Caring and Tech: Reimagining the Nursing Homes of the Future

There is a growing disconnect between the quality of life and care in nursing homes and the number of people who will need nursing home care at some time in life. While just 19 percent of Americans feel that nursing homes make them better off, 1 in 3 people will need that care in their lifetime.

So, despite the fact that many people need the care nursing homes provide, why do they seldom feel that it is adequate enough? For many, the feeling of social isolation is a mental and emotional struggle that hinders the ability to recover from illness and physical pain. However, it is unlikely that most of the residents have other options. Most cannot care for themselves independently or have family that can commit the time necessary to care for them.

40 percent of seniors report that moving away from their friends and loved ones is a leading cause of depression. This depression magnifies the already alarming number of suicide deaths among seniors.

The nursing home industry understands that health is not the only goal in nursing homes. Quality care is the key to allowing elderly people to regain their independence and maintain a social life. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 55 percent of nursing home residents felt that they did not get enough visiting time with their friends and family. This number has only increased dramatically over the past year, and is unlikely to subside anytime soon.

Therefore, technology like the Aiva Voice Assistant is being introduced to improve communication between residents and loved ones. The Voice Assistant works with speakers to enable easy communication while maintaining the social distance that will keep all parties safe. The industry is encouraging nursing homes to provide quality on core values of independence, environment, community, collaboration, and improvement.

The new healthcare technology will help seniors recover faster and gain their independence back. Some of the most cutting edge technology like the VOCSN ventilators are currently in use. This ventilator is the only one that combines ventilator, oxygen, sucution, nebulizer, and cough functions. A multi use ventilator is less expensive then multiple devices, and offers a smoother transition from the hospital to the nursing home and eventually, back home.

At the same time, the digital devices of the future are also being developed to utilize the advances in technology that society continues to make. These devices will continue to improve the quality of care in nursing homes for years to come.