Strategies for Integrated Elderly Housing that Favors Residents and Personnel
In the realm of senior living, technology is playing a pivotal role in enhancing workflows, communication, and daily routines for residents. Erickson Senior Living, a leading operator in 11 states including Michigan, Texas, and Florida, is spearheading this transformation.
Erickson Senior Living is embracing integrated systems, combining HR and workforce management applications, enabling team members to navigate a unified, intuitive system. This integration is also extended to support the personal devices of residents, including phones, tablets, and wearable health devices.
Hans Keller, the CIO of Erickson Senior Living, emphasizes the importance of maintaining communication between multiple devices. To facilitate this, Erickson Senior Living provides tech bars for one-to-one support, helping residents connect their devices and navigate apps.
A robust Wi-Fi infrastructure is essential for reliable connectivity in senior living centers. Erickson Senior Living recognizes this, investing in a strong Wi-Fi network to ensure seamless communication and use of technology.
Artificial intelligence (AI), telehealth, and remote patient monitoring are some of the technologies integrated in senior living centers. Solutions like K4Community offer a comprehensive ecosystem, streamlining staff workflows and enhancing connectivity for residents.
Juniper, another key player, is also leveraging technology to improve its services. Juniper sees telehealth as an opportunity to grow the business, using robots to boost workflows in dining areas, leading to higher dining satisfaction outcomes. Juniper partners with Amazon to install Alexa Echo Show devices in every room and integrates it with their Connect4Life program.
The goal of these advancements is to improve workflows and connectivity for both staff and residents. AI and robotics are not seen as a threat to staff jobs at Juniper, but as tools to supplement, enhance, and promote better, more resident-centric tasks.
These integrations also support greater resident engagement and family involvement through accessible apps and voice-controlled technologies. This promotes independence and social connectivity while enabling staff to focus more on personalized care and less on administrative tasks.
By adopting unified, user-friendly platforms, senior living centers can ensure a smooth experience and higher satisfaction for staff. These platforms can predict health risks, optimize staff deployment, and customize care plans, thereby improving staffing efficiency and resident outcomes.
Incorporating remote patient monitoring tools such as wearables and fall detection software integrated with electronic health records (EHRs) enables continuous real-time health tracking and rapid response to emergencies. This leads to higher quality, patient-centered care with greater convenience and safety.
In conclusion, technology integration in senior living centers is revolutionizing the way we care for our elderly. By improving operational workflows, enhancing communication between staff and residents, and delivering higher quality care, technology is making a significant impact in the senior living sector.
