“. . .the real reason you should read this article is that Troy has been in the business of innovating, developing and supplying technology that is used to improve the lives of seniors for more than 15 years.”

 “. . .the real reason you should read this article is that Troy has been in the business of innovating, developing and supplying technology that is used to improve the lives of seniors for more than 15 years.”

I have been negligent. It seems only fair that I interview Troy Griffiths, the CEO of Vigil Health Solutions, the company that supplies my paycheck and makes it possible for me to publish this blog.  That being said, the real reason you should read this article is that Troy has been in the business of innovating, developing and supplying technology that is used to improve the lives of seniors for more than 15 years. Vigil Overview I asked Troy to describe what Vigil is all about.  His response was that Vigil is first and foremost a technology company with a very singular goal of creating technology solutions that improve the quality of life for seniors. As we talked he made the point that lots of people and companies are trying to do interesting and creative things to benefit seniors and senior housing.  It turns out there are two major challenges:

  • Often technology that seems to meet a need, ultimately does not translate into a practical solution or application for seniors.
  • Even when a technology works, it can end up being too cumbersome or complicated to be practical for seniors (and often the rest of us as well).

What Vigil is Focusing on Today

Today Vigil provides computer based wired and wireless emergency call systems for senior housing communities (independent living though skilled nursing).  Vigil’s flagship product is a sensor based dementia monitoring system that merges state of the art software and hardware that is then configured to match each resident’s behavioral pattern, creating a continuous protective, noninvasive cocoon. With the increased focus on new memory care communities and neighborhoods, Vigil is selling a lot more of these systems to developers who want to be on the cutting edge of memory care technology.  The see both operational and marketing benefits for their new communities. Vigil Futures Even though he is the boss, I challenged Troy about this idea that Vigil is a technology company since their current product offering is limited to call systems for senior housing.  He explained that Vigil has explored a number of technology avenues, some turned out not to fit the Vigil mission and others are still a work in process. I pressed harder asking what we should expect to see in the future.  Troy was willing to say that Vigil is working on some cloud based technologies, some integration technologies and technology that will serve the emerging CCRC without walls model.

The Marketplace

The senior marketplace is complex and fragmented.  My interview explored more territory than I can realistically cover in this article, but here are a few of the high points:

  • The Call System Market Place –  The 3M Home Free exit was a big surprise to everyone, however Troy does not see their exit as leading to either a further collapse or greater consolidation.   He did make the point that many of those who chose 3M did so in part because of their financial strength, not fully understanding that because they were so big it was easy for Home Free to cut and run, seeing call systems as unimportant to their overall bottom line.
  • Wifi –  Call system companies including Vigil are taking a hard look at how wifi might integrate into call systems.  Troy express several concerns about making even a robust wifi system part of the life safety platform. He cited newer wireless standards that have been designed to be much more appropriate for devices like emergency call in senior living.
  • Fall Detection and Health Monitoring –  Today health monitoring is, relatively speaking, in its infancy, while there is some working technology available, there is a long way to go. As it exists today it unclear as to how much actual value it provides seniors and senior communities.

There is some really interesting technology that looks promising for the prevention of falls, but it has not quite gotten to the point of being practical.  Vigil is continuing to collaborate with other companies to find effective and affordable ways to monitor “the right” things for seniors. I of course am a big fan of both the technology and the Vigil people.  You can explore their technology at www.vigil.com  So what do you think of Troy’s assessment of technology and the industry? Steve Moran


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