Communications Device For Seniors Invented By Catonsville Pair

CATONSVILLE, MD — When the coronavirus pandemic shut down contact between people who didn't live in the same homes, many people struggled with the lack of human contact, particularly senior citizens.

Catonsville acquaintances Stuart Lowry and Mike Groves had already invented a communications device for their parents, who have early onset dementia. When the pandemic struck, the pair realized just how important their tool was, as did several assisted living facilities.

"Our invention offers a simple way to send pictures and messages to loved ones that struggle with technology. It is super simple and keeps families connected. Our solution may not be for everyone, but for those that are using it today, they really seem to enjoy it," Lowry told Patch. "Allowing caretakers to manage a remote calendar in Google or Apple can help the senior remember appointments, events, birthdays, etc. Managing the content by caretakers is straightforward and it helps the senior living in their home remain connected to family and friends."

Groves realized firsthand how valuable the LiveWall communications tool was after his dad passed away. His mom remained in her home, but Groves, his brother and his sister quickly realized their dad had handled most aspects of daily living for himself and their mom.

"Now mom was struggling. We came home a lot and spent a lot of time on the phone with her. More than occasionally, she wouldn't hang up the phone properly. We would have no way to contact her. This would usually be followed by a late evening drive-by to hang up her phone. A cell phone was out of the question. That is when I came up with the idea of the LiveWall. Having a way to send her a message onto a screen on the wall was the initial idea, but with the help of Stuart, our patent-pending product does so much more," Groves told Patch.

Groves' talent at designing devices and Lowry's knack for programming came together seamlessly to create LiveWall.

"Coding has never been my thing. Where I was good at designing a device, Stuart was great at programming it. I worked on many iterations of the hardware, while Stuart developed the interface and service requirements. I learned a lot about electronics; Stuart learned about how to interface to it," Groves aid.

Their clients have been grateful for the invention so far.

"Families love sending pictures and messages to their loved ones. Facility managers like having the events calendars on all the devices. Seniors love seeing the messages and feeling connected," Groves said.

Lowry shared that a brain injury center from Virginia has reached out to the pair about LiveWall, expanding their impact beyond Maryland. They also were invited to speak at a meeting of parents of special needs adults. The device allows people who aren't skilled with technology to connect with family and friends who are.

In a nutshell, a caretaker manages the LiveWall and will privately invite friends and family to connect with the senior or other loved one. When messages and photos are sent, a text or email notification will be sent to all invited members.

The LiveWall device also will blink a blue light alerting the loved one. He or she simply presses a blue button to see the message and a picture of the sender to help remember loved ones' names and faces. Users also are notified when a loved one reads a message. There is a green button that allows a loved one to recall sent photos and a red button in case help is needed. To learn more, visit LiveWall.