CREJ

22 / 24

Page 22 — Health Care Properties Quarterly — July 2017
Senior Housing & Care
A s a grandmother
myself, I greatly
enjoy seeing the
amazing technol-
ogy my 12-year-old
grandson uses to enjoy life
and make his world exciting
and mentally challenging.
Technology in the form of
devices, applications and
communication tools has
become a key unifying force
among the generations.
The number of older adults
using the internet and
related technology devices
is increasing. According to
data from the Pew Research
Center, nearly 60 percent
of seniors go online and 77
percent have a cell phone.
Although seniors have been
slower to adapt to technol-
ogy than younger genera-
tions, their tech prowess
continues to grow.
State-of-the-art technol-
ogy services often are a pre-
requisite for many seniors
when evaluating housing
options. With technology
now a requirement, senior
living communities are
focused on identifying the
needs and expectations of
current and future seniors,
which includes building and
upgrading facilities with
technology in mind. For
many newer communities,
incorporating technology is
a given, but this puts pres-
sure on existing communi-
ties to upgrade their facili-
ties as they seek to attract
residents.
Installing Wi-Fi connectiv-
ity is one key way commu-
nities are creating technol-
ogy options for seniors. In
a 2013 Ziegler CFO Hotline
technology survey, almost
74 percent of the chief
financial officers surveyed
said that their senior living
organizations had invested
in internet connectivity in
the past 12 months. Internet
access is a huge priority for
seniors, because it allows
them to keep in touch
with friends, see pictures
and videos of children and
grandchildren, and commu-
nicate with family members
locally and across the globe.
A majority of senior liv-
ing communities have
integrated technology pro-
grams into residents’ daily
routines as a way to keep
seniors connected, mentally
active and physically safe.
It’s no surprise that seniors
have Facebook accounts to
connect with grandchildren,
or use iPad apps to enjoy
Scrabble, solitaire and other
games to keep their minds
engaged. Starting with
blogs, personal websites,
and chat and messenger
sites, seniors have quickly
expanded into Skype, Face-
Time and Google Hangouts
as a means of virtually
attending their grandchil-
dren’s birthday parties, chat
with their friends or join a
new online club.
Technol-
ogy also
assists
seniors in
remaining
socially
connected
within their
housing
community.
Internet
cafés have
become a
senior liv-
ing com-
munity’s
popular
design
offering, providing tech-
savvy residents with a place
they can go to meet and
mingle with others while
browsing the internet. These
cafés, along with traditional
computer rooms, also can
be excellent settings for
ongoing technology train-
ing sessions provided by
community management to
keep residents current on
topics, ranging from how to
use social media to online
shopping.
While technology is often
used for life enrichment,
many senior living com-
munities are incorporating
advanced technology to
improve efficiencies and
create a safer environment
for residents. E-call systems
and senior alert systems are
a given and have advanced
greatly over the past 10
years with many new tech-
nology options integrated
with smartphones, staff
pagers, e-mail and text sys-
tems. Many skilled-nursing
facilities are using sensory
patches to monitor how
often a resident turns while
in bed. This technology
helps nursing staff deter-
mine when assistance may
be needed during the night.
Medication and chronic dis-
ease management are now
all supported by countless
applications and techno-
logical devices as a means of
resident self-management
and care engagement.
In assisted living commu-
nities, technology is used to
track staff members, moni-
tor response time to resi-
dent’s request for assistance,
and monitor who has come
and gone from a resident’s
room. This data is a great
tool for staff accountability
and also to help reassure
family members that their
loved ones are receiving
excellent services and atten-
tion.
On the business and
operations side, operators
and managers are using
software and technology to
track inquiry management,
referral source manage-
ment, sales cycle strategies
and outcomes, and all key
areas of market intelligence.
Immediate access to cus-
tomers through online chat
centers has created positive
impact to customer man-
agement and occupancy
results. Technology is an
important part of any senior
living community and will
only grow in its value and
positive impact to the com-
munity’s success.
Implementing a robust
technology platform in a
senior living community
can be expensive and often
requires a professional
“tech team” to guide the
right purchases. It is an
investment that will assist
to position a community
competitively for the future.
Before making purchases,
it is important to create a
strategic technology plan
and involve a solid operat-
ing partner that can assist
to identify technology that
is essential, value-added
and will be incorporated
into routine operations and
resident life.
Denver has just launched
a great new resource, which
is part of the San Francisco-
based, international tech-
nology group, Aging 2.0.
The Denver chapter, led by
Karen Brown, will serve to
bring seniors, senior ser-
vice providers and technol-
ogy companies together to
share new technology devel-
opments and resources
available to support senior
wellness, independence and
service delivery.s
Nancy
Schwalm
Chief business
development
officer, Vivage
Senior Living,
Lakewood
Universal Protection Service provides the best security
solutions, personalized customer service and unmatched
value available. We now also offer our clients Safety Act
protection from the Department of Homeland Security.
Universal offers an expansive range of security solutions,
consultations and investigations for properties of
every type, including:
Airports
Corporate Campuses
Distribution/Manufacturing
Facilities
Government Facilities
Healthcare Facilities
Office Buildings
Petrochemical Facilities
Residential Communities
Retail Centers
Educational Facilities
For more information call
Lorie Libby at 303-901-9037
While technology is often
used for life enrichment, many
senior living communities
are incorporating advanced
technology to improve
efficiencies and create a safer
environment for residents.