As senior living operators introduce more individualized technology options, one health tech company has released a new tool to help evaluate residents’ needs and preferences.
Linked Senior is launching Life Story, which will provide assessments of residents designed to assist with both social and medical needs, the company announced Thursday.
The latter issue has become an increasing source of innovation for long-term care, as providers look to add technology that can both gather behavioral data on residents and personalize their health needs.
This includes devices such as lighting systems that can be adjusted to meet personal needs, as well as “smart gym” fitness programs with machines that can track and recalibrate for residents.
Life Story, by Linked Senior, takes a significant step forward by generating personalized programming through digital assessments, according to the company. The tool is able to be integrated with a community’s electronic health records and can be pulled from any device, the company said.
Although the Life Story tool appears mainly geared toward strengthening the relationship between operators and residents — and their families — another benefit of creating a more “holistic” profile is that it can help residents learn about one another’s histories.
“Getting to know residents can be a process over time; however, gathering that information early on provides vital information that can help ease their transition,” Jennifer Stelter, PsyD, director of product development at Linked Senior, said in a statement. “Life Story enables staff to offer individualized activities that can improve the quality of their [residents’] lives, because they will more willingly engage and socialize with others.”
Linked Senior offered demos of the Life Story tool at last week’s LeadingAge Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The company also has been actively involved in reshaping older adults’ narratives, particularly those living with dementia, around ways for them to express their creativity and personality despite cognitive decline, several experts, including Linked Senior CEO Charles de Vilmorin, wrote for McKnight’s Long-Term Care News recently.
