Ideal Life

Mobile PERS is fast becoming the land of the giants.

AT&T is the latest to get into the game, announcing on Feb. 21 that it will provide the wireless network and location services for Libris, a mobile health management system from Seattle-based Numera Inc. The news follows ADT’s announcement in January that it’s getting into mobile PERS by partnering with Toronto-based health tech provider Ideal Life.

The target market for both ventures is similar: active senior citizens looking for an extra measure of safety, and those with chronic conditions who want health monitoring inside and outside the home. Libris delivers by integrating biometric readings, two-way mobile voice, automated fall detection and location tracking.

“Incorporating continuous monitoring of an individual’s activity, location and important health measurements, [Libris] breaks new ground in bringing together personal safety and telehealth in a mobile device,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president of emerging devices for AT&T, in a prepared statement.  

While the competition for remote patient monitoring is getting more intense, there’s probably a lot of room left in the sandbox for players of all sizes. The telecare and telehealth market is expected to exceed $1 billion by 2016 and grow to $6 billion by 2020, according to Numera.

Puro resigns at CRN Wireless: In other PERS-related news, e3 Investment Partners announced this week that Nicholas Puro has resigned as CEO of CRN Wireless. He will focus on other opportunities in network services, monitoring and security, according to an e3IP news release.

“I am particularly interested in network services and wireless monitoring in the medical and pharmaceutical field,” said Puro, who is listed on LinkedIn as managing director of e3IP. “There are vast opportunities for new products and services ranging from fully mobile personal emergency response systems to wireless monitoring of pharmaceuticals through the cold chain.”

Earlier this month, CRN Wireless launched two 4G cellular alarm communicators through its AlarmPath division.

The world of mobile PERS and remote health monitoring continues to expand.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month, ADT announced that it was getting into the game by teaming with Ideal Life, a Toronto-based company whose health monitoring and information technology will be integrated with ADT Pulse to provide “proactive prevention” for people managing chronic health conditions. The system uses digital, wireless, secure two-way communicators to measure and relay information about glucose levels, blood pressure, body weight, oxygen saturation and heart rate.

Royal Philips Electronics, which has long been a player in personal emergency response systems, also made news at CES by introducing Lifeline GoSafe. The mobile PERS system combines the company’s AutoAlert fall-detection capability with two-way cell communication and up to seven user-location technologies.

“Our intention is that GoSafe will provide users with the confidence to get back to activities or go to places they have scaled back on, knowing that help is easily accessible,” Rob Goudswaard, senior director of product and service programs for Philips Home Monitoring, said in a prepared statement.

The need to provide more protection for seniors as they maintain their independence isn’t lost on Mace Security International, which is “looking hard” at getting into the mobile PERS space, CEO and President John McCann told SSN last week.

“I think you’re going to see a shift from just home security to security 24/7,” McCann said. “As you look at that shift in the world, and I use my dear sweet mother as an example, I’m a little more worried when she’s on the road than when she’s at home. Therefore we’re looking at how do we increase that fence around her so she’s safe, so loved ones feel that the person they’re worried about is safe.”

Security dealers who want to take advantage of this growing market might want to think about attending the second annual PERS Summit, which will be held Sept. 10-12 in Park City, Utah. Last year’s inaugural session brought together more than 100 dealers, service providers and manufacturers’ reps for three days of networking. To learn more, go to www.perssummit.com.

ADT is getting into the health monitoring game.

The company announced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it has teamed with Toronto-based Ideal Life to offer at-home and mobile health management services. ADT will integrate Ideal Life’s health monitoring and information technology into ADT Pulse, which gives customers remote access to home automation and security features.

Ideal Life bills its monitoring system as “proactive prevention” for people managing chronic conditions such as congestive health failure, hypertension, diabetes, asthma or obesity. The system utilizes digital, wireless, secure two-way communication devices to measure and relay information about glucose levels, blood pressure, body weight, oxygen saturation and heart rate.

“Ideal Life’s solutions empower consumers by educating them on the status of their conditions as well as the advantages of prevention,” Don Boerema, ADT’s chief corporate development officer, said in a prepared statement. “We look forward to working with their team to offer these valuable new services to our customers.”

Other monitoring companies have been into remote health management for a while, so it will be interesting to see what kind of traction ADT gets and how soon it will have an impact. But given the company’s size and marketing power, its push into the field will be hard to ignore.