The articles are beginning to appear here and there. Some are talking about their own increasing use of technology in their nursing homes. Others are discussing the race to enable ‘televisits’ -- noting outreach from AARP to CMS to boost the requirement for enabling technology in nursing homes. And numerous other articles have appeared that showed nursing homes receiving donations of technology. The State of Florida gave tablets to 150 nursing homes. The attorney general of Massachusetts supplied 750 tablets to nursing home residents. And Texas provided $3000 per Texas nursing home for tablets, webcams, and headphones. The pictures associated with some of these introductions of technology were bleak. Fortunately, some states are now allowing families to visit residents in designated areas outside.
Ending the era of no-tech to at least some tech. The lockdown visitation rules were terrible for residents. But they also revealed gaps of capability in senior-focused communities. These may have revealed -- like the AARP recent survey of the 70+ age group -- the lack of adoption of devices and tech among the oldest. Banning families and visitors may have exposed the role visiting families play in care. And the role of volunteers who bring in activities, the lack of technology access for residents, including broadband/Wi-Fi for families to connect with residents, the difficulty of providing telehealth services in these environments. These issues that will only be better understood as senior housing communities are surveyed and it is possible to figure out what policy changes have made a difference.
When the crisis has passed, what will the differences be in terms of tech in senior living? Let’s assume that the tablet distribution initiative takes off – or nursing homes also are recipients of 8000 Echo Dot devices – as K4Connect did. Many other contributions were likely made of other devices not noted in press releases or media. One day in the future the tech surveys are conducted and from a technology perspective, it is a whole new day in senior care. What will be different in that year, sooner or later?
Nursing homes and senior living communities will all have Wi-Fi for residents. And from there, all else tech-wise may become possible. Let’s imagine a scenario here: “Following discharge from the hospital after hip replacement, Mrs. Smith is brought by ambulance to the rehab wing of a local skilled nursing facility. Her family has already notified the community to activate her in-room Wi-Fi (an extra charge). When she is settled comfortably after dinner, she has a Facetime session (launched by her son) with grandchildren using her tablet that sits on her tray table. After that, the caregiving aide speaks a music request to the Echo Dot (or Google Mini) also remotely set up by her family, and Mrs. Smith nods off to sleep. The next day, she speaks her menu requests for lunch and dinner and is notified by the in-community reminder system that she has scheduled rehab in the afternoon at 2. Later that day, she also listens to music, plays a game on her tablet, chats with her relatives, is taken to rehab, listens to an online book, and later participates in a community-wide in-room activity from her tablet.” Why not? And perhaps this is already possible in some place you know about.
from Tips For Aging In Place https://www.ageinplacetech.com/blog/will-technology-become-standard-nursing-homes-and-senior-living-communities
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