It’s All About the Data

By Wendy D’Alessandro

Global healthcare company Philips is investing heavily in senior living technology to create a connected care platform more encompassing than what any other vendor can provide in the senior living space.

“The challenge operators face is deciding which technologies are the most fiscally responsible investments – not just for today but for 10-20 years down the road . . . and how the operators can most effectively participate in the expanding aging journey to grow their business and keep up with a changing industry,” says Ripley Martin, General Manager for Aging & Caregiving at Philips, a Senior Housing Forum partner.

As owners and operators invest in resident safety and staff operating systems, the broader connected care platform Philips envisions will reshape technology decision-making by incorporating the broader aging journey components and helping operators better position their organizations for long-term success in the market.

More Than A Supplier, A Technology Partner

This long-term vision, along with significant resources to advancing technology in senior living, is what makes Philips so appealing to operators, Syed Ahmed, Segment Lead at Philips Senior Living, tells Senior Housing Forum.

“Operators need a technology partner that’s going to be around for the long haul. One that’s as invested as they are in using technology to improve the health and safety of seniors and giving staff the right tools to be great at their jobs. Staff satisfaction influences employee retention.”

Organizations are managing different communities with varying technology needs and financial positions, says Ahmed. “We understand providers can’t replace technology every 5, 10, or 15 years, even if these new technologies promise more efficiency, better data, and improved outcomes. It’s costly, disruptive, and unnecessary.”

Unnecessary, says Ahmed, because Philips’ resident safety platform and connected care healthcare options are compatible with other suppliers’ products; they are adaptable and designed to be enhanced and built upon.

“Operators can purposefully enhance an existing system or build a new one, enabling operators to move around the system freely, adding products that blend with or enhance existing technology,” he says. “There’s no disruption in operations or hiccups in the user experience.”

It’s All About the Data

This is a heavily used phrase across all industries, but one that remains true and of critical importance along the aging journey. There are vast troves of data across the connected care setting, but what matters most – and continues to be one of the biggest challenges – is getting this actionable data to the cloud in a harmonized, structured manner so owner/operator executives can analyze and assess clinical, financial, and operational performances.

Cloud-based platforms are the means to enabling the support of technology acceleration to capture and analyze data. Philips’ recent acquisition of the cloud-based resident safety solution, Blue Willow, allows operators to access a wealth of granular analytics related to levels of care, socialization, and staff operations. The acquisition also bolsters the company’s strong resident safety solutions and leads the overall Philips platform into next-generation territory by offering:

  • Automatic fall detection

  • Real-time location

  • Individualized wander management

  • Streamlined staff communication

  • A family wellness portal

From an operations standpoint, this helps:

  • Improve risk management

  • Enhance family peace of mind

  • Continuously improve operations

  • Address staff turnover

  • Drive brand differentiation

  • Improve resident care and communication

Key Takeaways

“Operators need to be able to keep up with the technology demands,” says Ahmed. “We’re here to keep operators ahead of the technology curve so they can improve the lives of the people who live and work at their communities – and, by extension, help their operations thrive.”

Stay tuned for more Philips updates on Senior Housing Forum. For more information on Philips Senior Living products, visit their website.

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