI social commerce company. She is active in the AI, automotive, mobility, digital media / music and e-commerce technology space as an executive, advisor and board member. Prior to LogicMark and LookyLoo, Ms. Simmons was an executive at a number of high visibility technology companies. She was the former Head of Global Partner Marketing for Google’s Google Play Music and the Google Play Store; former VP of Marketing & Content for Harman International / Samsung; former VP of Marketing and General Manager of Playphone North America; a senior business development executive at Time Warner/ AOL, as well as the former VP of Strategic Alliances at Audible / Amazon.
Ms. Simmons serves on the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee for Servco Pacific, a global automotive and consumer goods company with businesses in mobility and automotive distribution and sales as well as entertainment through Fender Guitar. Ms. Simmons is also a board member New Energy Nexus, an international organization that support clean energy entrepreneurs with funds, accelerators and networks. She is an active angel investor in technology and founded the #bindersproject, which helps connected women tech founders with global funders looking to accelerate them.
Ms. Simmons graduated Magna cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from U.C. San Diego. She received her MBA from Cornell University, where she received a full-ride scholarship and stipend as a Park Leadership Fellow and built the Big Red Incubator as a Managing Partner. Ms. Simmons earned her JD from George Mason University School of Law and is a licensed New York State attorney.
 
Website: https://www.logicmark.com 
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LogicMarkLinkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/logicmark Twitter: https://twitter.com/logicmark 

How Digital Technology is Changing the Landscape of Elder Health Care

 
 
Avanlee Christine, the CEO and Founder of Avanlee Care, a new app that improves how families communicate and manage their care receiver’s health in real time joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care and Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Avanlee Christine discuss the following:
Tell me about the Avanlee Elderly Care APP and how it is different than what is currently on the market?
What is the most important feature of the Avanlee Care APP?
What are the challenges of caring for an aging parent or relative?
How has digital technology improved elder care and what does the future hold in your opinion?
What does the future hold for senior care in America?
Avanlee Christine is a founder, technologist and businesswoman. Throughout her career Avanlee has worked to provide better health and social care solutions for the elderly. Her experience caring for others and working with her own family to care for her ailing grandfather for 8 years, led her to realize that there was no technology solution available on the market that helped families and care-givers effectively support the health and social needs of an aging relative remotely. With the pandemic that need became all the more acute. She founded Avanlee Care to address that gap and provide families with a solution to transform the quality of remote health and social care for their elderly relatives.
 
 
Website: AvanleeCare.com 
Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/AvanleeCare Instagram: instagram.com/avanlee_careTwitter: twitter.com/avanleec

White Coat Influencers: How Primary Care Doctors are Combatting Vaccine Hesitancy Amid Surging Delta Variant

 
 
Dr. Ben Kornitzer, M.D., the Chief Medical and Quality Officer for agilon health, an organization that champions the roles of independent physician practices joins eHealth Radio and the Covid-19 Information and Health News Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Ben Kornitzer discuss the following:
To start off, can you tell us about your background?
How have doctors been influential in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout?  What is a “White Coat Influencer?”
We know that the U.S. reached its goal of vaccinating 70% of U.S. adults. Can you share your thoughts on the significance of this milestone?
What about “hard to reach” folks? Maybe those who are elderly or technologically challenged. How can doctors best promote vaccine acceptance to this demographic?
What is the Roll Up Our Sleeves campaign?
Dr. Ben Kornitzer, M.D., is the Chief Medical and Quality Officer for agilon health. He has clinical and operational experience leading a diverse range of medical enterprises, including community-based practices, ACOs, IPAs, and integrated ambulatory networks. He served as Chief Medical Officer of the Mount Sinai Health Network for six years, where he oversaw one of the premier academic delivery networks in the country as the system developed robust population health tools, quality programs, care coordination resources, and invested in practice transformation.
In addition to his clinical and operational roles, Dr. Kornitzer previously served as a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he worked with U.S and foreign governments, hospital systems, and pharmaceutical companies. He earned his medical degree with AOA honors from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his residency at Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital.
Website: agilonhealth.com
Social Media Links: Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/agilonhealth Twitter: @agilonhealth

The evolving role of digital AI companions in at-home healthcare

 
 
Dor Skuler, the CEO & Co-Founder at Intuition Robotics, which creates empathetic digital companions that positively impact people's lives joins eHealth Radio and the Senior Care & Technology Channels.
The company's first product, ElliQ, is an artificial intelligence driven proactive social robot for older adults to keep them healthy, active, and independent at home, bridging the gap between them and their healthcare providers.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dor Skuler discuss the following:
What is ElliQ and how did you develop the technology?
How have companion robots been affecting seniors' health and well-being at home and how have they evolved over the past several years?
Why did you decide to expand into healthcare during COVID and what did you learn that led to this pivot in strategy?
What impact do you think ElliQ will have on the healthcare field?
What role should digital companions play in the grander healthcare market and challenges doctors face in patient communication?
Conclusion: To help older adults age independently at home for as long as possible, consider a proactive digital companion that can help efficiently connect them to the world, their families, and their healthcare teams.
As a serial entrepreneur, Dor Skuler has co-founded five ventures, the most recent being Intuition Robotics, following his passion to develop artificial intelligence-driven robotics that address major social issues of the 21st century.
Having trained in Israel’s elite military intelligence unit 8200, Dor made a mark on interactive broadcast technology with Zing Interactive Media (acquired by Invesco, NASDAQ: IVZ) and security software through Safend (acquired by Wave Systems Corp, NASDAQ: WAVX). Dor then joined Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) to create and lead innovative ventures, most notably as Founder and GM of Cloudband, the world’s first platform for Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), cited by Nokia as a major motive to purchasing the French-American telecoms giant. As Senior Vice President at Alcatel-Lucent, Dor was a regular speaker on the telecoms circuit, frequently cited in the media and made the Global Telecom Business ’40 under 40’ list in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Dor also served as Vice President of Strategy and Global Head of Corporate Development for Alcatel-Lucent in its corporate headquarters in Paris.
Dor holds an MBA and Master’s of Science in Marketing from Temple University, has co-authored ‘Cloud Computing: Business Trends and Technologies’ published by Wiley in 2016 and holds board level advisory and director roles for several telecoms, cyber security and tech-led social impact ventures.
 
 
Websites: intuitionrobotics.com  | elliq.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/elliqsidekick  Instagram: instagram.com/elliqsidekick  Twitter: twitter.com/intuitionrobo

Grane Rx, the nation’s leading senior care pharmacy and medication management provider

 
Bob Rowland, the President and COO of Grane Rx, the nation’s leading senior care pharmacy and medication management provider joins eHealth Radio and the Health News & Pharmaceutical Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Bob Rowland discuss the following:
What does Grane Rx do and who do you serve?
What measures does Grane Rx take to reduce disease transmission in medication administration and management given we are in a once in a century Pandemic?
What is Grane Rx’s Meds2Home program and who does it serve?
You previously mentioned PACE, what exactly is PACE and what is Grane Rx’s role in supporting this program.
In light of the pandemic, how has Grane Rx evolved to respond to changing conditions?
 
 
Grane Rx is the nation’s leading senior care pharmacy and medication management provider. For over 25 years Grane Rx has been delivering end-to-end pharmacy services, clinical consulting, staff training and on-going support, pharmacy transition facilitation, precision medication, and state-of-the-art pharmacy technology and automation. All Grane Rx solutions are designed to streamline senior care operations, optimize care and manage costs. Grane Rx works closely with our clients to build a collaborative relationship and ensure a smooth pharmacy transition.
Bob Rowland has been leading high performance healthcare companies for over three decades. As an industry veteran with extensive operational, financial and management experience, Bob effectively drives results for smart business growth.
Currently serving as the Grane Rx President and COO, he has built a profitable and sustainable business model for the company. Under his strong leadership, vision and financial acumen, Grane Rx has grown from 60 employees to nearly 300 employees and from one pharmacy location serving Western Pennsylvania to three pharmacy locations servicing the United States. Grane Rx is continuing to expand its services and customer base in response to changing market conditions and new opportunities.
In 2006, Grane Rx strategically added PACE pharmacy to its line-up of services--a rapidly growing area in senior pharmacy care. Upon joining Grane Rx in 2007, Bob took over stewardship of the company’s PACE services business unit. Today Grane Rx is one of the nation’s leading PACE pharmacy and medication management providers serving three of the largest PACE organizations in the country.
Grane Rx also runs three state-of-the-art pharmacies in strategic locations throughout the U.S. The second and third pharmacies were added under Bob’s leadership and have contributed to the scalable growth of the company. The addition of these pharmacies opened up new geographical opportunities enabling Grane Rx to serve customers across the country with the necessary speed.
Prior to his tenure at Grane Rx, Bob founded NurseMD at Home, a physician house call practice serving the frail elderly population. Bob and his team of medical prescribers serviced over 300 patients unable to see their primary care physician on a regular basis.
Bob’s work with Orange Belt Pharmacy Group provided the impetus for him to found NurseMD at Home. Bob served as CEO for Orange Belt Pharmacy, a retail and LTC pharmacy group with home medical equipment supplier based out of Central, Florida from 1999 to 2004. There he led a team of 50 employees servicing seniors in multiple settings and enhancing processes and systems. He introduced the one of the first high volume pouch packing devices in Florida to service nursing home residents.
In the late 90’s Bob served as the Post Acute Care Director for CareLink, a wholly owned subsidiary of Orlando Health. There he led a team who managed seniors in nursing homes, home health, DME, retail pharmacy, home infusion pharmacy, and private duty services.
In the late 80’s, Bob served as a senior reimbursement manager at HCR. He led a team of financial personnel who focused on sub-acute care reimbursement and program development.
Bob has held auditing and consulting roles with Ernst & Young and KPMG Peat Marwick firms.
Bob is happily married to his spouse Michelle for 37 years. He has three beautiful adult children and two perfect grandsons. His mom is a healthy 84.
 
 
Learn More about Grane Rx & PACE:Grane Rx: www.granerx.com   PACE: www.granerx.com/aboutPACE

Phoenix-based organization works to get individuals facing long-term illnesses and medical conditions off the streets and into long-term housing

 
 
Liz Agboola, president and CEO of Senior Placement Services, an assistance program in Phoenix that provides housing resources for vulnerable veterans, elderly and homeless who are unable to live independently due to long-term illnesses and medical conditions joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Senior Care Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Liz Agboola discuss the following:
Tell us a bit about Senior Placement Services and what the process is like when you are working to help someone.
Does Senior Placement Services charge for the assessment and guidance given?
What motivated you to go into this line of work?
I understand you are also the CEO of Moses Behavioral Care, a group of community-based mental health facilities offering 24-hour, long-term care for the SMI (serious mental illness) population…what drove you to build your own facilities?
Additionally, you are a board member at Dignity Health and Valleywise Health Foundation. What projects are you working on there?
 
 
Liz Agboola is CEO of Moses Behavioral Care (MBC), a group of community-based mental health facilities offering 24-hour, long-term care for the SMI (serious mental illness) population. These efforts are motivated by her promise to uphold mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including preventive services to the community while offering integrated care and treatment for those who require assistance with daily living.
Prior to establishing MBC, she founded Senior Placement Services with her parents and siblings. It was here she began her work in public service. For nearly 10 years she spearheaded community efforts ensuring suitable housing was available for the disenfranchised, homeless veterans and the elderly. She strengthened the company's business and corporate citizenship with key partnerships (local shelters, mental health clinics, Veteran’s Administration homeless centers) and various civic and community-based organizations.
Her career ultimately began two decades ago in the private sector in learning and development. She served in various senior leadership roles with Bank of America and Director of Learning and Development with Gannett.
Liz brings a strong business and health care background paired with a servant’s heart to lead the community in advocacy and ultimately through legislation. She holds a Master’s in Education and Masters of Business Administration.
Liz currently sits on the Board of Dignity Health and the Maricopa Health Foundation (now called Valleywise).
 
 
Website: SeniorPlacementAZ.org 
Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/SeniorPlacementAZ  Instagram: instagram.com/liz_agboola