Published in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News on February 18, 2021, and written by Brian Wallace.
View this article on the McKnights Long-Term News website: https://www.mcknights.com/marketplace/marketplace-experts/caring-and-technology-understanding-the-new-nursing-home-model/

Nursing homes of the future will require two major themes to be successful: caring and technology.

In an age of continued lockdowns and restrictions, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel as our frontline healthcare workers and nursing home patients get their COVID vaccines.

But in the meantime, loneliness continues to kill.

You might think that caring is self-explanatory, a basic human need. Caring and isolation require a delicate balance to make sure all seniors get enough time with others. If not, they are at an extreme risk of suicide, depression and an increased health complications. In fact, loneliness has been measured to increase mortality a shocking 400%.

What can we do?

As I’ve previously reported on advancements in technology, there are more tech areas of opportunity coming to the nursing home industry than ever before.

Some advances of note:

• Ava Voice Assistant, a voice-enabled smart speaker that allows for easy communication between residents, family members and caregivers — all while socially distancing.

• In-house dialysis with technologies such as Dialyze Direct has been able to significantly reduce nursing home resident infections and hospitalizations.

• Virtual reality is having a moment in the nursing home industry. Imagine traumatic brain injury through virtual reality systems. What might sound like science fiction is quickly becoming a reality and providing a whole new lease on life for some seniors.

Read the entire article here on McKnights Long-Term News website: https://www.mcknights.com/marketplace/marketplace-experts/caring-and-technology-understanding-the-new-nursing-home-model/