2023 Projections

The role of resident and customer experience in seniors housing made some strides in 2022. More acquisitions and collaborative relationships narrowed down options, especially in engagement platforms. Although integrations and merging of dual-use customers is not as clearly defined as some would have hoped for or expected by this time. More single-point content solutions are finding a way onto platforms through single-sign on accessibility, reducing the confusion and lack of utilization brought on by logging into multiple portals.

Owners and operators will continue to talk about the overwhelming need to deliver on resident and customer experience as a market differentiator, however sales cycles and commitment to invest dollars to make it happen will remain lengthy despite an abundance of enthusiasm.

The recurring sentiment from community leaders to software and solution developers and companies is a clear consensus...Keep it simple. Don't get too fancy and overwhelm us with features we will not use. And please integrate with our existing partners to reduce the amount of redundant tasks and data entry.

Nineteen days until Blake turns 6. His world is one of innocence, simplicity, and wonder. At this moment we find ourselves flying back home to Florida from Texas at 7pm on Christmas Eve. We woke up watching the news with updates of the NORAD tracker telling us Santa’s whereabouts. All he wanted to do was see Santa in the sky from the airplane. After all, this is a brilliant, and logical idea

I snapped this picture of him holding up his stuffy named “Snowy” that he gladly adopted from a souvenir shop on last year's snowboarding trip. I assumed he was showing Snowy the sparkling city lights of Dallas just after takeoff. But, then I heard these words…

We believe the opportunity to grow, tend, care for, produce and add a biophilia element is an incredibly overlooked level of the community and customer experience. Toss the artificial plants and learn how Eldergrow can support your communities with their different offerings. The newest, DIY Culinary Herb Garden is a no brainer, all year round program that can be expanded on with the local culinary and dining teams.

The current senior living engagement model mirrors the work originating in 1976 by Dr. Bill Hettler where he focused on six dimensions: Emotional, Occupational, Physical, Social, Intellectual and Spiritual. 

As we have said many times before, this theoretical model does in fact serve as a guide for programming specialists to plan and create a well-rounded understanding that we are complex, individualistic, holistic people and one size will not fit all. Recognizing the concept of the dimensions, ranging from 4-8 dimensions is helpful, but it cannot be our only strategy.

Why? 

This article is not about trying to disprove the efficacy of a wellness model, rather illustrate the potential confusion and undue complexity resulting in tech based solutions and resources potentially reporting invalid, unreliable, and inconsistent data. Let’s keep this simple and look at the process that leads to the problem.

An engagement professional sits down to create the monthly calendar. What old things will I keep and continue, what new things will I add? Every month, this is the drill.

I have quickly learned that not all product demos are equal. Sure I get it, but then I absolutely do not get it. If the goal and mission is to improve the lives of older people, why disregard a few for the masses?

Here’s the Whole Story…

You land a demo for a top 10 provider. You are over the moon, high fiving your team and patting yourself on the back. I got in!!!! We are going to plan, strategize, maybe redo the pitch deck, customize the experience. Let’s meet about it. Let’s talk about how we bring our best foot forward. Entice them. Wow them. You name it. I know it happens.

The last 2 years have proved to be a really interesting time in the world of resident engagement platforms. Acquisitions continue to occur and while I understand the consolidation and partnering of companies will ideally (and hopefully) lead to better products and experiences, there seems to be one continual dilemma. 

What does this mean to the end user, the customer?

Since mid 2020 we have seen the following:

Eldermark acquired SmileRx and Viibrant

Touchtown acquired Sagely

iN2L acquired LifeLoop

VoiceFriend acquired CareMerge

Market Map Update

This July publication does not look all that different from January, however there are a few subtle changes. Some solutions have been deleted for various reasons; bankruptcy, mergers and acquisitions, lack of continued growth or stagnant development that leaves them a bit behind the curve of innovation when you think of best “bang for your buck.” We see the most growth in what we call “singe point solutions” that are most likely portal based and address one element of engagement in communal living. While necessary, the overcrowding and similar competition tends to lead to indecisiveness by decision makers, creating a much longer sales cycle. We equate this to trying to find a show on Netflix when you aren’t really sure what you want to watch.

As a community manager you may have scratched your head a few times wondering, what can I order or create as a give-away post tour to make my community stand out and really meet a need or desire for the older adult? The intent is to absolutely find a way to show that we care and enjoyed meeting you and your family today. Unfortunately, the options that are affordable and individualized are limited. Our best intentions can end up falling short despite best efforts.

It seems every conversation we have with an operator in Senior Living, one common request emerges…

WE NEED/WANT TO CREATE SIGNATURE PROGRAMS FOR RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT. WE WANT TO USE THESE TO DIFFERENTIATE OURSELVES IN THE LOCAL MARKET. 

Being two people that have been in charge of creating signature, trademark and branded programs in communities and organizations, it is not as easy as it sounds. Too often we get a great idea and follow others lead to create a best in class, complex and what we think will be involved, yet easy to execute because we have written out all the rules, directions, policies, procedures, and even instructed the day and time of day to run these programs. 

It just does not work as well as expected or envisioned

I have always known that community requires participation, but after hearing Jill Vitale-Aussem talk at Evolve Tuesday it became obvious it community is only the starting point, not the end goal. For too long we have viewed residents as customers and consumers, attempting to meet all their needs and requests while they sit back waiting and watching for resolution. How does this promote purpose and empowerment? Two industry words we throw around on websites and collateral not fully understanding what they really mean. When we are able to recognize residents at a community as citizens, an integral part of problem solving, innovation, order, best practices and future goals, that is when we create an environment of purposeful living and empowerment. We depend upon the citizens to use their skills and talents. Community evolves to citizenship when a collection of everyone’s best assets displayed at the right moments in time

I am quite certain this is the unspoken mantra at LE3.

If we look around at the world of business and careers it really is fascinating. In an attempt to become successful, climb professional ladders, scale companies, influence others, drive efficiency, invent and innovate, we are all left with one common denominator.

Broken humans trying to make a living and the world a better place one job at a time.

As LE3 Solutions continues to track and update all things around engagement that impacts residents and their families, there is one new shift in verbiage to note. Resident engagement is where we started and was the focus of this map, and our business. However, as we get further into the space, we recognize how much bigger the conversation needs to be on and around engagement. Our vernacular has shifted and we know that engagement truly is community wide, not just resident facing. How people spend their day doing things that are meaningful and enjoyable is absolutely community wide, noting community extends far beyond the walls. Resident engagement spills over into the external community via accessibility and opportunity.

Science has revealed to us that routine and habit-forming processes are instrumental for people with various types of dementia to safely [PA1] navigate their day.  Why is this approach effective and worth noting? Simply put, there is growing evidence that assistive digital technology, when combined with behavioral approaches, can be useful interventions that help individuals who need additional cognitive assistance, including the many forms of dementia.

Thankfully, there are new tools and resources that support both caregivers and people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) with routine and habit-forming processes. MapHabit is a suite of solutions that can do just that. Designed for individuals and their support partners, MapHabit helps improve quality of life for both by providing an effective tool to reinforce routine habits and help individuals complete daily routines like bathing, eating, taking medications, and engaging with family members.

MapHabit’s approach is research based on procedural memory and the spared habit-forming portions of our brains. As Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias progress in stages, MapHabit saw the potential of the “Neostriatum”, the portion of the brain that retains habit memory. With proper process documentation and consistent delivery of care, there is a significant reduction in the stress that support partners and family members experience when challenging situations come up.

Belonging matters.  Accountability matters.  At the end of the day, the main reason people “show up” for a workout of any sort in a group setting is to socialize and feel a part of something.  Back to the top, exercise and pushing your body to physical and mental limits is not enjoyable. It hurts. It’s uncomfortable. It’s hard work and  takes commitment. You do not see benefits overnight. All of these barriers push back against someone being present time and time again. But the joy, pride and fuel to continue is seen by the results and outcomes.  To achieve outcomes and results to sustain your quest, you need another reason to be present. 

What Does High Tech, High Touch Even Mean?

So I did what every respectable human would do…I Googled it! Books, hands on science programs, better customer service and such. I found this title - High Tech Vs. High Touch: Balancing Technology and People by Tim Dimoff. Article Link. The title drew me in. I admitted to myself at my desk…Why have I been saying something that I do not really know what it means? Do tech people think I am an idiot? Do residents think I am an idiot? Do I think I am an idiot? Maybe.

As someone who continually states the phrase “have you asked the residents or people you are serving?” I cringed inside a bit.

Nope. Guilty #2 - I have never asked a resident what “high tech vs high touch” means to them. Do they care? Have they ever heard the phrase? Is it even relevant in the operating and service model when they are planning their next move or home? Is “high tech” a service and amenity or a way to reduce human interaction? Do introverts like high tech and extroverts like high touch? I could go on, but the point is, what “high tech” stuff do residents want? Not what we think we need as companies or what other competition is doing?

I have always been a fan of looking up a definition in the dictionary. Maybe because my favorite thing about elementary was writing book reports using the old school Encyclopedia Britannica set! Words have literal, and assumed meanings. I believe the connotation (an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning) of a word is critically important to look at, especially when we rely on that word, or set of words, to represent an overarching philosophy or model. Insert Activities!

When we think of opportunities for well-being, purpose, engagement, vitality, longevity, community and a ton of other words that we hope to be individual outcomes to offerings, there is a definite mismatch to the traditional sense and nomenclature of the word “activities.” This battle against “activities” no longer strikes my uncomfortable chord that needs to appease the masses. Instead, it confirms the same disruptive innovation that Bob Kramer spoke about. It confirms we are progressing and innovating. I think people are ready for the change. Is the change a word? No. It is more than that, but I think it is a good place start.

Ready, Aim, Print…

It is July 10…the deadline for the August calendar is now. Ready, Aim, Fire… to the printer it goes. Fingers crossed nothing changes, because, well we just committed to 31 days of programming all the while knowing something always changes. The actual truth. Everything always changes. Yet we rinse and repeat this nerve wracking cycle month after month. It is just the way it is. The way it has been. The way we continue to operate. The mandate from regulatory bodies. The design we have re-invented now to a digital format, but still a prisoner to planning a month well in advance.

There is zero wrong with planning in advance. Preparing in advance in noble. In order to be organized in any facet of life it requires planning and preparation. As someone who misses the planning more than not, I get the disruption it can cause and the lack of clarity it provides others when you fail to plan accordingly.

But who really plans out every hour of their next month weeks in advance? It is like writing your first draft of an important letter or memo in permanent marker. Similar to filling out passport forms and you get one chance before you start over. By version #5 you may find success and correctly input all the right information in the right color ink with 0 mistakes.

Of course there are new companies to highlight, but also old companies doing new things; evolving, pivoting, innovating, growing and collaborating. I must admit, finding the right bucket or title for solutions and problem solvers (thank Rich Viola and HealthTac for the reference) is one of the greatest challenges. This Q3 release has a new approach to labeling. Another thanks to Jody Holtzman who gave me the the idea of “aspirational” categories. What is the solution trying to do, what is their goal, or the quantifiable outcome? When you look at the categories and buckets as a blank canvas, your mind open up a little bit.

All of us are well aware that senior living, regardless of level of care, needs a big makeover. A reimagining. An overhaul.  Some say we need to blow it up and start over.  Some say it has run its course and the generations to come have zero interest of ever leaving their home.  There is absolutely validity backed by consumer research that supports that mindset, but I have had a lot of conversations with people in senior living and many of them never planned on leaving their home.  I am not sure this is a generation thing as much as a human control thing.