Developers behind a new veterans home are hoping the facility serves as a design model for how to accommodate “the personal technology ecosystem.”
As seniors are rapidly adopting technologies like smartphones and wearable devices, senior care and living providers need to be increasingly sure facilities have the infrastructure for these tools, such as sufficient wireless connectivity and charging outlets.
That can also include knowing which software and interoperable systems to utilize as well, as one report noted.
Engineers with the firm IMEG Corp., who helped build the new 138-bedroom veterans home in Augusta, ME, said it is especially important for new senior living projects to implement these innovations during the planning phase.
While IMEG is undoubtedly using the Maine example to broadcast its own consulting abilities, it is important for senior living providers to make sure they are working with designers so they are not spending more money retrofitting new buildings for technology after the fact, or scrambling to catch up with the latest trends.
The Maine Veterans home has a gym equipped with virtual reality capabilities and other rehab tech tools, the developers touted.
Other senior living facilities have taken on the “smart gym” design model, such as Blakeford Senior Life’s Nashville campus, which has equipment and software to help with personalized elderly fitness regimens, McKnight’s recently reported.
However, while many senior living facilities boast impressive tools and devices, from cleaning robots to VR headsets, an important aspect of the current tech ecosystem to keep in mind is how many personal devices new senior living residents bring with them — and what they expect to be able to use, the IMEG developers note.
The senior living industry has been notoriously slow to adopt new technologies, many experts have pointed out. Only 30% of senior living organizations had upgraded their network systems over a five-year period, according to a report from 2022. Other accounts suggest that even when adopting new tech, many senior living providers end up abandoning tools.
Not all senior living providers have the resources available to design or implement these tools on their own; this is particularly true for rural communities.
Many healthcare leaders, and even President Biden, have raised this point and called for more investment in resources and technology for underserved senior living populations.
