K4Connect & Cypress Living Apply Tech to Create an Award-Winning Resident Experience

K4Connect and community partners Cypress Living bring home bronze for the 2022 McKnight’s Technology Awards in the Building Bridges category helping to overcome older adult social isolation, keep residents informed, and connect them to both the community and their loved ones.

 

We’re proud to be a recipient of a McKnight’s Technology Award two years in a row! This year, we’re especially proud to be a part of the innovative technology strategies at Cypress Living in Southeast Florida where hundreds of residents are leveraging our K4Community technology to stay engaged, informed and connected. Cypress Living and K4Connect were awarded the Bronze Award in the Building Bridges category, defined as “recognizing the use of technology that improved connections between staff members and residents and/or their families.”

The community needed a way to deliver a unified digital experience for its hundreds of current residents and their families, community staff and prospective residents. In March 2022, Cypress Living launched K4Community at its Cypress Cove location, a fully integrated resident experience app with an advanced digital backend for staff. K4Community, the flagship solution from K4Connect, is now connecting hundreds of residents to each other, the community, supporting staff and most importantly, their families and loved ones outside of the community. K4Community has granted Cypress Cove residents more ways to communicate, greater socialization and a dependable and 24/7 accessible resource for information on events, dining and services.

Delivering a Digital Front Door 

K4Community is now the “digital front door” of Cypress Cove, bringing the community together and outfitting it for the digital-forward future. This excitement is reflected in the rapid resident adoption and steadily growing resident usage of the K4Community Plus app in the first three months of launch. Nearly 97% of residents are live in the app, with 40% actively using the app daily and over 60% using the app at least weekly. As Cypress Living said, “K4Community Plus is undoubtedly building bridges between our people and our community.”

Using Technology to Overcome Residual Pandemic Challenges

While the pandemic has underscored the need for technology that can build better connections for older adults – to both people and services – Cypress Living has focused on this need to create a resident-friendly digital experience that provides immediate and long-term value. Cypress Cove residents are more connected to each other and the community than ever before – and they are excited about the technologies they have to help them live more comfortably, informed and connected. K4Community Plus is not simply an engagement or communication application, it is a fully integrated concierge platform that seamlessly connects and delivers our services and resources to residents throughout the campus.

Residents now have the entire community at their fingertips with K4Community Plus; relieving the need to physically find information around campus or remember login information to access multiple applications, residents simply open the app and find everything they need to successfully navigate their day.

Resident Response to Technology is Positive and Growing

K4Community’s immediate and constant access to information and interactive functionality built around campus services and events has dramatically increased resident engagement, communication, and social activity.

For example, in the first three months of launching K4Community Plus:

    • Increased resident access to the community – 91% of those residents are using the app to quickly find information about and sign up for daily meals, maintenance requests and transportation requests. These integrated services do not require a resident to sign in and out of apps, they simply go to one place to find it all in K4Community Plus.
    • Connected residents with family and each other – Residents quickly adopted the new communication features native to K4Community Plus, allowing seamless phone and video calling, in addition to chat messaging with their family and fellow residents. The resident directory is a most-used feature, replacing the old paper (and often outdated) contact lists to a vibrant digital directory that shares resident contact information, as well as personal biographies that make it easy to find common interests. Resident usage of the calling features grew by 72% week over week, with week-to-week usage of the Resident Directory increasing by 310% and an average of residents accessing the Resident Directory over 630 times a day.
    • Building social connections and happy lives –Residents were excited to use K4Community Plus to organize their personal schedules and ensure they were signed up for social and wellness activities. These activities included both in-person and virtual events, from birthday celebrations to art exhibit excursions and brunch, 95% of residents are actively using the events feature to learn about and sign up for activities. Cypress Cove staff increased virtual event offerings by 56% week to week with resident sign-ups for virtual events trending similarly at a week-to-week increase of over 50%.

Integrating Technology as a Long-Term Strategy 

Cypress Living is truly an innovative community with strong technology leadership by its CIO, Joe Velderman. The implementation of K4Community Plus has laid a technology foundation that fuels Cypress Living’s much larger transformation strategy. K4Community Plus runs on top of K4Connect’s operating system built specifically for senior living (with over 40 patents); this operating system is what enables the seamless integration of other apps, services and tooling that can all be surfaced through K4Community as the single interface for the end user (accessible by both app voice technology).

Cypress Living is building a robust technology experience for both residents and staff that leverages this advanced technology platform, both for integrating experiences and collecting and analyzing resident and staff data. With K4Community, Cypress Living is currently gaining daily insights into resident technology adoption and usage that enables more informed decision-making for staff, critical trend spotting and the ability to make stronger health-related decisions in the future by combining behavioral and health insights.

Want to learn more about how Cypress Living is better serving residents through technology? Check out this two-minute video where Joe explains how technology will transform the future of Cypress Living.

West Bay Execs Launch Momentum Senior Living With Eye on Company’s Future

Our community partners at West Bay Senior Living, led by CEO Jim Biggs and COO Josh Johnson, are expanding with a new management company and a growing footprint in California. 

The executives behind West Bay Senior Living are pivoting to a new venture called Momentum Senior Living in a move that will set the stage for the company’s next evolution.

West Bay CEO Jim Biggs and COO Josh Johnson are forging ahead with the new management company but swapping roles, with Biggs as COO and Johnson as CEO. The new operating company is currently involved in four projects under construction in The Golden State, with others on the way. Momentum currently manages The Variel, an upscale senior living community in Woodland Hills, California.

Read the excerpt on how K4Connect’s technology is incorporated into the company’s long-term strategy >>

On the big challenges and opportunities ahead for senior living operators:

Biggs: Obviously, labor and staffing. I listen to this podcast and I know that’s a common theme.

It’s a little bit that way with food. LA fast food workers go up to $22 an hour next year. The water bill for The Variel, we just opened it up and it’s $79,000. Inflationary effects will continue to pop up and into our market basket, but we are somewhat fortunate that we’re able to work with some investors with long-term range.

So we obviously need to protect the margins, but we need to fill the building first. We’re really looking at this in nonconventional areas both for revenue and with cost containment, as well.

We are big fans of K4Connect and we are looking to leverage that. We’re taking a look at where other vendors are making money in our properties. We have beautiful, high-end properties — some in terrific markets — asking how we can do these things ourselves. So we’ve been through similar problems with inflation before and some hard times where it helps to have been around for a long time.

And unlike a lot of other companies, I think our investors like us, as we’re not doing it to boost our own pockets but we are doing it to help meet those goals for the communities. It’s a much longer-term perspective for us and those relationships are important.

You can read the full article or listen to the podcast via this link.

K4Connect and Vayyar Care Partner to Bring Next-Level Radar Fall Detection Technology to the Senior Living Industry

Leading technology innovators team up to deliver advanced and accessible digital care for older adults

5 Standout Events to Boost Senior Living Resident Satisfaction

By: Sarah Adams | Client Success Specialist

August 9, 2022

With K4Community, community staff members can now create and manage events in their community better than ever.

With our robust events feature, staff can go beyond simply creating event calendars. You have the ability to manage sign-ups and waitlists, track attendance (even from your mobile device), and learn more about your residents’ interests through our newest Data and Insights feature. Once an event is created, staff can seamlessly make event information accessible via Voice, Mobile App, Digital Signage, Direct Broadcast (in-room TV), as well as add to printable calendars. Put another way, staff enter events into K4Community one time and the event information is shared in multiple ways so that residents can stay connected with their community. We like to call it, “create once, publish everywhere.”

laptop and mobile view of staff member viewing event management tool

However, event management is only as good as the events themselves. And we are here to help! According to one of our recent Data Insights Reports, 89% of residents say a variety of content/experiences to choose from is important to them.

Below are five examples of standout events that are sure to increase your community’s engagement and resident happiness. Each of these options can be streamed virtually in order to meet the expectations of all who might be interested or benefit from these offerings – even from the comfort of home.

“Virtual experiences provided a dependable and scalable way to curb resident social isolation while in quarantine. While residents are eager to return to socializing in-person, a hybrid offering of both virtual and in-person events will meet the new expectations for residents who want to maintain that connection to community programming while at home.” – K4Connect’s Summer 2021 Data Insights Report

 

Guest Speaker Lecture Series

Consider scheduling a variety of popular to unusual topics to appeal to different resident interests! A free community service offered by AARP provides guest speakers

older adults sharing meal over a table

 who speak to a wide range of subjects. You can find more information by visiting AARP.org. 

Teaching Kitchen

Spice things up for your residents by introducing a teaching kitchen! This can be a great opportunity to introduce healthy lifestyles, unique cultural dishes, or even revisiting basic cooking techniques. Who doesn’t love good food?

DIY Tutorials

A long time favorite, DIY tutorials can be as simple or as creative as you wish to be. A few examples are basic woodworking, painting, or even creating suncatchers!

Creative Writing Club

Writing is an art form that belongs to everyone, no matter the age or skill level. Provide a creative outlet to your residents through a writing club. Each week, new writing prompts or creative writing techniques keep residents engaged and connected with each other and themselves. 

Cultural Diversity 

In order to lean into your community’s equity, diversity and inclusion, consider partnering with local organizations or universities to expand inclusive cultural programming and services for residents. 

Looking for more inspiration? Reach out to a client success specialist for a one on one consultation via this link. 

3 Key Benefits of Implementing Smart Home Technology in Your Senior Living Community

By: Sarah Adams | Client Success Specialist

July 15, 2022

Resident safety is a primary advantage of living in a care community. Thanks to new advances in enterprise technology in the senior living industry, residents are increasingly gaining access to smart home systems — designed specifically for seniors — that further promote independence and greater well being.

At K4Connect, our mission is dedicated to continuing these advancements in a market that is not only helping the residents of today, but also in preparation for the generations to come; all in partnership with the senior living communities we serve. Below, we will dive into three key benefits of K4Community Smart Home.

Resident Check-In

With K4Community Resident Check-In, residents benefit from a passive check-in system that works behind-the-scenes to keep staff aware, while promoting resident independence and happiness. Delivered through integrated smart home devices and voice activation with Amazon Alexa, residents simply move about their home and community teams are alerted of daily resident activity through our software-based system.

  • Delivered through voice activation with Amazon Alexa, motion-sensing light switches or night lights
  • Automated reporting for staff is viewable via desktop or mobile in the K4Community Team Hub
  • “Away” settings available for when residents are not at home (e.g., gone on vacation or at a doctor’s appointment)
  • Reduces false resident alerts, saves staff time & resources

With this automated well-check system, residents feel safer and community teams increase daily efficiency — a win-win.  In fact, one K4Connect community partner is able to automatically perform 97% of its wellness checks on a daily basis, leaving only 3% of the resident population to manually check on. Hundreds of senior living residents also took part in a K4Connect survey about this solution, resulting in 80% saying K4Community Resident Check-In makes them feel safer and 89% applauding the convenience of the tool. 

Motion Scenes

With the assistance of motion scenes, residents can customize lighting and/or temperature in their home based on their individual preferences. Automated home features can aid residents by empowering them to manage settings in ways that are easiest to manage for them. Please note, the ability to customize motion scenes is based on the current smart home features installed in the home. However, a few examples include:

  • When a Smart Motion Dimmer detects motion in the bathroom from the hours of 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., the lights turn on to 20%
  • Between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., a Smart Thermostat automatically adjusts to 68 degrees
  • When a Smart Motion Switch detects motion, the lights turn on

This customizable element of our smart home automation solution creates a personalized technology experience that encourages increased usage and value over time.

To install personalized scenes for a smart home system, residents or staff can reach out to our K4Support team who will happily edit your settings remotely. 

Access via Remote, Voice, or App

In addition to these great features, residents can access their Smart Home systems through a variety of user interfaces, including a remote, K4Community Voice, or through the K4Community Plus App — whichever works best for them! 

  • Senior-friendly remotes are programmed by the K4Connect team to operate all smart lighting in the home.
  • The integrated K4Community Voice and Smart Home experience turns into an incredible accessibility tool for residents of nearly all ages and acuity. For example, if a resident home is equipped with K4Community Smart Home lighting, you might not have realized that Alexa can adjust the lights for you! 
  • K4Community Plus allows residents to operate their smart home controls directly within the mobile or web application from anywhere in the home.

Smart home is clearly no long an amenity of the future or reserved for luxury living, it’s more accessible and adaptable than ever before. We at K4Connect can’t wait to see where home automation advancements for older adults take us next!


Tips and Tricks

  • If at any point smart lights in a home are changed (added, removed, or moved to a different location), please contact our K4Support team by either emailing Support@K4Connect.com or by calling (855) 876-9673

5 Ways to Engage Your Senior Living Community with Alexa

“When we can use our voice, it really does break down barriers. Voice-first technology is extremely interesting because it reduces the friction of technology adoption.”

By: Sarah Adams | Client Success Specialist

June 27, 2022

Thanks to Amazon’s groundbreaking release in 2014, scores of people have become familiar with the term “Alexa.” Alexa is a virtual assistant that can help users with a variety of tasks, such as reporting the weather and news, playing radio stations, and more. But did you know that Alexa can be of great service in senior living as well? With K4Community Voice, Alexa voice assistance is brought to life for senior living residents of all ages and acuity, promoting independence and empowerment.

“When we can use our voice, it really does break down barriers. Voice-first technology is extremely interesting because it reduces the friction of technology adoption.”


– Sheri Peifer, Chief Strategy Officer, Eskaton

With K4Community Voice, communities can opt for K4Community enterprise-managed Alexa devices for the most capabilities. Our enterprise Amazon Alexa integration allows residents to confidently and securely experience voice technology. No personal information or individual accounts are required as K4Connect anonymizes devices to ensure your privacy is kept intact. Alternatively, as we know many residents are already using Alexa in their homes, and residents have the ability to download the K4Community Public Skill to their own Alexa device. Today we will cover commands you might not have known that will apply to both scenarios. 

*Please note: you are only able to fulfill the commands listed below if the community has published the necessary information to K4Community.

“Alexa, what are the events for today?”

By simply asking “Alexa, what are today’s events?” residents are seamlessly provided a list of the day’s events. Additionally, residents are able to ask about future events as well. For example, “Alexa, what are the events scheduled for this Saturday?” 

“Alexa, what’s on the menu for Friday?” 

Similar to events, Alexa has the ability to read menu items when requested. Alexa gathers menu information from posts created in the Post Manager in Team Hub. Specifically, Alexa reads the text in the description of the post. This gives community staff the greatest flexibility on how and what Alexa reads.

“Alexa, has the mail arrived?” 

Have you noticed this button on your Team Hub’s home page, but aren’t entirely sure what it means?

By pressing “Notify Residents,” residents are able to call on Alexa to report whether the mail has arrived. When used consistently, this feature works to foster further independence for residents as they can rely on Alexa for accurate and timely information. 

Built in by Amazon, Alexa features a variety of standard features; such as reporting the weather, setting alarms, sharing fun facts, and more! Additionally, enterprise-managed devices are able to opt for community-specific phone numbers for Alexa to dial by voice command. For example, “Alexa, call the Front Desk.” This popular feature is not only easy to use, but also relieves the burden from residents to dial by phone if there is an urgent need. 

If you are a community staff member and have not been taking advantage of these opportunities for your community, give it a try! For more information or for resources available to provide to residents, please contact your Customer Success Manager.

**Bonus: Smart Home Specific Commands**

Please note: Smart Home commands depend on the availability of connected devices/services in your specific community. If you are unsure of your community’s current setup, please contact K4Connect Support.

“Alexa, dim the lights to 30%” 

K4Community Voice turns into an incredible accessibility tool for residents when integrated with our Smart Home solution. If y

ou or a friend’s residence is equipped with K4Community Smart Home dimming lights, you might not have realized that Alexa can dim the lights for you! Simply ask Alexa to dim the lights to your preferred preference,in percentage format. For example, you can say: “Alexa, set the Kitchen Light to 80%” or “Alexa, set the Bathroom Light to 20%.”

“Alexa, set the living room thermostat to 70 degrees”

Likewise, K4Community Smart Home packages typically include a smart thermostat. If you or a friend’s residence is equipped with a smart thermostat, simply ask Alexa to set the thermostat to your preferred degree setting. 

Need Assistance? As always, if you are in need of assistance please contact our Support Team by either emailing support@k4connect.com, or by calling (855) 876-9673. 

Not yet a K4Connect customer? Reach out here to schedule a demo or to learn more about our K4Community Digital Signage solution and more ways we can help your community create great technology experiences today.  

4 Ways to Achieve Success With K4Community Digital Signage

Hear directly from our customer success expert on making the most of digital signage in your senior living community.

By: Sarah Adams | Client Success Specialist

June 20, 2022

K4Community Digital Signage enables staff to engage, entertain, and communicate with residents and guests through text, images, and videos on monitor displays across the community campus. This digital communications tool delivers high-quality and dependable experiences for residents while saving staff time, resources, and costs associated with traditional, printed and manual communications. And with access to hundreds of professionally designed digital templates, creating content to distribute through this channel is a breeze.

Engage with Residents

K4Community Digital Signage is an excellent resource to leverage when working to build communication with current residents. Digital signage is a dependable, centralized location of upcoming events, dining information, and more. K4Community Digital Signage ensures residents stay up to date no matter where they are in the community, and staff members have a centrally managed, high-quality communication tool that seamlessly delivers content to TVs across the entire campus.

If digital signage is new for you, a simple tool to try first is K4Community’s calendar widget. The calendar widget is located in the Content Creator and can import all published events from your Events Manager directly to digital signage displays around your community. You can choose from a daily, weekly, or monthly calendar widget. Widgets provide constantly up to date information without the hassle of re-editing a document if event details are changed. 

Want to know more? Below we will cover four simple strategies used to upgrade your communication from good to great through efficient utilization of your community’s digital signage.

Provide Helpful Information for Staff

Do you have a break room or staff lounge? Improve staff engagement and morale through personalized digital signage just for them. Celebrate work anniversaries, highlight staff accomplishments, or simply take a moment to tell someone you appreciate all they do for your community and residents.

Utilize Signage for Friends & Families During Visiting Hours

Help bring your community to life for visitors by highlighting the depth of activities and events, photos of residents, and much more.

Welcome Prospective Residents

Does your sales and marketing team have a scheduled visit for a prospective resident touring your facility? Strategize this opportunity in order to create a warm welcome for your visitor and help them envision themselves making your community their home.

FAQ’s:

This is all new for me, where do I begin? The K4Connect Learning Center is a great place to start when beginning your K4Community journey. For current customers, reach out to your customer success manager or contact our Support Team for more information.

Not yet a K4Connect customer? Reach out here to schedule a demo or to learn more about our K4Community Digital Signage solution and more ways we can help your community create great technology experiences today.  

Need Assistance? As always, if you are in need of assistance please contact our Support Team by either emailing support@k4connect.com, or by calling (855) 876-9673. 

Knute Nelson Senior Living Partners With K4Connect, First in Minnesota to Launch Next-Generation Technology for Residents and Staff

Leading senior living operator invests in smart technology to deliver better care and quality of life for older adults

 

Click here to read the news on PRWeb

Predictive Technologies Can Help Prevent Adverse Incidents

Argentum Senior Living Executive Magazine speaks with K4Connect and other technology leaders focused on solutions that can fuel preventative care for older adults. 

 

We don’t need a crystal ball to see into the future. An array of predictive technologies can help communities manage issues ranging from medication supplies to COVID outbreaks and falls. These solutions collect and transmit information in seconds to administration, associates, residents, and families, so preventative action can be taken.

Some of these technologies, especially smart-home features and wristbands that monitor health and behavior, are familiar and will be expected by incoming generations of residents. Data from market research firm Parks Associates shows that people in their 50s prioritize smart-home safety features, while those over 70 would like technology with connected health features.

…

Making connections

With the plethora of technologies in use in senior living communities, residents and staff can find it unwieldy to use separate interfaces to access all of them. “Umbrella” technologies give communities a way to access all their technologies through one solution.

K4Community was designed by K4Connect to unite all the different technologies in a community and make them accessible through one solution. It can be accessed through iOS, Android, the web, voice technology, TV, and digital signage. It has features for residents, staff, and operators, but is primarily aimed at serving residents.

“We take all of these great consumer technologies and bring them together in a single system,” says Scott Moody, CEO of K4Connect. All of a community’s existing technologies, including standalone systems, can be used through the K4Community interface.

The Resident Check-In feature unobtrusively performs resident checks via a resident’s use of smart home devices or other connected features. Residents don’t have to take any special action, and staff can view the reports on their phones or desktop. Team associates will receive an alert if a resident hasn’t shown any activity during the check-in window.

This reduces the need for staff to perform active check-ins. “The only way to bridge the gap between the number of older adults and the reduced number of caregivers in the world is through technology,” Moody says.

Residents ready to interact

Viamonte Walnut Creek, a Sequoia Living community in the San Francisco Bay Area, uses the K4Community Plus app for its residents. The community has a strong and intentional tech focus.

“We use K4Community Plus as a hub of information for residents including dining information, life enrichment program information, and the very popular resident directory,” says Kate Douglas, director of life enrichment at Viamonte.

The community has a group of tech-savvy residents who meet regularly, interact with the K4Connect team, and teach other residents how to use the system. “The residents have been instrumental in supporting the tech,” says Douglas.

That should be good news to Moody, who took pains to ensure the system would fit the needs of older adults. “We as developers, designers, and user interface designers have to put ourselves in the shoes of those we serve,” he says. “What a 25-year-old understands and values is different from what an 85-year-old will understand and value.”

He points out the ubiquity of the phone handset icon on smartphones. Most adults immediately recognize that it means “telephone,” but younger adults and teens often have no idea what it represents.

Those who create technology must continually adapt to each generation of users, he says, just as communities that want to remain competitive should always be looking ahead to try to predict what features the next wave of residents will want.

Head over to Argentum’s Senior Living Executive Magazine to read the full article!

K4Connect Quarterly Product Update: Learn New Ways Technology Promotes Simpler, Healthier and Happier Lives

“Discover the numerous benefits of the most recent K4Community updates.”

By: Diana Gore | Product Marketing Manager, K4Connect

April 6, 2022

K4Connect is proud to deliver exciting new technologies and features to senior living communities and operators with this quarter’s K4Community release. 

This quarter, our team focused on features that benefit residents, their family members and community staff in the areas of:

  • Amazon Echo Show with NEW features for community staff, residents and their families
  • Targeted Content and Resident Groups in the K4Community Plus App/Web and Voice
  • Resident Check-in Enhancements that increase safety for residents and provide more flexibility for staff teams
  • K4Community Plus App/Web Updates that improve the personalized experience 

Here’s how our newest features and updates improve the lives of residents and their family members, as well as increase staff efficiency in senior living communities.

1. NEW Amazon Echo Show Features

We are excited to deliver a multimodal experience for older adults with our Amazon Echo Show integration. This integration increases resident independence while keeping them connected and informed.

The hybrid touch and voice device includes dynamic video and voice calling, customizable ambient content, daily event and activity information, and more.  

 

Highlight features include:

  • Voice calling with community contacts (ex. front desk, dining, maintenance, etc.)
  • Video and voice calling with fellow residents
  • Video and voice calling with family and friends
  • Customizable ambient home screen content to proactively alert residents of upcoming meals, upcoming events, or notices

2. NEW Targeted Content and Resident Groups

Drive higher impact engagements with content that speaks directly to different residents and interests. Ensure you are getting relevant content to the right group of residents with the added ability to create and manage resident groups. Zero in on your resident communications with the ability to segment communications and content with specific resident groups. Whether by care setting, special interests, committee membership or campus location, staff can better engage residents with more narrowed and customized communications. Additionally, this update enables more robust reporting and data insights around resident and staff usage.

New Features:

  • Create and manage resident groups
  • Add residents to specific group(s)
  • Community staff can create and designate a piece of content, event calendars and/or menu information to be shared with desired resident groups.

3. Resident Check-In Enhancements

Our award-winning automated Resident Check-In feature gets even more powerful with an additional check-in and reporting window. Staff can now add a second alert report that will automatically be delivered to a customizable list of staff members at a scheduled time.   

New Features:

  • Increased resident safety with reporting that captures remaining resident alerts from the first check-in window of the day
  • Improved staff communications with the ability to customize recipients on each report

4. K4Community Plus App/Web Updates 

Residents now have more control over their personal information and can opt-out of showing their profile in the Directory of  K4Community Plus (App/Web). Don’t worry, if residents change their minds they can quickly and simply opt back in to showing their profile and connecting with other residents. 

Ready to learn more about K4Community? Book a demo today!