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Straight From the Future: Laura Mitchell Speaks at Moraine Park Technical College

Laura Mitchell Consulting founder Laura Mitchell gave a talk for nursing students at Moraine Park Technical College. The subject of her presentation was “Disruptive Technologies in Aging and Healthcare.” Both LMC and Moraine Park are located in West Bend, a city of 30,000 people in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Laura discussed the disruptive demographic of the “aging tsunami,” caused by baby boomers reaching retirement age, exacerbated by the rising cost of health care. That’s where monitoring technologies can help. Laura is the co-founder and VP of Business Development for GrandCare Systems, which produces a product that can help seniors continue living in their homes, by facilitating remote patient monitoring, providing secure video chat and medication management.

It was the last day of the nursing students’ first semester of study at Moraine Park Tech. “It’s encouraging how receptive and inspired these future clinical providers were with the presence of telehealth and telemedicine technologies,” Laura said. “Especially considering that technology will play a large role in the delivery of personalized, predictive and proactive care.”

These young, engaged students are a new generation of clinical caregivers. They aren’t afraid of technology. They expect it. Their older counterparts can often seem more cautious and less accepting of advanced technologies. When shown GrandCare, the Moraine Park Tech students immediately began to get excited and brainstorm implementation strategies.

Laura, who speaks all over the country on connected health, digital caregiving and aging, doesn’t usually get the luxury of working with organizations in her own back yard. “I love that we’re engaging local people and local organizations,” she said. “Innovation doesn’t need to happen only in Silicon Valley. We can obviously benefit greatly from technology interventions, especially here in the Midwest.”

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The change from ‘man-on-man’ to ‘zone’ caregiving is on the rise. Thanks to technology.

Laura Mitchell speaks with Karen Jagoda on ‘Empowered Patient Radio’

In an interview with Karen Jagoda of Empowered Patient Radio, Laura Mitchell, founder of digital health and aging expert group, LMC, spoke about the increased demand for aging and health care enabling technologies, the evolution of the tech-enabling aging market, and activity/health monitoring. Every day these technologies become more user-friendly, less expensive and more wholly integrated in people’s day-to-day lives.

While traditional hands-on care is not going anywhere, it is increasingly being paired with virtual care, telehealth, remote care coordination and activity of daily living remote monitoring technologies.

InnovAGERS SeriesDuring the interview, Laura announced her new blog series, InnovAGERS. We’ll be highlighting companies and individuals who are making a difference in the aging, health care or caregiving industry. What makes them so successful? Are you one of them? Those interested in being featured in an upcoming InnovAGERS blog can apply by clicking here. Readers will select one winner to receive one free hour of LMC consulting.

Listen here,

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Laura Mitchell Selected as Keynote Speaker for 26th Annual Aging Well Conference

Screen Shot 2016-05-17 at 12.32.10 PMI love speaking at trade shows and other events. I get to speak on a wide range of topics including enabling technologies, the aging population, connected health, guerrilla marketing, selling to the fragmented aging population, etc.  Not only do I get to share my experience and knowledge of the aging & tech industry, but I also get to meet tons of interesting and truly passionate people all over the country.

When the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Aging Well Conference asked me to be a keynote speaker for their conference, I was excited to accept.  Not only because the conference agenda looked fantastic, but also because it happens to be right here in my backyard in sunny Wisconsin.  In such a booming industry, it’s typical for me to jump on a plane and fly across the country to slumber and speak. This one is just a short car ride away in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

This is the 26th annual Aging Well Conference. For nearly three decades, this event has been bringing attention to the important issues surrounding gerontology and its best practices. And the event is not just for professional caregivers. It also offers information valuable to family caregivers and older adults themselves. It sounds like a well-rounded conference and I look forward to learning from it.

Case in point: the other featured speakers who will be joining me. Barbara Bendlin, an Associate Professor of Medicine at UW-Madison, and the Principal Investigator at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, will be speaking about how to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. Jim Vanden Bosch is the founder and Executive Director of Terra Nova Films. He is the producer of several award-winning films on aging issues, and how to successfully communicate and work with people living with dementia. Plus there is an extensive list of breakout sessions and workshop speakers.

If you’re in the Great Lakes region, you should come! It’s happening Friday, June 3rd in Kenosha, WI. Here’s a link with all the details. Obviously, if you do go please stop me and say hi!  See you in Kenosha.

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Laura Mitchell Consulting Selected for Social Media Magic at Local Nonprofit Conference

MirchellL_130923_8988aWEST BEND, WI  — Laura Mitchell Consulting (LMC) announced today that their strike team of digital media experts has been selected to provide social media magic to West Bend’s inaugural Nonprofit Conference, coordinated by the Volunteer Center of Washington County and hosted by West Bend Mutual Insurance. This Nonprofit Conference is designed to educate, empower and connect local nonprofits with one another in an unforgettable event on April 28th, 2016 at the West Bend Mutual Prairie Center.

The conference features keynote speaker David Mann, giving a talk entitled “Embracing Change: How High-Performing Achievers Adapt.” The conference also includes multiple breakout sessions on topics such as fundraising, volunteer recruitment, insurance, branding, and business models.  Registration is still open. Call the Volunteer Center at (262) 338-8256.

Volunteer Center of Washington County“We wanted to develop a conference that would truly help our not-for-profit community,” said Sue Millin, the Volunteer Center Executive Director. “LMC’s team of digital experts was a natural fit to provide the live stream of content and add that digital energy and expertise to our event.”

LMC will be providing social-based content throughout the day, photo and video interviews on Facebook and Vine, and a stream of real-time conference highlights on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Live feeds will help both local and remote participants be in multiple places at once, enable more productive networking, and remind everyone why this show is an important event for all nonprofits in the area.

“We do tons of social media and conference promotion all over the country, but it feels good to promote a show in our own backyard,” said LMC founder Laura Mitchell. “Our team has strong ties to West Bend and the Volunteer Center. We firmly stand behind their mission and we’re honored to be a part of this inaugural event.”

Laura is a well-known fixture and pioneer in the technology/aging-in-place market. She has been speaking and attending the What’s Next Boomer Business Summit for the past 6 years, and in 2011 was honored with the Flame Award for Innovation. Laura has also been featured in Forbes Magazine for creative online strategies and Guerrilla Marketing. She and her team have coordinated online social evangelism for international conferences such as CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.

About Laura Mitchell Consulting: Laura Mitchell Consulting (LMC) is a strike team of digital experts in connected health, social media, awareness campaigns, brand evangelism, growth hacking, guerrilla marketing and other out of the box marketing solutions. Founder Laura Mitchell is a cofounder of West Bend’s GrandCare Systems and has received accolades from many sources including Forbes, Dealerscope, AARP and the Consumer Electronics Association. Her awards include Top Women of M2M, Top 40 under 40 and Young Turks of CE. Laura keynotes all over the country on a variety of subjects including disruptive non-traditional marketing, technology in aging, and connected healthcare. (www.lmcllc.us)

About the Volunteer Center of West Bend: The Volunteer Center is a 501(c)(3) for-purpose organization that mobilizes volunteers and resources to help improve the quality of life in Washington County.  Founded in 1983, the Volunteer Center currently serves more than 60 nonprofit partners and thousands of volunteers each year. (www.volunteernow.net)

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Laura Mitchell Selected for Social Production at Annual Boomer Summit

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Laura Mitchell Receives Award, 2011

Industry marketing and growth expert selected to enhance digital presence for premier Aging and Technology conference.

WEST BEND, WI – Laura Mitchell Consulting (LMC) announced today that they have been selected to bring their online marketing and social media magic to the 13th annual What’s Next Boomer Business Summit in Washington, D.C. this March. LMC will be providing educational content through publishing a series of blog interviews and a producing stream of real-time conference highlights on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  Nationally recognized as a digital health and growth strategy expert, Laura and her team will bring her veteran industry experience, technical expertise, and networking skills to maximize the conference’s success. Her live feeds will help local and long-distance attendees be in multiple places at once, enable more productive networking, and remind everyone why this show is such a critical industry event.

“I have been going to the What’s Next Boomer Business Summit for years, and it truly has paved the way for entrepreneurs navigating the aging space,” said LMC founder Laura Mitchell. “I’m excited that I get to attend this year from the production side.  I love bringing people and ideas together to foster innovation that can improve the lives of seniors and their carers.”

Laura is a well-known fixture and pioneer in the technology aging-in-place market. She has been speaking and attending the What’s Next Boomer Business Summit for the past 6 years, and in 2011 was honored with the Flame Award for Innovation, making her a natural choice as a social marketing presence at the conference.

“Laura is a digital media expert with a clear understanding of the entire digital health ecosystem,” said Lori Bitter, marketing and development consultant with The Business of Aging, and this year’s conference co-producer. “Laura’s enthusiasm as a social maven in connecting people – both through networking and digital media – adds a palpable energy and expertise to our event.”

Previous attendees may know Laura Mitchell as a founding member of GrandCare Systems in 2005, a founder of the Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek), a Louisville Innovation Summit board member, the 2011 Innovation Award winner, or as the creator and host of the first aging and technology webinar series from 2008-2011.

Laura owns a guerrilla marketing and digital health consulting firm called Laura Mitchell Consulting (LMC) and has been active in the digital health, aging, and technology space for over a decade.  She has received accolades from many sources including Forbes, Dealerscope, AARP and the Consumer Electronics Association. Her awards include Top Women of M2M, Top 40 under 40 and Young Turks of CE. Laura keynotes all over the country on a variety of subjects including disruptive non-traditional marketing, technology in aging, and connected healthcare.

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Your Backstage Pass to the Aging 2.0 PEAK Fireside Chat

In March, a high-powered group of innovators will put their heads together for a Digital Aging roundtable. Moderator and industry veteran Laura Mitchell will put four panelists, Pete Celano of MedStar, Charlie Hillman of GrandCare Systems, Myron Kowal of RCare, and John Rydzewski of Direct Supply, in the spotlight and find out everything they’ve learned through the years in the recently intersecting senior housing and technology industry.

The session will include shared stories, experiences, mistakes and advice for moving ahead in the aging industry.

Hosted by Aging 2.0 and sponsored by RCare, this reservation-only Fireside Chat is an event you won’t want to miss!

Here’s your chance to meet the forum:

Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 11.33.19 AMPete Celano is a 20-year healthcare industry veteran. He is the Director of Consumer Health Initiatives at the MedStar Institute for Innovation. Before this, Pete was the co-founder of two companies: BeClose.com and a software-as-a-service company in the x-ray space. As Director of Consumer Health Initiatives for MedStar, Pete is especially focused on making patient access more convenient and friction-free. A major area of interest is cloud platforms that can tie into the EMR, to drive new system revenue, reduce costs, improve outcomes and extend access.  Another interest area is screening patients using evidence-based questionnaires, especially on the web and mobile. He has a BA and MBA from the University of Virginia, and has presented at a variety of meetings and conferences on Health Innovations, Digital Health, Mobile, Cloud Platforms and Access.

Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 11.33.28 AMCharlie Hillman is the founder and CEO of GrandCare Systems, which designs computers for seniors. Charlie is a serial entrepreneur who has spent most of his career building companies based on disruptive technologies, including computer-aided design, and starting one of the first Internet-providers. A professional engineer with a degree from MIT, Charlie is a commissioner of CAST (Center for Aging Technology) and a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. Charlie and his company have received numerous awards for innovation, including the 2012 CEA Innovation Entrepreneur Award for Small Business of the Year, a double recipient of the SeniorHomes.com’s Most Innovative Senior Products Award, and AARP’s Sterling Award and Silver’s Choice Award for outstanding products to empower and improve the lives of seniors.

Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 11.33.35 AMMyron Kowal is President and CEO of RCare, Inc. In his 30+ years of healthcare communications technology experience, he has been the President and Founder of Special Care Systems, a top-tier integrator of Health and Eldercare technology, and President and Advocacy Chair of Greater Rochester Partnership for the Elderly. Myron’s current focus is on new business development, new product development, and strategic relationships. He maintains a hands-on approach to business and maintaining a personal relationship with distributors, customers and the elders they serve. He is currently a member of LeadingAge and LeadingAge CAST, ALFA, AHCA/NCAL, and Corporate affiliate with Eden Alternative. He is active in his local community, and has a passion for fishing.

Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 11.33.48 AMLaura Mitchell is the founder of Laura Mitchell Consulting, a company specializing in growth hacking and agile  marketing. She is a pioneer and thought leader in the aging/technology industry. Widely recognized for her growth hacking and social media expertise, Laura speaks all over the country about aging, technology, marketing and other topics. She is a founder of the Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek), a Louisville Innovation Summit board member, and the 2011 Innovation Award winner, as well as the creator and host of the first aging and technology webinar series from 2008-2011.  She has received accolades from many sources including Forbes, Dealerscope, AARP and the Consumer Electronics Association. Her awards include Top Women of M2M, Top 40 under 40 and Young Turks of CE.

Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 11.33.54 AMJohn Rydzewski is the General Manager of Technology Solutions at Direct Supply, where he is responsible for helping Direct Supply bring new technologies into the Senior Living space, focusing on the Internet of things, technology systems, wireless, wearables, resident monitoring systems, and other cutting-edge technologies. Before this he led the creation and implementation of Operations & Supply Chain technology for Direct Supply, investigating emerging tools and their applications in managing care. His current focus is on creating profitable growth through innovation, operations and business development. He also supports the organization through short- and long-term strategic planning, and serves as a member of Direct Supply’s corporate Executive Leadership Team.

The roundtable event is being held in conjunction with the LeadingAge Peak Summit in Washington, DC, a unique conference that brings together the highest-level executives and business leaders in the aging and technology industry, and fosters education, strategic thinking, and networking. The Fireside Chat is scheduled on the Sunday evening leading up to the conference.

For Reservations:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aging20-washington-dc-digital-aging-successful-technology-implementation-in-senior-care-tickets-22199669810

Fireside Chat Schedule
Where: Stone’s Throw Restaurant, Marriott Wardmann Hotel
When: 7:00-8:30pm, Sunday March 13th
            7-7:30pm Networking/Registration
            7:30-7:35pm Welcome & Introduction to Aging 2.0
            7:35-7:45pm Opening Remarks by Myron Kowal, CEO of RCare
            7:45-8:15pm Roundtable Panel Discussion, moderated by Laura Mitchell of Laura Mitchell Consulting
Panelists: Pete Celano (MedStar), Myron (RCare), Charlie (GrandCare),  John Rydzewski  (Direct Supply)
            8:15-8:30pm Networking Cocktail Reception

General Admission from Feb 26 at 5pm –  March 9th at 5pm

Last Minutes tickets available after March 9th, until 6pm on March 13th

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Direct Supply is the nation’s leading provider of products, services and eCommerce solutions to Senior Living. Their mission is to enhance the lives of America’s seniors by helping build, equip and run better Senior Living communities. Since their inception in 1985, Direct Supply has had a strong focus on technology, helping drive innovations to the Senior Living marketplace. Headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, Direct Supply also operates an Innovation Center on the campus of the Milwaukee School of Engineering to further foster a culture of technology and innovation. Direct Supply’s Technology Solutions division is the nation’s leading, trusted partner for Senior Living technology systems. A full-service solution provider, they focus on technology assessment, design, implementation and lifecycle management.

GrandCare Systems is a caregiving tool that is designed to reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes by enabling designated family members, caregivers and healthcare professionals to remotely care for an individual in a residence, regardless of geographic location. It starts with a large touchscreen in the residence, which provides the individual with social communications, instructions, reminders and medication prompts. No computer skills are needed for the resident to fully engage in all of the touchscreen features.

The mission of MedStar Institute for Innovation is to catalyze innovation that advances health. It provides a broad innovation infrastructure to help MedStar’s 30,000 associates and 6,000 affiliated physicians invent the future by supporting inventors, fostering strategic alliances, innovation and creative thinking, and bringing together experts to help make patient care safer, more efficient, and higher quality.

RCare is a provider of UL 1069 tested wireless nurse call and personal emergency response systems for the entire spectrum of eldercare and senior living. RCare components integrate into a variety of healthcare communication systems to create efficient and verifiable responses to medical emergencies. RCare works together with distribution partners to build individualized, flexible and seamless systems to enhance professional caregiving teams and their residents.

Laura Mitchell Consulting is a strike team of experts providing agile marketing, growth hacking services and effective awareness strategies to businesses like yours. For more info, contact us at info@lmcllc.us.

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LMC Welcomes Super Genius Kristin Bayer

KristinBayerA writer, a teacher, and a programmer walked into a bar…

When your motto is thinking outside the box, it helps to have a team with diverse skills and backgrounds. People with different training, experiences and backstories bring new information to the problem-solving table. It’s the foundation of what we do.

With that in mind, meet technical writer Kristin, the newest member of the LMC team. What’s in Kristin’s toolkit? Computer science, education, economics, HIPAA regulation and medical device regulatory compliance. She’s also a published author and playwright.

White papers, case studies, competitive analyses, and installation guides, oh my.

Good technical writing educates and informs your customers about complex topics. It showcases your thought leadership in your industry. Good writing is good, but writing that entertains and engages your customers while providing them with valuable information is even better.

Laura Mitchell Consulting. Yes, we do have a class two computer programming HIPAA compliant playwright.

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Laura Mitchell Contributes to Textbook

Laura Mitchell, a marketing professional and industry thought leader in the healthcare technology space, has recently Screen Shot 2015-12-08 at 2.33.09 PMfocused her attention on another groundbreaking project. Advanced Residential Electronic Systems, a respected textbook, has recently sourced Laura’s expertise as an industry expert and contributor. With over 10 years of experience in home health technology, Laura Mitchell brings both the technical experience and personality necessary to make a valuable contribution to this publication.

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Laura Mitchell selected for panel of experts in New Product & Technology Awards

Laura Mitchell has been chosen to be on a panel of judges for the New Product and Technology Awards.  The Mature Market Resource Center (MMRC), organizer or both the National Mature Media

Now in its 5th year, the New Product & Technology Awards has received entries from hundreds of companies and organizations across the United States. Winners in recent competitions have included: Area Agencies on Aging; Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans; Cardiocom; Cognifit; Dakim; e-Care Diary; GlynnDevins; The Hartford; Medicare Health Plans; Minnesota Board on Aging; National Institute on Aging; NavGate Technologies; Retirement Communities; SeniorNavigator; Touchtown; and WellAWARE Systems.

  • The 2015 awards have expanded significantly—there are 58 categories and 15 divisions for this year’s competition. Awards will be given by Category and by Division. For example, community/nonprofit organizations that enter their websites will only compete with websites submitted by other community/non-profit groups.


Awards and the New Product & Technology Awards, is a national clearinghouse for the older adult market. Other well-known MMRC programs include: National Senior Health & Fitness Day® and the Mature Fitness Awards USA.

Other judges include industry experts and nationally reknowned technology entrepreneurs.