SAN DIEGO — GreatCall Inc. has rolled out its suite of connected health and safety products and services to more than 4,000 Rite Aid pharmacies nationwide.

GreatCall Touch3 smartphone

GreatCall said Wednesday that the rollout of its product lineup — including its Touch3, Splash and Jitterbug5 devices plus a portfolio of health and safety services — at Rite Aid is slated to be completed by mid-October. The custom displays include the full product range, demo phones and brochures.

The Jitterbug5 is an easy-to-use cell phone with a hotline to health and safety experts, while the GreatCall Touch3 is a user-friendly smartphone with built-in health and safety apps. The company describes its waterproof GreatCall Splash as "the most affordable medical alert device that works anywhereeven in the shower."

GreatCall’s health, safety and medical apps include Urgent Care, GreatCall Link, MedCoach and 5Star.

"Today’s older adults are redefining the way we age, and GreatCall’s mission is to provide them with usable solutions to keep them thriving," stated Bill Yates, CMO of GreatCall. "Through Rite Aid, a company that shares our mission, we are bringing this vision to life. This is a critical step in a broader active aging strategy." For example, the Rite Aid pharmacy app comes preloaded on all Touch3 smartphones sold at Rite Aid.

GreatCall’s active aging services include the following:

• 5Star service: U.S.-based NAED Certified Response agents use the phone’s GPS and information provided in the user’s Personal Profile, to confirm the user’s location and effectively evaluate the situation. Agents provide the connection to whichever emergency services are required, from medication questions to emergency dispatch services.

• Urgent Care provides 24/7 unlimited access to speak with registered nurses or board certified doctors anytime, anywhere without having to travel to a doctor’s office or make a co-payment.

• The MedCoach medication reminder app enables users to easily follow medication schedules as prescribed by their doctors.

• The GreatCall Link app provides family caregivers with critical information in an urgent situation and snapshots of normal daily activities. Friends and family who download the Link app to their smartphone will receive an alert when the user of a GreatCall device contacts a 5Star agent in an emergency, including the date, time of call and type of help provided. In addition, the app provides information on daily events such as current locations, power status, and a list of activities to ensure that daily routines are normal and that the device is charged and in use.

• Brain Games improve cognitive functions andmemory and sharpen focus while providing fun.

• Check-in Calls are friendly, automated calls that can be scheduled to check in on a family member. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cost of providing health care for one person aged 65 or older is three to five times higher than the cost for someone younger than 65, GreatCall reported. The company said that by providing an easier and more convenient method of managing health needs, it’s bringing older adults into the mobile health revolution, which benefits the health care system and provides this population with much-needed support.