Here is what I am asking: Does having current, leading or bleeding edge technology contribute to higher occupancy, longer stays and higher resident and family satisfaction?
Here is what I am asking: Does having current, leading or bleeding edge technology contribute to higher occupancy, longer stays and higher resident and family satisfaction?
The folks at Retirementhomes.com are convinced technology is an important differentiator. In keeping with that belief they have launched a new venture they call RetirementHomes.tv.
A Pragmatic Problem Worth Solving
I spend between 50 and 70 days a year on the road which means 50-70 hotel nights. A few of those stays are repeats, but many are in new hotels. In small hotels I don’t have much trouble finding my way around the property (except for that one place in Washington a few weeks ago where I stayed perpetually turned around). But way finding in big resort hotels can be a real challenge. One of my worst experiences was at the Gaylord, in Grapevine Texas during the 2012 ALFA convention. I wasted 10’s of minutes each day getting lost.
Now imagine what it’s like for an elder who moves into a senior community. Many of these communities are rather like a resort hotel as opposed to a relatively simple Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express. For most seniors, no matter how it is framed, the move is not like going on a vacation. They are going from a life primarily defined by their independence to a life that is mostly defined by dependence. Many have mobility challenges, and some have, at least a modest level of cognitive decline.
Moving into a senior community means developing new way-finding skills and learning new routines, for everything from bathing and dressing, to eating and recreation. Most seniors cope in one of two ways: They hole up in their new unit waiting for someone to come help them figure it out; or, they ask a zillion questions a day of staff and other residents. In truth neither are very dignified. This is where RetirementHomes.TV can make a real difference.
RetirementHomes.TV is an in-house video display system that can be located in high traffic public areas. In addition if your senior community has a common cable TV service, your RetirementHomes.TV can be fed into a dedicated in-house resident channel. Here are some of the ways you can use it to benefit your residents:
- You can post the daily schedule of activities.
- You can post daily menus – How many times a day does your staff get asked these questions: What’s for lunch?; When is Lunch?; What’s the next activity?; Where is the next activity?
- You can post general announcements.
- Many communities post a welcome to prospects who are coming to take a tour.
- Because families like to know what is going on in their loved’ ones lives and the system can be accessed from the internet.
- Even more interesting, if you are a premium user of RetirementHomes.com you can include the live feed in your directory listing. This means daily changing content which helps push your listing up in the search results and puts on display the dynamic culture of your community.
- Finally, because everyone one of loves to see their own pictures and pictures of people they care about, it provides a fantastic way for residents and families to re-live successful happy events and activities.
You can learn more about the system at RetirementHomes.tv
Are you using a video display system in your community? If you do, how is it working? What do you like best? What do are its shortcomings? Would you consider it? Have you rejected the idea and why have you rejected it?
Steve Moran
I believe that technology will contribute to increased occupancy through engagement and satisfaction- I do have to say that this is not a new idea from RetirementHomes.com, there are several companies that provide this type of service, the leader being Touchtown- not only does Touchtown integrate the Digital Signage and in house TV, it also integrates the community calendars, facebook pages, webshows and the new Tablet based Resident Apps.
From LinkedIn Groups
My client, Laguna Woods Village has been using a CMS for nearly 15 years. Their community is large with over 18,000 residents. The CMS is EASY for their club presidents to use, as well as property management staff. Knowledge and training is passed to incoming presidents. Training video library and support. They have over 200 admin users contributing to the site. It has made a huge difference giving them ownership and getting participating in clubs and the community events. Greatly successful!
By Susan Finch
What is ‘a CMS’ as in ‘been using a CMS for nearly 15 years’?
Content Management System = CMS
From LinkedIn Groups
Our CCRC has wireless in our cottages and the main apartment building that we do not charge the residents for. The families enjoy it so they can use their smart phones without paying for the data usage.
By Dave Bamber
From LinkedIn Groups
I am an implementation specialist for a healthcare technology company specializing in the long term care sector. I go around and teach/implement our secure messaging system to directly connect the doctor and nurse via computer and smartphone. We take the data and produce analytics to compare response time in correspondance qith hospital readmissions and length of stay.
By Denise McIntire
In addition to a video display — which seems to be the state of the art today in senior housing — why not a touch screen or table in dementia care units specifically? Enable residents to touch a section of a screen that provides animated and engaging content? Like all tech, it must be set up, configured, managed, but the experience for residents could be just as engaging as interactions on a tablet are for the rest of us.
From LinkedIn Groups
Perhaps another way to think about this — the lack of modern technology — including wireless networks, support for helping residents with their tablets, PCs, and other devices, video capability for families to share experiences with residents, and so on, is a way of isolating senior residents from the rest of the world.
It is only one, but an important, component of providing a great connected experience for families, visitors, residents, so that they will refer others so they can also have this great experience. Otherwise, today’s trend continues — age up, stays down, families resist buying the product.
http://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/assisted-living-industry-shrinks-need-it-grows
By Laurie Orlov
From LinkedIn Groups
We are bringing telemedicine to SNF, Nursing Homes and Adult care facilities. http://www.atncare.com
By Richard Newmark
From LinkedIn Groups
Well trained critical thinking is key if one hires “less than” you will have far more readmitted due to fear or panic. I was trained to think critically and if a LVN calls me at 2 a.m. unsure of whether or not someone goes out he/she better have the assessment information ready and know the H and P on the chart. I love technology but am carefully optomistic that this new pattern of hiring “less than” to cut back on costs is truly evidence to the medium to larger LTC companies that leadership cannot be where one cuts costs nor can technology implement the variables put into it. Any software program still needs the “critical thinking” behind the data.
By Karen Hallenbeck Sikorsky George
Steve,
I know you were referring to technology for residents in the retirement homes, but let’s not forget the use of technology by the staff to increase occupancy. Homes that use iPads to do tours and interviews can leave a good impression. Or specifically for increasing occupancy they can use CMS like you mentioned.
I’ve also seen some homes install special software on the computers in the common rooms for residents to use. It displays a very usable GUI to give me them easy access to basic computer functions.