By Susan Saldibar

I have to do this weird thing with my TV remote.

I slide the top button all the way to the left and then have to press two “on” buttons in sequential order before the TV turns on correctly. Get the sequence out of order, and I have to start over again. Pain in the butt.

You laugh, but what if I was older and living in your senior community? I’d be calling up one of your (already overworked) staff members to “Come help me with my #!*# remote!”

It may start with the remote, but there’s much more to technology adoption.

Ease of use, among lots of other things, was discussed in a recent panel on the “Challenges and Opportunities Providers Face in Implementing New Technology” at the Dished/Wellness conference in Orlando.

Sitting on the panel were Sara Kyle with LE3 Solutions, Rich DeLong with SRI Management, and Caavo’s Michelle Wright.

Caavo (a Foresight partner), as you may know, are the people who literally turn a resident’s TV into a hub of interaction, without all the nonsense of connecting a bunch of cables and crazy devices. You can read more about all they do here.

Key to technology adoption? Make it easy, show its relevance, start small, but think big. 

The panel talked about using technology to improve lives and introducing it in a way that will get people to use it and love it. In a nutshell …

1. Make it easy to use for residents and staff.

For residents:

  • A single TV remote device,
  • a few easy buttons,
  • voice activate option.
  • How will the quality of their life improve?

For staff:

  • Use video on TV to check in on a resident,
  • save time running back and forth.
  • How much time spent running back and forth will that save them?

2. Show how it’s relevant for residents, families, and staff. When people see how it can help their lives, they’ll want to use it.

  • Residents can spend more quality time in a virtual visit with their grandkids.
  • Family can pop in to make sure Mom’s doing okay in her senior living community.
  • Staff can do a quick remote check-in with residents.
  • How does that improve their lives?

3. Start small, but think big.

  • Start off by using just a few of the features.
  • Get everyone on board.
  • Then get them stoked about doing more.
  • Use Caavo to pull the team together.

Leaders, ask yourself:

  • If I can use this system to make my residents’, families’, and employees’ lives easier and more fulfilling, how much better can we do as a community?
  • How much stronger and connected does that make us?
  • How could that increase our occupancy?

When you’re ready for some answers, Caavo has them.

For more information and to see how Caavo can benefit your community, set up a demo here.