Senior Care Technology Review: Brookdale, Silverchair, & More

This senior care technology roundup features a communications platform launch for long-term care pharmacies, a federal award to implement innovative technology in assisted living to prevent hospital readmissions, a European nurse-call system for wireless emergency notifications, and a partnership between a senior living communications provider and a senior-friendly technology manufacturer that could bring touch screen computers to residents across the nation. 

1. Connect 4 Healthcare: Communication Platform for Long-Term Care Pharmacies

Connect 4 Healthcare, LLC, a developer of healthcare provider communications solutions for the long-term care industry, recently launched a Connect for LTCPharmacy platform for pharmacies serving senior care communities.

Pharmacies can sometimes experience issues with filling prescriptions, often called “exceptions,” which Connect 4 Healthcare says are “surprisingly common place.” It can be frustrating or even dangerous for residents at facilities on the receiving end (or rather, the non-receiving end) of those exceptions who don’t get their medications, but being notified of the missed prescription order is rare. 

That, and keeping customers and physicians up to date on drug, regulatory and reimbursement information can represent challenges to the pharmacy, prompting Connect 4 Healthcare to launch its Connect service. This gives pharmacies serving long-term care communities a real-time “exception” notification and education conduit to their customers and physicians through secure, private web portals, email, and text-messaging. Pharmacies are then able to give all key staff members at affected communities advance warning of when “exceptions” (that could leave residents without vital medications) could or will occur. 

The system is also able to provide pharmacies a platform for securely communication medication order questions or issues to physicians, and allows them to easily share the latest drug, regulatory, and reimbursement information with all key customer staff and physicians.

2. Brookdale: $7.3 Million Health Care Innovation Award for Hospital Readmission Reduction Program

The UNT Health Science Center and Brookdale Senior Living, the largest senior living community operator in the country, recently were awarded a $7.3 million Health Care Innovation award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a program designed to reduce hospital re-admissions of residents in assisted-living situations.

The Brookdale Senior Living Transitions of Care Program, a partnership of the UNT Health Science Center, Brookdale Senior Living and Florida Atlantic University, will begin in Brookdale’s Texas and Florida facilities, gradually expanding to 35 states.

Clinical nurse leaders in the program will act as program managers, training care transition nurses and other staff on interventions to reduce acute care transfers, and on health information technology resources to help them identify, assess and manage residents’ clinical conditions.

By reducing preventable hospital admissions and readmissions, the program hopes to slow the progress of disease, reduce complications, improve care and reduce avoidable hospital admissions for older adults. The program could reduce hospital readmissions by 11.2% and save Medicare $9.3 million.

3. HealthCarion: WLAN Nurse-Call System for Wireless Emergency Notifications

Berlin, Germany-headquartered HealthCarion GmbH, a developer and distributer of leading software solutions for nursing homes and hospitals, has installed the HealthCarion PLG (Patient Location Guard) software-based nurse-call system in Désirée House at the D&D GmbH’s senior residence and nursing home. Ekahau, the market leader in real-time locating systems (RTLS), supplied the wi-fi tags for patents and staff, as well as the WLAN locating system.

The nurse-call system allows the home’s residents to wirelessly call for help were a dangerous situation to arise, and the solution can also provide the patients’ present location. HealthCarion developed the system, which includes wristband tags that enable nursing home residents to call for help from any location in the event of an emergency or fall and notify caregivers of the situation. 

HealthCarion’s nurse-call system then confirms the receipt of the alarm on the caregivers mobile device.

“The nurse-call system developed by HealthCarion GmbH provides us with a high degree of security because our residents no longer need to go to stationary call buttons in order to call for help. Patients can request assistance from anywhere in the building said, Mrs. Paul, Director of Care at Désirée. “We receive each call along with the current position of the resident who is calling for assitance, so that we can get to that patient as quickly as possible. Ekahau Wi-Fi Pagers are used to notify our staff about triggered calls.”

Read more about the solution’s components. 

4. ESCO Technologies: Partnership Promotion Brings Touch Screen Computers to Senior Living

A partnership between CareConnect by ESCO Technologies, LLC, a communications provider to the senior living industry, and Venture 3 Systems, LLC, a manufacturer of Telikin computers, will offer Telikin touch-screen computers to senior living community residents across America.

ESCO Technologies will offer its current senior living community clients who choose to roll out the company’s Internet service to residents with a free computer lab featuring a Telikin Elite computer. For companies interested in switching to ESCO Technologies’ phone and Internet services, CareConnect will offer new clients a free Telikin Touch computer for each of their residents

“Telikin is the first personal computer built from the ground up with an integrated set of applications that makes the end-user experience truly effortless,” said Fred Allegrezza, CEO of Venture 3 Systems, in a statement. “It also helps families stay connected and enhances the quality of life for millions of people.”

Telikin computers integrate features such as video chat, photo sharing, email, contacts, news, weather, documents and a full Web browser in a system meant to be user-friendly for older adults. 

5. Silverchair & Yardi: Collaboration Aids Communication Between Senior Care Providers & Resident Families

Silverchair Learning Systems’ For Families, an online communications and education system for resident families, has collaborated with Yardi Systems to help senior care providers communicate with residents’ families.

The two companies have launched their business relationship with shared client Pathway Senior Living.

The For Families product is designed to provide education and facilitate communication between senior care staff, residents, and their families. It features more than 100 educational courses and ready-to-access community information, along with a family website (which Pathway Senior Living has rebranded as VivaLink!) as the main online information resource for Pathway families. 

Pathway uses Yardi’s fully-integrated solution for the administration of its independent living, assisted living, and dementia care communities. The system also allows staff to manage residents, marketing leads, and track assessments and care plans.