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Senior living communities used to planning outings and group activities to engage residents, were forced to rethink engagement when the pandemic hit. Community leaders had to come up with new ways to engage residents where they were – in their apartments- and rethink ways to make engagement much more individualized.
In addition to following the residents’ creative leads in designing new programs, they also leveraged the technology they already had. Many looked no further than the televisions every resident had. They realized that the television could provide a platform for a wide range of new programs.
| Did you know that while 55% of seniors never participated in a video call before the pandemic, 52 % plan to continue using them after restrictions are lifted? That 23% of seniors enjoy online classes and that 19% of residents would prefer to stay physically active alone? |
| What if you could make the TV an engagement hub?
Fifty-five million seniors want access to technology to help enrich their lives. What if you could make it easier for your residents to access and use technology to stay connected and relevant longer? What if you could give your residents the ability to engage with the community, their family, even their caregivers, through the TV? |
The following are 10 ways you can help your residents support their physical, medical, social, and behavioral needs through senior TV solutions. You will engage and connect them to family, friends and the community, while also giving them control and independence.
Let’s dive in.https://sentrics.net/entertain360/
One-click access to community information
If you aren’t already providing residents access to community information, now you can. You can share announcements and the local weather; allow them to request a repair or service; and even see dining menus, all from the TV.
Register for community events
Using voice controls or the TV remote, residents can view and register for the community’s activities, add them to a personal calendar, and even resolve schedule conflicts right from the TV.
Share wellbeing and experience information
The community can ask residents about their likes, dislikes, transitions, or intentions using the TV. This information can help community leaders gauge resident wellbeing and overall experience, as well as deliver more personalized, easy-to-consume content to residents right through the TV. Gathering information in this way provides real-time feedback and intervention opportunities while replacing time-consuming “moment-in-time” quarterly and annual satisfaction surveys.
One-click access to telehealth
Using a computer or tablet to conduct a telehealth appointment is daunting even for the digital-savvy. The experience can be frustrating for your residents when even positioning the computer or tablet correctly takes practice. Why not provide quick-button access to telehealth services through the TV, making it much easier for your residents to connect? To provide the most comprehensive experience, look for a solution that leverages Bluetooth technology to help physicians capture heart rate, blood pressure and other health-related information in real-time during the telehealth call.
Change the mood with music
Playing music can soothe the soul or pick up a patient’s mood. While piping music throughout a community can create an atmosphere, you can use the television to provide one-click access to Coro Health’s choreographed music designed to wake, calm or even ready a resident for a good night’s sleep.
Exercise class for one
More than 19 percent of seniors prefer to exercise alone. To help them exercise safely and at the appropriate level, try provident guided, senior-friendly exercises on the TV. Spiro100 has more than 100 exercises, available in three senior-safe categories.
Deliver faith programming
Practicing faith used to mean waiting for an organized service or program. Now your residents can access faith programming–including sermons, psalms, readings and more–right from their TVs. Using the television, residents can view Coro Health’s large database of spiritual, religious, and wellness content addressing faith needs when it’s convenient for them.
Interact with family and friends
Multiple devices can be hard to manage and confusing to use. While video conferencing has exploded, residents may be hesitant to try to connect with their mobile phones, tablets or computers. The buttons are close together, each solution requires a login, and then they still have to hold the device while they talk. Why not make it easier and much more streamlined by giving them a big button remote or voice controls so they can chat and share photos with family and friends leveraging the television? It’s possible today!
Give family data transparency
While residents can leverage the TV to see photos and chat with family and friends, family members want to use mobile devices to connect. Some platforms provide the ability to interact with residents and access information about their community, personal schedule, and even reports through a user-friendly mobile app.
360-degree view of resident needs
The television can even provide insights about the resident’s overall wellbeing as it captures thousands of data points daily about their habits and then spins it into insights that can help caregivers drive appropriate actions.
It’s time to rethink engagement
It’s time to stop thinking about the television as a passive platform that pushes pre-scheduled TV programs into resident living spaces. Today, residents can engage their minds, bodies and spirits, when they want, using a technology they already know-the TV. Isn’t it time to give your residents more control over when, how and where they connect?
Learn how to transform your television into an engagement engine with our independent living solutions.