McKnight’s Senior Living recently featured RCare in an article about innovative technologies that are improving care in senior communities. Called the “Strong, Silent Type,” the article focuses on the importance of resident comfort, safety and peace of mind. And it addresses the challenge of providing that security discreetly, and with respect for the dignity and independence of the residents.

How do communities accomplish this? And how do they manage it without burning out their staff with unrealistic expectations? The article had some very specific suggestions for technology and innovative industry leaders, including RCare. The innovations highlighted by the article help raise the level of care in senior living communities by offering comfort, safety and peace of mind, while preserving the independence and autonomy of the residents.

The article spotlighted the RCare GeoPendant as an excellent example of a product that lets caregivers custom-define safe zones for residents who need them. “Seniors can move about the community freely, but if they move outside an individually customized safety zone, a discreet alert can be sent to specified caregivers.” This is especially important in mixed communities, where not all residents have the same needs, and the needs of any resident may change over time. “Because residents’ security and care needs differ and will continue evolving over time, security solutions providers also must develop flexible products to meet those changes.”

In fact, the GeoPendant was designed for mixed communities. It allows care staff to use the right tool for individual residents who can benefit from it. Meanwhile, it helps reduce the problem of alarm fatigue, an issue the article points out is becoming an increasing concern for communities. By integrating a wide variety of devices with their nurse call system, RCare avoids loud alarms, and instead alerts are sent to caregivers quietly, discreetly, and efficiently.

RCare’s GeoPendant allows operators to define customized areas that are safe for a resident, without using walls and locked doors.

The article also addressed the growing trend in wireless nurse call systems, and RCare is at the forefront, providing a full line of wireless systems. “Wireless solutions also continue to gain ground in the senior housing segment, a shift experts attribute to the ease of use and scalability of WiFi, which can allow operators to more easily cover their entire campuses.”

As RCare’s marketing director Mike Andolina pointed out, residents deserve privacy and health data protection. In order to be effective for communities, nurse call systems and their integrated devices also need to be HIPAA-compliant. “To help meet those requirements, RCare’s customized, locked-down RPhone offers all the key caregiver communication features needed to address resident needs, while excluding other features that could jeopardize privacy, such as camera, personal texts or social media access.” And that’s critical to communities, where HIPAA is a very real part of day-to-day operations. Communities want their staff to have the best tools available, but those tools have to meet the regulatory needs of the organization as well.

Read the whole article at www.mcknightsseniorliving.com.