“. . .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
Don’t miss a single issue of Senior Housing Forum, subscribe today. It is free! We do not sell or share your contact information. The posts are practical and never too long. Go to the main page of Senior Housing Forum and on the top you will see a link to our subscription sign-up page. You will receive notification when a new article is posted. You can unsubscribe at any time. Finally: If you know anyone who is looking at emergency call systems I would appreciate the opportunity to talk with them about Vigil Health Solutions.
Steve,
I did a digest article of your interview for Telecare Awareyesterday.
Telecare and call system integration (CA)
http://www.telecareaware.com/index.php/telecare-and-call-system-integration-ca.html
Best regards,
Donna Cusano
Editor North America, Telecare Aware
Hi Donna
I really appreciate that.
Steve
Steve,
Interesting and timly article for me to read.
I am in the market for five new systems .
I was wondering if you have researched or interviewed Tel-Tron out of Florida or Ciscor in Oklahoma?
Also , word on the street is that Vigil is in financial trouble, have you heard about that? (tough question)
“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.”
Where (senior housing memory units) is this technology deployed? Thanks!
Hi Chuck:
Thanks for joining the conversation.
First: I am glad to hear you are looking for some new systems and I hope Vigil will get a chance to bid on those systems.
Second: I have heard a couple of people ask this same question about Vigil being in financial trouble. I can tell you that this is a false rumor. I have forwarded your question on to Troy and I expect he will respond in some detail, but I want to offer you my perspective:
1. One of the oldest tricks in the book of dirty sales tricks is to say something like that about your competitor.
2. Perhaps the very strongest player in the emergency call system until last fall was 3M with their Home Free system. What did this fiscally sound, billion dollar company do? They decided to leave the business, giving their trusting customers just 15 or 16 months to react. The bottom line is that because there will be no support after this year, all of their customers will have to replace their systems this year.
3. I have worked for Vigil for just coming up on two years. After just a few months I went out and invested a few thousand dollars of my IRA money in Vigil stock. In the last couple of months I have purchased another good sized chunk of stock because I expect there to be a significant increase in price over the next year or so. No insider information here except to say that I am very busy selling systems.
4. I have a huge senior housing industry network and I am quite sure I would have little difficulty finding another job and I am not looking.
5. The reason I am a fan of Vigil for a bunch of reasons, but perhaps the biggest single reason is the flagship dementia system. The current level of activity on that system right now is huge.
Finally: You ask about two of our competitors. I am uncomfortable trying to do a slice and dice to explain the differences. I would say generally that they both have systems that get the job done. I would also say that if your goal is to get the least expensive system Vigil is almost certainly not the right system for you. If you are looking for a high quality competitively priced software based system, that is focused, not on just meeting regulatory requirements, but on making staff more efficient and improving resident’s quality of life, Vigil is a great choice.
Steve Moran
Chuck,
Thanks for the comment, Vigil is not in financial trouble. We do have a different model from many of our competitors which I think is where this conjecture may come from. As an institutionally backed, public company we have strategic investors, and therefore much better access to capital than comparable privately owned companies. This has allowed us to continue to invest in extensive research and development, enabling us to offer new and innovative technology to the senior care market. In the past 14 years, this technology has been installed in over 350 senior living communities including some of the largest providers in the industry.
Please do contact us (877-850-1122) regarding your need for new systems . I am certain we have solutions that will meet your needs.
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for asking. We really enjoy talking about our Vigil Dementia System and having people visit with an installed community where they can see it in action. We have sites all across North America where the system is installed. If you want to give me a call or send me an email, I can make arrangements for you to go check out a system in action.
Troy
877 850 1122
tgriffiths at vigil.com