MINNEAPOLIS, June 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GrandPad™, the first purpose-built tablet for people over the age of 75, has partnered with KORE and Dreamweaver to provide 100 fully supported GrandPad Tablets to Ukrainian seniors affected by the conflict. With Dreamweaver Foundation donating funds to make the project a reality and KORE powering connectivity for GrandPad, 4G LTE internet access was provided to users not only within the affected regions in Ukraine but in neighboring countries where older Ukrainian refugees were being accommodated.
KORE bundles hundreds of global wireless networks into a simple-to-use SIM card, allowing GrandPad Tablets to be connected to the Internet literally out of the box – no matter where they are used. Older adults no longer have to worry about Wi-Fi routers or passwords, which further simplifies the solution and experience.
“Our mission at KORE has always been to simplify the complexity of IoT, and through this initiative, we're able to do just that - providing easy-to-use, out-of-the-box connectivity that truly makes a difference,” said Romil Bahl, President and CEO at KORE. “By ensuring seniors in Ukraine and neighboring countries have access to this crucial digital bridge, we are not only connecting them with their loved ones but also offering them a semblance of normalcy and comfort during these tumultuous times," said Taylor Wolfe, SVP of Digital Connectivity at KORE added.
Older adults in the Ukraine have been disproportionately affected by the war. A HelpAge survey conducted in 2022 revealed 96 percent of older eastern Ukrainians experienced conflict-related mental health issues. As a nonprofit organization, Dreamweaver Foundation partners with generous people to help seniors overcome feelings of isolation and loneliness in a variety of ways, including gifting GrandPad tablets to help keep older adults safely connected to their community and loved ones.
“It is our mission to bring joyful experiences and meaningful connection to older adults, so we are thrilled to be able to partner with GrandPad in order to help Ukrainian Seniors,” said Cheri Mastny, Executive Director of Dreamweaver Foundation. “Our organization has provided tablet devices to people in every state in America and it is a dream come true to expand our work internationally.”
Due to new language optimization capabilities, GrandPad’s engineering team was able to create a machine translation for GrandPad services, providing full functionality in the Ukrainian language. The translations would later be perfected by volunteers and by Crowdin, a cloud-based translation service that GrandPad has worked with in the past. Further work would be done to localize the GrandPad for Ukrainian users, including adding local radio stations and customizing the browser application.
“With the current war aggressively affecting many in and around Ukraine, we feel it’s our responsibility to do what we do best and connect these seniors with their loved ones during these unprecedented times,” said Scott Lien, co-founder, and CEO of GrandPad. “Our team at GrandPad is proud to work with KORE, so users do not have to worry about or rely on broadband infrastructure on our tablet, which has been at risk since the start of the conflict. We are continuing to work with partners such as Dreamweaver to ensure that families around the world can stay connected when they need it most.”
GrandPad has been fortunate enough to work with volunteers in Ukraine, Estonia and Ireland to identify and deploy GrandPad tablets to Ukrainian seniors. In partnership with the Wexford Volunteer Centre, GrandPad has deployed their tablets to senior refugees in the Wexford Region, helping them to feel more connected with their families and giving back some of their independence.
“GrandPad’s generosity in providing their unique technology geared to the specific needs of older users has been, in the words of one recipient family, ‘a godsend’,” said Jane Byrne, Head of Wexford Volunteer Centre. “The ease of access which it provides has helped to reduce anxiety for elderly relatives and provides a way for families to endure the ever-present worry and concern for their loved ones from whom they are separated.”
As of now, GrandPad tablets have been seeded to Ukrainian Seniors in the Ternopil region of Ukraine in addition to Ukrainian refugees in Estonia and County Wexford, Ireland. With a combined 200-plus hours of usage on the GrandPad each week, Ukrainian seniors have been reconnecting with their loved ones with voice and video calls, listening to their national radio broadcasts from abroad and enjoying the games on the tablet. Most importantly, the feedback from volunteers at GrandPad has been that the tablet does effectively help with alleviating the isolation faced by Ukrainian seniors during this difficult time.
To learn more about this effort and how you can help, please visit: GrandPad.net
About GrandPad
Based in Minneapolis, GrandPad™ is a digital health company that develops engagement solutions to improve the health and well-being of older adults by reconnecting them to families, friends, and caregivers through technology that is safe, reliable, and easy to use. The GrandPad purpose-built tablet for people over the age of 75 — the first mobile device of its kind — addresses usability, security, and connectivity issues that are often roadblocks for integrating remote monitoring and telehealth into professional and familial caregiving settings. The company's secure cloud platform with built-in LTE and web applications allows care teams and family members to engage remotely with older adults without depending on WiFi connectivity. GrandPad enables a variety of interactions, including video calls, sharing essential care-related emails and messages, and conducting multi-party video care conferences between family members and a patient’s continuum of caregivers. For professional caregivers, GrandPad offers connected device capabilities that support enhanced telehealth and remote monitoring services provided by a growing number of in-home healthcare organizations. To learn more, visit GrandPad.net or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter @GrandPad_social.
About Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver Foundation envisions a world where every older adult feels hopeful, cherished, and connected to someone who cares. As a nonprofit organization, they are committed to partnering with generous people to bring joyful experiences and meaningful connection to older adults living in low-income situations with a life-limiting illness. Since their inception in 2012, Dreamweaver has fulfilled over 500 dreams, sent over 10,000 handwritten holiday cards and provided over 1,500 tablet devices to older adults in every state in America. This work has directly impacted over 12,000 older adults and positively impacted the lives of over 175,000 individuals and counting. For more information, to nominate, volunteer or donate, visit Dreamweaver.org.
About KORE
KORE is a pioneer, leader, and trusted advisor delivering mission-critical IoT solutions and services. We empower organizations of all sizes to improve operational and business results by simplifying the complexity of IoT. Our deep IoT knowledge and experience, global reach, purpose-built solutions, and deployment agility accelerate and materially impact our customers’ business outcomes. For more information, visit korewireless.com.
For more information, please visit GrandPad at GrandPad.net, KORE at KOREWireless.com and Dreamweaver at dreamweaver.org.
Media Contact:
Amy Klein
amy@grandpad.net
1-800-704-9412
