Grandma Essie vs. the Nursing Home

With her mind as sharp as ever, and a home full of family visitors, Grandma Essie celebrated her 90th birth day on a beautiful spring day in 1997. Shortly thereafter, Essie’s physical health started to deteriorate and daily tasks that used to be simple became very difficult. Fortunately, the family whom she had taken such good care of for so many years was committed to helping her age as comfortably as possible. Together, they arranged for Essie to be admitted to the finest assisted living center that money could buy. This state of the art center was built in a scenic mountain valley and complete with a personal nurse/assistant for every resident and a never ending schedule of activities. However, there was one small problem: Grandma Essie had no intention of moving into any type of “nursing home” no matter how many granite floors, flower gardens, or bridge clubs it advertised. She was determined to maintain her dignity and independence by living out her years in the red brick home her late husband had built 50 years earlier. And that is exactly what she ended up doing.

From Classroom to Boardroom

Jan Miller, an elementary school teacher by trade, and granddaughter of Essie, wanted to help but was unsure how. Said Jan, “I lived 500 miles away from Granny. None of the extended family was able to uproot and move in with her so we spent thousands of dollars on a complete line of home medical equipment that was supposed to make living at home easier. But despite all of the walkers, grab bars and bath benches we provided, Granny still had difficulty performing simple daily tasks like getting in and out of bed or standing from a couch or car.” 
One of Jan’s lifelong goals was to be a contribution to society. By caring for Grandma Essie, she saw that there was an enormous need for affordable assistive devices that could actually help the elderly and disabled maintain their independence without being forced into a hospital or nursing home. In response to this new found knowledge, Jan quit her teaching job in 1998 and formed Stander, Inc., an inventor and manufacturer of affordable mobility devices for the elderly and disabled. 

So Easy Even a Rocket Scientist Could Do It

Stander was attempting to accomplish what no company before them could: provide high quality, affordable assistive devices that would help people get in and out of a couch, bed, or automobile.  Jan knew that the secret to success was in the product design and, therefore, accomplishing this task was first dependent upon finding the right engineer. Fortunately for Stander, Jan was married to Troy Miller, a real, live, rocket scientist. Troy applied for the position and after a grueling interview process he was awarded the job. Stander’s first three inventions, the BedCane, CouchCane and CarCaddie, were designed specifically to solve Grandma Essie’s greatest mobility challenges and thanks in large part to these products, she was able to live out her life comfortably in the privacy of her own home.

The Stander Promise: Live the Longer Life You Love

Today, our product line consists of over 20 innovative mobility solutions and we have many more on the way. We are committed to listening to your needs and inventing products that make your live easier.  Together, with your feedback and our patented inventions, you can Live the Longer Life You Love