Feedback Is Crucial for Aging Tech Adoption
“The Thrive Center, in partnership with CDW and our Thrive Alliance members, has become a physical destination where technologies can be tested and observed,” says Thrive CEO and Co-Founder Sheri Rose. “We showcase working technologies in a functional smart home and environment focused on independence and well-being. Vetting of products can take place to assist consumers and healthcare organizations in their procurement process. Thrive provides marketing exposure to help drive adoption and quality of care. Partners learn from one another — not just about the challenges of adoption but also the innovation failures and successes.”
The organization also collaborated with Bellarmine University’s Veritas Society, a learning group for adults age 50 and older in the Louisville area that has about 450 members, to form a consumer focus group aimed at providing valuable product feedback to entrepreneurs.
“If an older adult is not going to adopt the technology, the entrepreneur may need to pivot or shut down the product. Investment is sacred in the current economy. Entrepreneurs need to be good stewards of investment funding. This early feedback is important,” Rose says.
The focus on innovative solutions for an aging population also works for a disabled population, she adds. “It’s not as much about aging tech as it is tech for caregivers and independence. And not every tech solution works for every stage and transition of care. A solution that works today may not work in a higher acuity of care. Someone with mild cognitive impairment may wear a watch for wandering, but as dementia progresses, the watch will sit on the dresser.”
Cramer adds that having a physical space helps to foster stronger partnerships.
“Sitting in on a virtual meeting with a potential solution, providing a demo via video — it’s just not the same. Having partnerships with an organization like Thrive allows companies like CDW to accelerate innovation and adoption with our customers. That really helps to drive outcomes and then allows us to see if these models are scalable and sustainable,” Cramer says.
READ MORE: What are senior and post-acute care organizations’ top technology priorities today?
A Focus on Improving Infrastructure
Still, the most crucial aspect for senior care organizations to strengthen is infrastructure that can accommodate the new solutions, Rose adds.
That also includes organizing and standardizing the data environment, Cramer says, including setting up a data governance framework if organizations are looking to turn the decades of data they have into more actionable insights.
“On a single senior living campus, you’ve got data in a lot of different places, and there’s potentially duplicate data,” Cramer says. “Getting that cleaned up, that’s going to be a big focus for a lot of operators as we continue to move into more artificial intelligence use cases.”
And organizations should not neglect networking upgrades and security strategies.
“So many of these products will require internet connectivity and Wi-Fi. The health of the organization’s infrastructure is paramount to driving innovative solutions,” Rose says. “Same with the home environment. When implementing solutions, evaluation of the infrastructure and buy-in from the staff and residents will be important for success.”
