COVID-19, for better or worse, has slowed the resident security product pipeline, but it also  has inspired a new batch of innovative, market-ready ideas.

“Generally speaking, I have heard some vendors indicating rollouts of new technology initiatives have been delayed due to COVID and having access to the buildings,” said Scott Code, senior director, the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST).

Particularly hard hit have been new deployments, such as network infrastructure upgrades, that required physical access to buildings, according to CAST Executive Director Majd Alwan.

“The pandemic did impact when and how rollouts occurred,” said Mike Abcunas, senior solutions manager at STANLEY Healthcare. “There was a period when many communities needed to manage strictly who was on site, and of course had to focus all their time and resources on resident care. But that was an opportunity of another kind. We had more time to engage deeply with providers to truly understand their needs, which has led to a range of new collaborations.”

Trade show activity, of course, took a major hit across all industry sectors. That said, most “techies” and early adopters saw positive signs that lockdowns failed to stifle creativity.

“We’ve been busier in the last several months than ever before,” said Abcunas. “We’re seeing very strong demand for technology that communities believe will help them retain and rebuild census, provide better resident care and empower and motivate their staff so they are productive and fulfilled.”

Alwan said he witnessed “unprecedented interest” in use and support of social connectedness and telehealth technologies as providers leveraged off-the-shelf devices.

The pandemic itself has led to a slew of innovations in infection control and contact-free applications such as touchless elevator buttons, biometric remote monitoring using imaging and QR codes for thermometers, and infrared cameras. Also flourishing have been dynamic face-detection displays and COVID kiosks that automatically check temperature while logging vital visitor management data and apps around virtual therapy visits.

From the October 2021 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News