Tag Archive for: McKnight’s

Women of Distinction

Today is International Women’s Day, which is a day set aside each year to commemorate the achievements of women. First observed in 1909 in New York City, it’s now a global holiday for celebrating the many contributions of women to society, culture, politics and business.

How are you going to celebrate? For those in the Senior Living industry, we recommend registering for the McKnight’s Women of Distinction celebration.

McKnight’s Women of Distinction

This 2-day virtual celebration is organized by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living. It recognizes and honors an amazing slate of women who inspire others and have a powerful effect on the lives of the individuals they serve in the senior living industry.

This year’s event, held virtually on May 18 and 19, celebrates women in three categories.

    • The Hall of Honor is for senior-level professionals in the C-suite or at a level equivalent to vice president or higher and have made a significant impact on their organization or the long-term care industry. This year, 19 women are being inducted into the Hall of Honor.
    • Veteran VIPs are women who have worked in senior living or skilled nursing for more than 15 years, and whose hard work and unrelenting dedication has helped make life better for countless residents. This year, the first for this category, 15 women are being recognized as Veteran VIPs.
    • Rising Stars are women under age 40 or with fewer than 15 years of experience in the senior living or skilled nursing fields. These 17 women have demonstrated an exceptional commitment at the community or corporate level.

In addition to celebrating and being inspired by this year’s honorees, attendees can learn from, engage with, and listen to the industry’s A-list leaders, network with peers, and get insights into issues important to women leaders working in long-term care today. 

Learn more about McKnight’s Women of Distinction 2021.

Caregiver of the Year Award

RCare has its own slate of amazing women to recognize. Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing with you the inspiring stories of the three amazing women who were selected for this year’s RCare Caregiver of the Year award. We’re excited to tell you more about these three women making a difference in senior care.

RCare Touted as Robust Solution by McKnight's Senior Living

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.

RCare's GeoPendant in McKnight's Senior LivingThe 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.”

RCare RPhone in McKnight's Senior LivingAs 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.