The efforts made by the North Carolina Assisted Living Association and senior living-focused technology platform K4Connect, show how voice-activated technology has been utilized by senior living providers during the pandemic. The strong partnership between Amazon and K4Connect has helped this initiative move forward.

 

January 6, 2021

By Tim Mullaney

More than 1,400 Amazon Echo Show devices will be distributed to assisted living communities across North Carolina by the end of this month, at no cost to providers.

That’s thanks to efforts made by the North Carolina Assisted Living Association (NCALA) and senior living-focused technology platform K4Connect.

The association and K4Connect have worked together for some time, including on presentations that NCALA made to the North Carolina General Assembly about how to potentially ease Covid-19 burdens on assisted living communities, K4Connect Chief Growth Officer Keith Stewart told Senior Housing News.

As a result of those presentations, the General Assembly allocated several grants to NCALA. One such grant consisted of $500,000 derived from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, given with the mandate to help communities ease resident isolation through technology. Again working together, NCALA and K4Connect determined that providing the Amazon devices would be the most effective use of the money.

They reached this decision based on several factors, Stewart said. One factor was the strong relationship between Amazon and K4Connect; the two companies worked together to create the Alexa for Hospitality tools and earlier this year, distributed 8,400 Amazon Dot devices to assist senior living providers nationwide during the pandemic.

Because it incorporates a visual element with its screen, the Echo Show devices are even more well-suited than Dots for older adult users, Stewart said. Rather than just using their voices to activate and control the devices, the screen can create prompts and suggestions to help support and guide the user experience. The idea is that communities can set up the Echo Shows in common areas, where residents will be able to use them to connect virtually with friends and family.

The relationship with Amazon also helped in achieving the logistical feat of bulk purchasing the devices and having them all delivered to Raleigh during the Christmas season, Stewart noted.

Now, the Echo Shows are all available for distribution. Interested assisted living providers can register via a website to receive up to one device for every 40 residents. So far, based on registrations received via that site and work K4Connect has done with its existing clients, about 250 registrations have been received, Stewart said. The organizations anticipate having nearly all communities in the state registered by Jan. 15, and the devices delivered by the end of the month.

K4Connect is pre-configuring the Echo Shows based on information in each community’s registration, so that they basically can be used straight out of the box. And K4Connect is offering one year of support, with an option for communities to extend beyond that. K4Connect is receiving grant money to cover the costs of this effort, but it is not meant to drive profits, Stewart noted.

This is just the latest example of how voice-activated technology has been utilized by senior living providers during the pandemic. In another instance, Merrill Gardens deployed Google Nest devices, which have proven beneficial.

“100% it’s in line with the direction we’re heading and the direction we think the industry is going,” Stewart said of the increase in voice tech within senior living.

K4Connect will receive data about what functions are being used most often, which will enable the company to help providers maximize their effectiveness. Ultimately, data on this initiative will be shared with the General Assembly, to demonstrate the impact of this investment. Stewart is confident that the data will prove out the value of the technology, and that confidence is shared by NCALA President and CEO Frances Messer.

“NCALA is honored to have received this grant and confident it will bring value to our assisted living communities throughout the state,” Messer said in a press release issued Wednesday.

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The pandemic has turned some technologies from optional amenities into operational necessities. COVID has brought countless industries to a halt and caused companies to rethink how they continue to meet the needs of their customers while surviving the ongoing impacts of this pandemic.

 

January 5, 2021

By Jonathan Gould, K4Connect

We’ve seen in-person meetings shift to virtual platforms, small businesses implement new e-commerce options, and restaurants add curbside delivery and pickup services for restaurants. Innovation is taking on new, promising forms that serve the customer where they are.

This innovation wave is also happening in senior living communities across the nation, where technology has moved from a desirable resident amenity to an operational necessity. Video conferencing platforms are connecting isolated residents with their loved ones, staff are using digital tools to communicate at scale, mobile applications are enabling residents to stay informed 24/7, and digital content is keeping residents active and engaged while in quarantine.

The opportunity to serve the millions of older adults impacted by COVID-19 is huge, whether they’re living at home or in one of the thousands of care/residential communities in the U.S. This pandemic has revealed new avenues for existing technologies and services from industries outside of the traditional senior living vendor set to consider older adults as a viable market to serve — and one that is in need, especially now. The systems many of us are accustomed to, at both the consumer and enterprise levels, can be applied to senior living. We expect to see these trends start to emerge in 2021.

Reservation & Capacity Planning

The hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic as travel was restricted and social distancing mandates forbade crowds. Disneyland’s shut down was perhaps the most notable of 2020 and cost the company billions. Without the visitors, typically bustling hospitality and tourism sectors like cruise lines and theme parks all but skidded to a halt.

As these industries review alternative strategies to stay in business, there are two relevant systems that can be applied to the ongoing needs of senior living: reservation planning and capacity management.

The same systems these popular tourist destinations use to manage the millions of people who funnel through their gates can be applied to daily senior living community management.

As social distancing continues, the dining experience has completely changed and operators are turning to digital solutions to better manage new regulations. Enterprise cloud-based systems give staff sophisticated tooling to handle mealtime reservations, resident capacity management and methods of communicating/organizing this new way of dining to residents.

Point of Sale Systems

Meal planning is not just for students — it is a common offering found in senior living communities of all sizes and care settings across the country.

The software universities use to deliver student dining and meal balances can also be applied to the way thousands of older adult residents experience daily dining in their communities. This is particularly important now as the pandemic has shifted how residents receive their meals.

Moving this part of the resident and staff experience to a digital platform has a multitude of benefits. Residents can easily view daily/weekly menus through their personal smart devices, check their meal balance, reserve a seat at the table or elect to have a meal delivered to their door.

At the same time, staff have an efficient way to manage their resident database, organize meal planning and, most importantly, better understand the behaviors and interests of residents through analytics and reporting within these POS tools.

Visitor Management & Point of Control

Visitor management solutions have risen in importance in recent years to ensure safety and compliance in corporate office buildings, but now, most of those buildings sit empty as millions in the workforce moved to remote work.

As the majority of the world continues to work from home or via virtual platforms, senior living community staff from administrators to caregivers are still heading into work every day to care for residents.

Point of control systems allow communities to regulate who is coming in and out of the community while gaining access to valuable visitation data. Capabilities include tracking employees and vendors, scheduling family visitation and recording COVID-19 compliance. Ultimately, these systems afford communities a new level of security while saving staff valuable time and keeping everyone at the community safe.

The reality is that senior living was undergoing a digital transformation for some years now. But what was once a 10-year journey has drastically shortened to meet the needs of residents and caregivers as they continue to navigate the impacts of the pandemic. While challenging, the advancements taking place today are laying the groundwork for an industry poised to open the doors for a wide array of technologies that can improve the lives of older adults who have long been ignored by innovation.

Enterprise systems will change the way community operators view technology as part of their long-term success plans by leveraging tools and systems that solve the challenges of traditionally manual processes. With the ability to collect and analyze data, operators will unlock a new way of evolving services and offerings that keep pace with changing resident and staff expectations.

COVID has put a magnifying glass on older adults and the senior living market, and leading enterprise and consumer technology providers have an opportunity to serve the millions in need across the U.S. The future of innovation in senior living is bright and there is no doubt we’ll see this reflected in 2021.

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Jonathan Gould is the co-founder and vice president of advanced technologies of K4Connect, a mission-driven technology company that integrates technology to serve and empower older adults and individuals living with disabilities.

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The provider partnered with K4Connect to bring the K4Community platform to the campus. K4Connect was already preparing for the pandemic before its initial disruption, adding tweaks to the platform including virtual support for on- and off-premise staff, establishing hotlines for its client communities to keep residents and families updated on their response strategies, and “Covid 911” bulletins to communities it serves.

 

By: Chuck Sudo

December 15, 2020

Opening a new senior housing community is stressful under normal circumstances. Opening one during a public health crisis presents added challenges.

Take Sequoia Living, which opened Viamonte at Walnut Creek, a continuing care retirement community in Walnut Creek, California, two weeks ago. The San Francisco-based owner and operator lost 31% of its entrance fee deposits on the community during the pandemic’s span, CEO Sara McVey told Senior Housing News.

Although skilled nursing is not included, Sequoia considers the community a CCRC and offers memory care under its continuing care contract.

Read more from Senior Housing News, here!

 

K4Community Voice’s integration with Amazon Alexa allows residents a way to access community information, check the virtual front desk and receive morning check-ins through the device. Our technology is helping older adults battling loneliness and isolation during COVID-19.

 

By: Mattias Miller

November 27, 2020

RALEIGH, N.C. — Scott Moody thought he had retired after selling the company he co-founded to Apple in 2012.

“I was completely burnt out – never wanted to run a public company again. I swore I would never work again – double swore never do another start-up,” Moody told the North Carolina Business News Wire in an interview.

In 2012, Moody was then the CEO of AuthenTec, the only publicly-traded company ever acquired by Apple. That acquisition would later lead to Touch ID technology’s introduction to Apple products.

Moody is currently the CEO of Raleigh-based K4Connect, a mission-driven technology company that brings tech solutions to older adults and individuals with disabilities.

While serving as CEO of AuthenTec, Moody embarked on a life-altering mission trip to western Rwanda with his church group.

“It really deeply affected me. I was mad at man for doing that to one another. I was mad at man for not coming to the aid of others,” he recalled.

After selling AuthenTec, Moody decided to return to Rwanda with a group called Hope International, an organization that provides micro-finance to countries abroad, including Rwanda.

During that trip, he met a woman who changed his world view. She had traveled to Rwanda following the genocide and worked to build orphanages, lead cooking classes and establish bakeries to employ battered women. Although Hope International provided financial assistance for her bakeries, Moody knew he wanted to do more.

“I do believe that we are all here to serve others. And that a corporation foundationally is the ability for people to come together to serve others better than they could have done individually,” Moody added

A new kind of mission

Moody and his co-founder, Jonathan Gould, knew they wanted to build a different kind of company when they started what would become K4Connect

“What if we started a company and if it was successful, we could use the proceeds to help others, and that was the whole idea,” Moody said.

At the time, they didn’t know their company would be for older adults or people with disabilities.

After meeting a man in Raleigh with multiple sclerosis, Moody realized technology could be an asset for both people with disabilities and seniors.

That’s when he made the plan to establish K4Connect and began pitching to investors with a new goal.

“We measure everything by mission. And if we fulfill our mission of serving others, then the benefit flows to the rest of our stakeholders, including our shareholders,” Moody said.

K4Connect is currently connecting senior living communities with technologies to advance staff and resident services, but there are plans to move into the home and other markets in the future.

Moody said his team at K4Connect realized senior living centers had morphed into almost resort-like facilities but were still mostly reliant on people and paper.

“Senior Living communities were almost devoid of technology. We’ve kind of been making the market,” Moody said.

He said K4Connect had to dispel the misconception that these communities didn’t like to work with new technologies.

“If you provide them things that they find useful in their lives, then they’ll use it. And when they use it, then you have all kinds of data and information,” Moody said.

K4Connect during COVID-19

Although growth in the first quarter this year was slow as senior living communities grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, more facilities in the second quarter showed a real interest in working with K4Connect.

“The first quarter, nobody would even pick up a phone in a senior living community. They were just trying to get food to people. This is where everybody used to come to meals three times a day. They come to activities. They do this, they do that. And now they’re all isolated in there,” Moody said. “So how do we get them food? How do we get them exercise? Are they healthy? It was really all hands on deck.”

K4Connect had to adjust revenues and expenses to cope with the sudden pause in the first quarter. Still, during the second quarter, the company had a wave of clients interested in integrating technology into their senior living communities.

Moody said that senior living community managers went from thinking about technology as a possible long-term goal to looking for ways technology could be used to alleviate the pandemic’s effects today. For example, new social distancing guidelines and the threat of isolation and loneliness became significant challenges.

In response, K4Connect donated thousands of Amazon Echo Dot devices back in May to care facilities to provide a sense of connection to the elderly. K4Community Voice’s integration with Amazon Alexa allows residents a way to access community information, check the virtual front desk and receive morning check-ins through the device.

“The fact of the matter, there are a lot of health issues that one can get from being lonely, that not being able to check their own health, and so on, and so forth. And just simple things, if somebody isn’t mobile, the idea of being able to ask Alexa, what the temperature is, or what’s for breakfast, or turn on the light, those actually become pretty important things,” Moody said.

This story is from the North Carolina Business News Wire, a service of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Media and Journalism.

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Technology has proven to be a dependable, multifaceted solution for many of the challenges senior living communities and residents are facing during this new normal. Here’s how that technology adoption is making their lives simpler, happier and healthier.

 

By: Ian Sanders, K4Connect

November 5, 2020

COVID has turned the world upside down, and older adults living in senior living communities have been hit especially hard. Senior living and retirement communities are home to millions of  U.S. older adults, and the impacts of COVID on day-to-day life has had far reaching implications for community residents as much of their days consist of group activities, dining experiences and community-wide social events and services. As these communities restricted visitation and tightened up quarantine safety measures, it revealed a massive opportunity for technology to build bridges to maintain family connections, provide engaging in-home experiences and most importantly, ensure residents stayed informed on critical information as they remained safe in their homes.

The following are five types of technologies rising in value and priority during the pandemic and beyond.

Smart Mobile Devices & Applications – Staying Informed

With more 80% of people aged 70-79 now owning a smartphone, personal smart mobile devices are undoubtedly on the rise for older adults. For residents of senior living communities, mobile applications that can be accessed via smartphone or tablet were lifelines of consistent and dependable information. Community staff can instantly reach residents in their homes (or wherever they are) to share updates on visitation policies, COVID safety information, daily meal deliveries and more, all accessible through an intuitive interface.

Video Communication – Maintaining Family Connections

Video chat and conferencing saw a massive boom — “Zoom” is now a global household name. Community residents depend on visits from family and loved ones and as communities went on safety lockdown, these visits were halted entirely. Residents and community staff turned to video calling to keep these connections through native smartphone apps like FaceTime, or community-provided resources for residents without access to these devices by scheduling Video Chat Cafes with family members using tools like Zoom and Facebook Messenger Video on community (sanitized) devices.

Video conferencing also enabled residents to maintain ties with each other as social clubs and Town Hall meetings moved to a virtual group setting.

Digital Content – Mitigating Social Isolation & Staying Engaged

During the pandemic social isolation was reported as a top concern for 30% of nursing home residents – prolonged isolation has even been tied to serious health concerns, compared to the damage of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Staying engaged and active while in isolation is crucial and senior living communities have used a variety of tech-based tools to reach residents in their homes during quarantine to provide this.

Digital content and channels to get that content to residents is essential. Typical in-person community programming like group fitness, game nights and spiritual services turned to a virtual format with YouTube live streaming on community apps and personal resident TVs (via a community-managed TV channel). Residents have nearly endless content at their fingertips to take them outside of the room and on a virtual hike in the Andes, tour a museum in Paris or take part in weekly movie nights provided by the community.

Voice Technology – Increasing Accessibility 

“Alexa, what are today’s virtual events?” Voice technology is increasingly popular for people of all ages, but for older adults it provides real utility. During quarantine, voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa brought a new level of accessibility to senior living residents – simply using their voice to ask Alexa for important community information, play a trivia game or their favorite music, available 24/7. Technology providers have also enterprise-configured community-specific skills so residents can instantly dial front desk staff, call a COVID information hotline and even control smart home-equipped devices in their homes. This is especially valuable for residents living with visual or mobility impairments.

Smart Home Automation – Fostering Independence 

Smart homes are no longer a thing of the future, and home automation is making its way into senior residential communities. It’s more than an amenity, automating daily utilities like lightning and temperature by touch (mobile application), remote or even voice, enables a resident to live more independently and safely. Lights automatically illuminate pathways as they rise out of bed at night or thermostats cooling during sleep hours allow residents to control their homes to their comfort without needing to call on staff. Communities are even leveraging motion-sensing smart home devices to ensure daily resident well-being without requiring PPE or in-person safety checks through a tool called Resident Check-In.

Ultimately, technology will not be the answer to all that senior living communities are managing as this pandemic continues, but it has proven to be a dependable solution for many of the challenges brought on by this new normal. As Boomers begin to enter this market, it is exciting to see this industry absorb the trending consumer technologies and smart devices that will meet the unique needs and interests of these next-generation residents. From predictive health to assistive robots, there is so much more on the horizon in terms of innovation – boomers who are considering a future care community are entering a world of exciting transformation.

About Ian Sanders

Ian Sanders is VP of Business Development of K4Connect. With over 12 years of experience in innovation for older adults Ian brings a wealth of expertise, with a focus on IoT solutions that create responsive and independent living environments. At K4Connect, Ian leads the organization’s integration and partnership strategy, bringing the best in technology tools and services to thousands of residents in hundreds of communities the company serves across the nation.

Ian received degrees in Political Science and Entrepreneurship from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is currently based in Raleigh, NC.

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Our Director of Product, Malaika Paquiot, talks about creating an inclusive company culture that supports female employees and diversity in the tech industry.

 

By: Sascha Brodsky

October 9, 2020

Unsurprisingly, tech is still white and male

Key Takeaways

Despite the progress made in gender equality over decades, women still manage a heavier load than men in balancing work and family, Shelley Gretlein, Vice President of Brand and Communications, Global Marketing at the technology company NI, said in an email interview.

“They are often the ones who reduce their work hours to do so and often at the expense of their career,” said Gretlein. “This contrast has become even more stark during the global pandemic, where women are now tasked with juggling the tremendous burden of virtual school while also charting a new path of working from home.”

Matching With Mentors

One reason many women drop out of the tech workforce is because they can’t find role models, observers say. Take D’vorah Graeser, CEO of KISSPatent, who says she founded her first company at the age of 32 because she thought she had no alternative.

“I couldn’t see a pathway within an organization where no women had made it up the career ladder,” she said in an email interview.

Having a mentor can make all the difference in womens’ success in tech. Matching young employees with “women who’ve gone before you and succeeded, women who’ve gone before you and stumbled, and women who haven’t yet earned their first promotion will all provide you with a strong foundation to thrive and perspectives (aka wisdom) to growth,” says Gretlein.

And while pay gaps are narrowing, they’re still a factor in keeping women. Tech roles pay above average at every education level; median earnings are $82k vs. $47k across all roles, according to the Accenture study.

And the gender pay gap is lower in tech roles. Women in computing earn 87% of what men earn vs. 80% across all roles. However, just 45% of all female tech workers trust that they’re paid the same as men; this drops to 32% for those who switched out of tech.

“Retain women, using an outside firm if you must, by doing an audit of your company culture and pay equity,” said Malaika Paquiot, Director of Product at K4Connect, in an email interview. “Listen and act on what you hear. Often, women will tell you exactly what their needs are.”

Safe, Diverse Environments

Creating a welcoming environment is just as important as salary equality, observers say.

“Companies also need to set the tone and make absolutely clear that a business dominated by men is bad for business,” Jing Sun, co-founder of IoTeX, said in an email interview. “Sexism is not a political issue. Instead, the whole organization must see the promotion of women as fundamental to the company’s success.”

Promoting diversity is also part of the solution, Graeser said. “Technology companies need to recruit more women, particularly women of color, and provide clear career paths so that they can see they have a future to thrive. If the people above are white males, then their network is also likely to be white males [who] are prone to hiring within their networks.”

Companies should also engage with communities to connect with women, Gretlein said. “Empower and reward women leaders for being in the community, sitting on boards for STEM nonprofits, mentoring young women to manage the adversities they face, and truly adding value to future generations of women in tech.”

But all these efforts will be in vain if enough women aren’t in tech jobs in the first place. The proportion of women in technology has declined in the last 30 years. To bridge this gap, companies need to actively recruit women, said Paquiot.

“Make interviewing women for roles a requirement,” she said. “Insist on diverse candidates from recruiting firms. Go to organizations that mentor women to recruit. Don’t just rely on referrals from your mostly male employee base.”

One recent model for affirmative action hiring was a test program at the Eindhoven University of Technology, where job openings were only available to women for the first six months.

“Only if the roles could not be filled by women in that time, could men apply,” Graeser pointed out. “This forced the leaders to search outside their networks and the result, unsurprisingly, was that suddenly they were able to find women who were a great fit for the roles.”

The stakes are getting higher every day for women in the tech workforce. The coronavirus pandemic is putting an unequal burden on working mothers. How well companies retain their female employees could be a key factor in the country’s economic recovery.

 

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