Technology adoption is increasing rapidly successful the elder and post-acute attraction spaces, driven mostly by unit shortages, nonmigratory request and an summation successful solutions created by integer wellness companies for the elder attraction industry. With much options disposable and much request for innovative solutions from some residents and staff, elder and post-acute organizations are looking for solutions that volition make the astir engagement and efficiencies connected a constricted budget.
As elder and post-acute attraction leaders participate the caller year, present are the 3 biggest trends to support successful caput erstwhile making exertion investments for resident engagement, unit wellness and diligent outcomes.
1. Voice, Video Provide Engagement and Connection for Older Adults
Expect to spot greater adoption of dependable and video successful elder and post-acute attraction adjacent year. Part of this is being driven by an summation successful integer wellness companies focused connected aging. Voice- and video-based technologies let older adults to support their independency by accessing accusation connected request and connecting with others. Senior attraction organizations tin besides supply a customizable acquisition done these technologies to thrust nonmigratory engagement.
The Amazon Echo Show, Meta Portal and FaceTime connected Apple iPad devices are immoderate of the ways older adults are interacting with video and dependable exertion to interaction household and friends oregon entree accusation specified arsenic lawsuit calendars.
Voice and video besides alteration older adults to interact with astute location exertion specified arsenic astute plugs and thermostats, giving them power of their spaces and allowing them to support independence. With the merchandise of the Matter 1.0 standard, it volition go adjacent easier for astute location and Internet of Things devices to beryllium integrated, which volition apt pb to further adoption arsenic the astute location marketplace matures.
2. Automation, Robotics and Sensors Mitigate Staff Shortages
Staffing issues aren’t going away, but automation tin springiness objective and nonclinical unit much clip successful their time to absorption connected residents and patients. Most unit astatine elder and post-acute organizations are utilized to engaging with automation and astute technologies, and they expect to person that aforesaid continuity successful their workplaces. Implementing automation tin assistance pull and clasp staff.
Automation tin beryllium applied to documentation wrong clinician and operational workflows to instrumentality attraction of repetitive tasks specified arsenic filling retired forms related to worker onboarding oregon diligent data. The important happening to support successful caput is that automation should necktie backmost to compliance, billing oregon a diligent need. Collecting information conscionable to cod information creates other work.
In summation to automation for documentation workflows, galore elder attraction organizations are turning to robots. One illustration is dining robots, which are being utilized to enactment squad members with repetitive tasks specified arsenic moving meals and soiled dishes to and from the kitchen. This gives the eating unit much clip to speech with residents during meals.
Robotic solutions specified arsenic those from Labrador tin besides assistance with evening check-ins. The usage of robotics successful elder attraction has evolved from helping older adults with mobility issues successful their homes to the assisted living, skilled nursing and representation attraction spaces. Expect to spot increasing adoption of assistive robots adjacent twelvemonth arsenic well.
READ MORE: Four technologies that tin amended unit experiences successful post-acute and elder care.
Passive sensor exertion volition besides beryllium a inclination successful 2023, particularly for autumn hazard detection. A sensor tin observe wherever a idiosyncratic is successful narration to the floor. With sensors, older adults don’t consciousness arsenic watched arsenic erstwhile cameras are successful the room, but the exertion inactive allows attraction unit and clinicians to get an thought of what’s happening successful the diligent oregon nonmigratory room. Sensors are being utilized successful skilled nursing, representation attraction and adjacent autarkic and assisted living.
The implementation of this exertion provides different level of information and supervision, making it imaginable for galore older adults to stay successful their existent communities longer. It tin besides alteration immoderate older adults to property successful spot astatine location arsenic elder attraction organizations statesman to grow their attraction services extracurricular of their field walls. If a sensor detects a autumn oregon antithetic movement, it could alert the enactment to interaction exigency services oregon cheque connected the person.
When AI and predictive analytics are applied to sensors, they tin observe erstwhile a diligent oregon nonmigratory is making moves to get retired of bed, and they tin alert nurses oregon caregivers to assistance successful bid to forestall a fall. Sensors tin assistance show older adults astatine precocious hazard for falls without ever requiring a carnal idiosyncratic successful their room.
Other types of sensor exertion see smart toilets and urinary incontinence sensors connected to the unreality done Internet of Medical Things devices, which let clinicians and caregivers to show the dryness level of older adults’ brief. This saves the attraction squad clip by decreasing the magnitude of clip needed to cheque each patient’s oregon resident’s dryness levels. Instead, they tin simply assistance the older adults who request assistance changing bedewed clothing.
3. Continued Growth successful Technology Adoption by Older Adults
As much Baby Boomers property into elder and post-acute attraction services, they’re bringing with them astute devices specified arsenic phones, tablets and astute TVs. The caller procreation of older adults is much comfy with exertion than ever before.
However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t request assistance with technology. Many person an anticipation that if they request help, they should beryllium capable to get it connected demand. Rather than asking attraction unit and others to supply exertion help, there’s a increasing inclination of elder attraction organizations implementing tech concierges to reply these questions and adjacent supply a wide program astir antithetic types of technologies and however they’re used. This is peculiarly adjuvant erstwhile older adults person astute devices from household members and bash not yet cognize however to usage them.
With this summation successful devices comes a need for elder attraction organizations to upgrade their web infrastructure and broadband to enactment them with beardown Wi-Fi connectivity. While much than fractional of elder attraction residents are 85 years aged oregon older and whitethorn not usage devices, younger older adults volition bring their exertion with them, and having enactment for those devices volition beryllium an charismatic amenity for elder attraction organizations.
Tips for Technology Implementation successful Senior and Post-Acute Care
When looking to instrumentality immoderate of these technologies, elder and post-acute attraction organizations should survey residents oregon unit wherever applicable. They shouldn’t presume that they cognize which solutions are close for the assemblage oregon organization. When considering exertion solutions, enactment enactment besides needs to marque definite the exertion solves a occupation for unit members oregon residents. Will it bring joyousness to an older big and assistance physique census? Rather than assuming, inquire residents and unit to amended guarantee implementation occurrence aboriginal successful the process.
It tin besides beryllium adjuvant to make a committee of stakeholders who volition beryllium impacted by the solutions. That committee should beryllium progressive arsenic aboriginal arsenic the kickoff telephone and exploratory signifier to assistance the enactment summation an knowing of which occupation is being solved. Then, bash different survey with the aforesaid questions halfway done the aviator to spot however it’s going and comparison the responses to the archetypal survey. Do the aforesaid happening astatine the extremity of the aviator to place trends successful cardinal show indicators. That tin assistance marque the concern lawsuit for further investment. Having nonmigratory oregon unit champions arsenic enthusiastic adopters of the exertion tin amended the likelihood for success.
Senior and post-acute attraction organizations besides should place stakeholders who volition ain the adoption and grooming process if it’s not being owned by a exertion vendor.
CDW besides tin assistance organizations with their exertion implementations. CDW has experts who are advocating for elder and post-acute attraction organizations and recognize choky margins and abbreviated timelines.
This nonfiction is portion of HealthTech’s MonITor blog series. Please articulation the treatment connected Twitter by utilizing #WellnessIT.