A NEW ERA IN MEMORY CARE
Hutchinson, CEO of Discovery Senior Living. “It shows that SHINE®’s person-centered approach is at the leading edge of the dementia care industry, and driven in part by recommen- dations from the Alzheimer’s Association, we’ve now further enhanced the program to better identify and meet the unique needs of our residents.”
TECHNOLOGICAL LEAPS The biggest change, however, may be in the use of tech- nology. Residents could see their families via monitors and tablets or “travel” with their family members via shared virtual reality. And telemedicine and health monitoring devices such as remote thermometers became common almost overnight. Using sensor-based and automated health data collection devices can take the technology out of the foreground as well as help cut down on staff work, says Marc McGrann, director of BD for Home in North America at Vayyar Home. “The ‘just one more thing’ that staff and nurses have to do can become an entire day,” he says. Passive, contactless data collection can free caregivers for
more meaningful contact, laughter, and relaxing conversa- tions, beyond asking the same questions about basics every day—which can also feel intrusive.
to attempt to substitute for human contact. The report also found “67 percent of the current assistive technologies in de- mentia care were designed without considering their ethical implications.” “Developers of technology should properly assess and test
new innovations,” NASEM says, “taking into account privacy, autonomy, and the rural-urban digital divide.”
TIME TO DANCE Another technology solution is one that has been used for years—the television—and it can actually help in improving health if it’s put to work in the right way. Turn off the TV news, and turn on the community streaming channels, recommends Virginia Bell and David Troxel. In their blog post, “Dementia at a Distance” on their bestfriendsap-
proach.com website, they point out how having the news on, even for a few minutes, could trigger anxiety. Instead, they say, find some music and dance, or watch a favorite film. Many streaming services, and senior-living-fo- cused content providers, have been offering free or discount- ed content. Go back to the life story, say Bell and Troxel, and find content that relates to that person’s favorites, whether these are nature shows, travelogues, musicals, or Cary Grant’s repertoire.
Passive, contactless data collection via sensors can free caregivers for more meaningful contact, laughter, and relaxing conversations, beyond asking the same questions about basics every day, points out Marc McGrann, director of BD for Vayyar Home in North America.
With the data in hand, a caregiver can raise questions about
sleep disturbances, or an unusual number of bathroom visits, “in a more approachable way. If something looks like an issue, they can open it up a little more naturally.” This is part of an approach to technology McGrann says is
critical to improving lives in memory care: “More and more now, it’s about how we can bend the technology to the life of the person, not the person to the technology—and fit tech- nology into their lives.” Two more elements are important to technology in memory care environments, McGrann says: Making it blend in, and maintaining privacy. An odd-looking, bleeping, or blinking fix- ture on the wall can be confusing or even frightening—Vayyar uses very small units—and cameras can present a host of difficulties that sensors don’t. This fits in with one of the recommendations of the Nation-
al Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in its 2020 report on social isolation and loneliness in older adults: Technologies can be used to improve lives and health, but these can also exacerbate poor health effects if they’re used
32 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
GREATER NEED AHEAD? One less-recognized effect of COVID-19 has been to reduce the number of regular cognitive health screenings, says Huffman. This dip in the number of people who benefit from early detection and intervention could show up in the next few years as a greater number of people needing care, and needing more extensive care. Huffman also posited many who might have been at lower levels of care or lived inde- pendently for a few more years may need memory care earlier because of the added effects of isolation and stress during the pandemic. But either through the increased visibility of people with de-
mentia in media presentations or through more time at home, families seem to be increasingly interested in knowing more about dementia and memory care. Trilogy had almost 300 people view a webinar from Best Friends’ David Troxell, Alaimo says. “It's important that we provide the education on dementia to our families, and to the public, and for those who may be struggling at home.”
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