With Covid-19 Threatening Senior Living Facilities, 3 Triangle Startups Answer Call

K4Connect has launched COVID-911, a company-wide initiative to accelerate product development and customer communications to support them through the crisis. 

By: Suzanne Blake

March 31, 2020

The technology market serving seniors and senior living facilities has been growing for years, but Covid-19 puts an increased emphasis on the need for the elderly to have access to quality technology. Triangle-based startups Roobrik, Viibrant and K4Connect are all meeting those needs in these difficult times.

Raleigh-based K4Connect’s CEO Scott Moody said K4Connect saw the pandemic coming. As the leader of K4Connect, a startup that creates smart solutions for older adults and people with disabilities, Moody said he’s been working hundred-hour weeks for the past month to address the needs of senior living communities during this time.

Moody said that in late February, K4Connect launched COVID-911, a company-wide initiative to accelerate product development and customer communications to support them through this crisis. 

Residents in senior living homes, meanwhile, are facing new challenges every day from Covid-19. In addition to Covid-19’s potential increased severity on this group, seniors are being isolated from the physical engagement of their surrounding communities and loved ones. That makes K4Connect’s tech enabling communication more important that ever.

Employees in senior living facilities also face new challenges, as they must make difficult decisions such as whether they should go to work with even mild symptoms that could be related to allergies or a simple cold—or could be Covid-19. With a shortage of testing, it’s hard to know the difference.

K4Connect has continued its mission to keep senior residents engaged and informed along with smart home technology, which also allows monitoring to make sure a senior resident is doing all right based on their light or thermostat usage, Moody said. K4Connect offers 24/7 support and currently has a number of no-cost capabilities, including a virtual morning check-in for residents.

“You find a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, I have something you can use’, but inside the community, it’s like, ‘Who’s going to put this all together? Who’s going to download all these apps? Who’s going to train everybody? How do we know what people are doing?’” Moody said. “And that’s what we do. We bring all these great technologies together.”

Smith said that Viibrant, being a technology company, had a fairly easy transition to remote work. But there’s been an increase in customer need for services related to dining, like providing virtual menus for facilities as they’ve closed dining facilities and turned to to-go ordering and food delivery.

Still, Smith said the world and national economy will take a blistering impact from Covid-19, but some startups can offer hope.

“When when you have a crisis like this,” Smith said, “you’re going to find other tech startups that bring hope, that bring value, that bring a product, that bring solutions.”

Moody, who previously founded and led the company AuthenTec—responsible for the technology now used in Apple’s Touch ID—through the dotcom crisis and the Great Recession, said startups have two ways to look at navigating these times: managing during the crisis and leading through the crisis. Leading could ultimately be what defines the success of your startup.

“I believe—and our company believes—that if you serve others, if you do good, then good things will happen,” Moody said. “I think for any startup, they have to look at ‘how do I manage through the crisis,’ but probably more importantly is ‘how do I lead through the crisis’ and come out a stronger, better company, and often a changed company than we were at the beginning of the crisis. And so many people forget about that kind of leadership activity. It’s the difference between a manager and a leader.”

Read the full article on GrepBeat, here!

Distancing Physically, but Not Socially

Tips for families and friends with quarantined loved ones in senior living

By: Lindsay Levesque, Customer Success Manager 

March 31, 2020

During a time of uncertainty, senior living operators are looking to a variety of ways to keep their residents engaged and positive. By now, we’ve all seen the viral posts of grandkids visiting outside of the window and even impromptu performances for senior living residents who are quarantined inside — making the decision to lock down a community during COVID-19 and prevent families from seeing their loved ones is not a decision taken lightly. Sustaining resident communication with family and friends outside of the community is essential to resident well-being during this crisis and operators have quickly pivoted to alternative ways to build and maintain these connections.  

The K4Community Family App does just that.

It allows for a secure, cost-free connection to those that matter most. It keeps families connected to their loved ones and allows for direct updates from the community operations team ensuring families are constantly informed.  

Now, more than ever, we are seeing the K4Community Family App fulfill its purpose.  Whether families prefer sending a quick message to say, “Hello, I’m thinking about you”, or opt for a more personal connection through a video chat, there are multiple ways to connect with loved ones from the comfort of their homes.  

“The best way to cheer yourself up, is to try to cheer somebody else up.” — Mark Twain

To help families get the most out of these features as circumstances in the world continue to evolve, we’ve created some helpful tips to keep resident interactions consistent and even have a little fun:

  • Consider scheduled calls so your resident family member knows when to expect you. This gives them something to look forward to and prevents anxiety associated with unexpected behavior, specifically if they’re more familiar with routine and structure. 
  • Opt for a change of scenery, showing your loved one a piece of nature or the outdoors. This is particularly important for residents who are isolating in their apartments.
  • Remind them of particular Alexa features.  Other than the enhanced communication functionality such as the COVID hotline, an Alexa can also help lighten the mood by playing music or sharing jokes.
  • Reminisce on a favorite memory and use video chat to share old photos or other memorabilia from home.
  • Include your little ones! While the kids are at home, don’t forget to include them in video chats! They bring a particular spunk to the day and sharing that energy through a video chat can be contagious.
  • Don’t forget to take things one day at a time, prepping for the future when it’s unknown can be frustrating. When you’re in your golden years, it’s all about the journey. Today matters.

When working in the field, it was often said to me that it means so much more to be able to see mom, rather than just hearing her voice.  It is hard to explain exactly what it is but, it’s definitely easier to be empathetic when you can see the other person’s emotions. As a family member of loved ones in communities, I now understand that feeling, too. When something as simple as checking in on mom or dad isn’t so simple anymore, being able to experience their expressions through a video call is incredibly valuable.

Finally, I’d like to share a personal note, below. This was provided directly to us by one of our member’s families on the true value behind a simple engagement. 

While I Love my Bride Linda and will miss seeing her each day, I applaud your decisions and without reservation, support then. You are in my prayers as you follow the guidance of our most Holy Father..

P.S. I hope you will continue your willingness to allow us to talk to our Loved ones on the telephone.  I was able to hear Linda’s “giggle” during my call to her today. It meant the world to me. – A K4Community Family

For more COVID-19 resources, visit our landing page at K4Connect.com/COVID-19.