Our Story

Discovering how technology can benefit seniors

The concept of SimpleC began with an academic research project at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. The project involved adapting technology for older adults and was accepted into the Weiss Tech House at the University of Pennsylvania.

We wanted to develop a prototype of a simple-to-use computer and so began a close partnership with senior community centers. We discovered the everyday challenges involved in communication between seniors and their families. Equipped with this knowledge we fine-tuned our ideas. With the support of the Philadelphia community centers the first prototype was developed and introduced.

Building a company

We knew when we first started SimpleC that to be successful we needed to satisfy the needs of the senior and the senior living community. Very few senior living communities have on-staff IT personnel, so we knew that our solution had to require NO on-site technical support. Thus the name SimpleComputer was born as a constant reminder that we work harder to make our solution easy.

In 2005, Paul Pelt, Dan Pompilio, and Jason Zamer turned a concept into a company. After careful market assessment, SimpleC emerged as a company focused on long-term care solutions. The SimpleC Solution quickly evolved into a large-scale, network-based solution for long-term care communities. The SimpleC Companion was developed; a technology that plays storyboards and delivers highly personalized non-drug interventions to persons with dementia. The company added operating and software development talent as well as product design expertise.

The system and method were pilot-tested and refined in the field. We worked with care teams and residents at a number of the nation’s premier providers of senior living services to ensure that our solution best addressed residents’ and communities’ needs. Design and usability were refined in each successive pilot based on real customer interaction. Once the testing phase was completed, the participating communities were eager to adopt the system.

Today

The SimpleC solution uses non-pharmacological interventions to support functioning and socialization in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. We use individual life history details in combination with various media (photo, music, voice recordings) to create personal care interventions that are deployed wirelessly to media units. Care teams and residents use our solution daily to improve quality of life.

The SimpleC solution is currently assisting residents and their formal caregivers in long-term care communities across the country. Users, which currently include individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia, family members, and community care teams, report that the SimpleC solution is beneficial, user-friendly, and attractive. We have helped reduce anxiety, verbal and physical aggression, inappropriate sexual behavior, resistance to care, sleep disturbances, and in some cases, the need for sleep drugs and antibiotics.

Our development team is pioneering applications to address the needs of seniors with normal age-related changes and support their desire to live independently. We are also working with experts from geriatric medicine, rehabilitative medicine, psychology, geriatric nursing, and industrial design to study the impact of the SimpleC solution.

We look forward to working with you.