On the elderly care side, the adoption of smart home solutions is growing and many of these platforms use voice and video. With the release of the Connectivity Standards Alliance’s Matter 1.0 standard – backed by Google, Amazon, Apple and others – it will become even easier to integrate smart home and Internet of Things devices, making will likely lead to further adoption.
Smart home devices allow older people to maintain their independence and control their environment with less assistance. This allows staff to focus on essential tasks rather than going into resident rooms to change the temperature or turn a light on or off.
Longly suggests that aged care organizations looking to implement smart home technologies choose enterprise solutions that can be centrally managed so that caregivers, maintenance and others can have more great visibility on the organization’s investments in the smart home.
2. Virtual reality training makes caregivers more empathetic
Virtual reality is being used for resident engagement and satisfaction, in memory care units to calm patients and reduce anti-anxiety medication use, and with caregivers to help them be more empathetic.
Embodied Labs’ virtual reality platform allows caregivers to see the world through the eyes of their residents or patients, which can help them deliver higher quality care. The platform also provides training and has a higher retention rate for learning, which helps caregivers learn faster and gain confidence on the job.
3. Mobility tools offer effective and ergonomic solutions for staff
One way to retain employees and improve satisfaction is to consider staff well-being. Solutions like ergonomic medical equipment can make a big difference in how caregivers and clinicians experience their day. Mobile workstations also make it easier for clinicians to document and treat patients at the point of care.
Other useful mobility tools include clinical communication and collaboration platforms, which make it easier for clinicians to communicate and escalate issues. Mobile devices paired with CC&C solutions can ensure that clinicians don’t miss important messages or risk miscommunication, which could lead to burnout and negatively affect patient outcomes.
When implementing different platforms and applications, Cramer says integration is key.
“There are many solutions that can automate clinical tasks, but if they don’t integrate with the EHR, staff members won’t use them,” she says. “They can’t access six different icons to gather information. Having integrated systems would alleviate staffing shortages and increase staff efficiency. They want to find the information in one place rather than three or four different places. There is a lot of duplication of work that staff have to do due to a lack of integration.
Longly adds that having a single window for these integrations will improve workflows and help senior and post-acute care organizations retain staff.
EXPLORE: How to address eldercare workforce shortages with technology solutions and services.
4. Strong connectivity is essential to support technology initiatives in elderly care
Many elder care and post-acute care providers have Wi-Fi connectivity only in common areas or nurses’ stations; in some cases, residents of aged care organizations are responsible for providing their own Wi-Fi.
“In a patient environment, if you don’t have connectivity in hallways and common areas, point-of-care documentation can’t be done in the patient room,” says Cramer. “It affects the staff. They have to go back to a certain area to complete their documentation rather than doing it at the point of service. When connectivity is not there, it will decrease staff efficiency and increase staff frustration. »
Longly points out that most technology vendors assume that senior care and post-acute care organizations already have robust networking solutions to support technology implementations. Before beginning a technology implementation, organizations should ensure that they have the appropriate network infrastructure in place.
Technology partners with expertise and strong buying power, such as CDW, can help senior care and post-acute care organizations upgrade their networks and account for future needs broadband when planning the upgrade.
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