PERS

Also: Papa expands its services to all 50 states. Guided audio walks may be coming to Apple Watch.

San Diego-based GreatCall — an old guard digital health company which started out making smartphones for seniors in 2006 but now offers a suite of connected safety products and services for aging in place individuals — has been acquired by retail chain Best Buy for $800 million.

Trumbull, Connecticut-based FallCall Solutions has raised a sub-$1 million seed round from Connecticut Ventures to develop a pure software-based Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) for the Apple Watch.

Like all populations, the population of seniors in the United States is changing.

Seattle, Washington-based Numera, a longtime mobile health company that offers mobile personal emergency response devices as well as other telehealth tools, has had its mPERS and telehealth assets acquired by Carlsbad, California-based Nortek Security and Control.

The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing yesterday to learn about the potential of aging in place technologies, including sensors and wearables.

Philips Lifeline, the electronics giants' longstanding personal emergency response brand for seniors, has launched its first-ever app that acts like an mPERS.

Medical device maker HealthSense raised $10 million in equity, debt, and securities in a round led by Mansa Capital with additional investment from existing investors Merck Global Health Innovation Fund and Radius Ventures.