Cover story


Reopening care homes with mesh technology


The rapid and targeted vaccination of vulnerable elderly people and front-line workers is a huge light at the end of the tunnel for our heavily bruised sector. So amid signs of optimism, how can providers gear up to re-establish family visits and welcome new residents safely? Stephen Cavanagh, long term care specialist at Ascom UK, sheds light on the immediate possibilities offered by technology to enforce real time social distancing


The last year is one everybody working in care will want to put behind them and for good reason. There are still immense staffing, financial and operational pressures from the pandemic – and the ongoing need to maintain social distancing is equally difficult to plan for and live with. My message to providers though is


one of hope. It is not just vaccines that are coming to the aid of the care sector. New ideas, skills, tools and particularly technology will help our sector to rise from the ashes more efficient, fit for purpose, people-focused and safer than ever before. As the vaccination programme rolls


out at pace, care homes must gear up for a new era of operation. The good news is we have the technology that allows homes to operate not only more safely – but more freely. Right now.


Reopening our sector to a new ‘normal’ Despite unprecedented financial pressure, every care home we speak to remains focused on resident wellbeing and outcomes. Even as we anticipate the dangers of the virus reducing with vaccination, the sector remains on high alert and will do for many months – even in the most optimistic scenario. Adding to the worry is the unknown,


unquantifiable damage caused not by the virus, but by lockdown. Already, evidence is building to demonstrate that months of being cooped up is leading to muscle weakness, raising fears about mobility, falls and injuries. Perhaps worse is evidence pointing to cognitive decline.1 Exacerbating this decline is lack of


contact with loved ones on the outside, giving elderly residents a reason to stay


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positive, a reason to look forward and a reason to fight. In short, the glimpses of the outside world that elderly people got from visitors were central to their health, wellbeing and longevity. Care homes are desperate to open


their doors for precisely this reason. The difficulty is finding a way to do so safely and quickly. The answer lies in mesh technology that helps protect staff, residents and visitors with digital social distancing monitoring. Mesh provides an immediate framework for safe visits and admissions.


Mesh technology – the tool for immediate, safe reopening Mesh technology supports social distancing digitally by mapping the live location of every single person on premises. Automating the process for added ease, care homes will be able to create two-metre virtual geozones around staff, visitors and residents and flag any breaches, allowing the rule to be simply enforced at all times. Combining this with best practice sanitation and PPE processes will free care homes to reopen their doors. Mesh technology creates a communications platform by connecting the smart devices on site. Staff and visitor smartphones - as well as lanyards or wristbands worn by residents - all connect virtually to create a platform that does not rely on wi-fi or 4G/5G. The process starts with visitors downloading the app. They then book a time slot to visit their loved one. Upon arrival, they are asked to complete a questionnaire that includes details on vaccine, symptom or antibody testing and carrier risk status. Managers can then plan and oversee every visit, which


Reopening care homes safely


with mesh technology A rough guide to fine care home wallcoverings Increasing wellbeing via interior design choices


of course has the added benefit of improving site security. The technology, known as Ascom Mesh,


is managed by an app that places social distancing information in the hands of managers. They can visualise everybody’s whereabouts in real-time via a heat map, enabling them to make informed decisions on building infrastructure, room occupancy, routines and processes. As well as allowing family members and


other visitors to be welcomed safely, the technology will support the arrival of new residents.


Social distancing for a safer future The care sector will need to enforce social distancing for a long time to come. Not only has Covid underlined the vulnerability of people in long-term care, it has also shown us that many further layers of protection are needed to keep


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • March 2021


Volume 6 l Issue 3 l March 2021 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


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