A fall from bed can cause more than bodily injury, if a resident’s dignity is compromised by a loud, embarrassing alarm. Recognizing this, nonprofit operator The Terraces of Los Gatos implemented new smartbed technology — and won top honors in McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards for the effort.
The California continuing care retirement community opted for a solution from BAM Labs for its skilled nursing units and undertook a comprehensive transformation based on the new system’s capabilities. These include an FDA-approved biometric sensor beneath the mattress and HIPAA-compliant cloud-based monitoring. Staff receive alerts directly on their mobile devices. This has improved response time, resulting in caregivers who “magically” appear to assist residents. Employees also have improved position change management and documentation. The independent judges deemed the project worthy of the Gold award for Dignity.
Jewish Senior Life achieved a rare honor, walking away with both the Silver and Bronze awards in this category. The New-York based provider won Silver honors for implementing a Scan-Dent system, which uses radio frequency identification tags to help residents and caregivers quickly locate lost dentures, glasses and hearing aids.
It earned Bronze for its dining program, which combines an Alto-Shaam Combitherm CombiOven to create kosher molds of pureed food and its Optimus EMR electronic medical records technology. The pureed food is molded to create a more pleasing dining experience, and the EMR is used to track results. These have been impressive, including a 30% increase in stable weights for residents, according to the provider.
Two certificates of merit were awarded in this category, and both went to Windsor Healthcare Communities facilities. One went to Buckingham at Norwood, which has introduced iPod and iPad technology to residents through a series of group learning sessions. The facility in Norwood, NJ, also places special emphasis on how those with dementia can use mobile technology.
A certificate of merit also went to Windsor Garden Care Center, an urban facility in East Orange, NJ, that admits residents who were homeless. It acquired two desktop computers, which opened up new possibilities for some residents. Some have used the computers to locate friends and family or research their ancestry, others have been able to find and secure apartments.
McKesson is this year’s sponsor of the competition. This week, the McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards is recognizing winners in the following categories:
Monday — Quality in care (Gold: Life Care Centers of America)
Tuesday – Dignity Through Technology (Gold: The Terraces of Los Gatos)
Wednesday – High Tech/High Touch
Thursday – Innovator of the Year
Friday – Transitions
