To help aging services providers choose technologies that engage their residents effectively, LeadingAge CAST has updated its Social Connectedness and Engagement Technology Selection Tool.

This key resource is one of 10 CAST Technology Selection Tools that guide providers to learn about essential technologies through a dedicated white paper, then to find the products that best meet their organization’s needs through online matrices of technology solutions on the market, an online selection tool, and case studies.

Innovative New Product Updates

The Social Connectedness and Engagement Technology Selection Tool now offers updated information on 36 relevant products, as well as two new products:

• ONSCREEN offers a user-friendly technology that turns TVs and tablets into portals for connection, companionship, and care, complete with the ability to answer phone calls and texts and conduct video calls.
• Friend.fi Fara trains and serves state-of-the-art AI models to enable everyone to have a healthy relationship with an empathic, engaging, and trustworthy friend trained to positively influence health and well-being.

Real-World Case Studies

In addition, the updated tool offers four new case studies with real-world best practices on how to successfully implement social connectedness and engagement technologies.

Increasing Resident Engagement Through Integrated Technology

Chicago’s Presbyterian Living, a LeadingAge member, implemented Go Icon’s unified engagement platform to modernize and centralize communication and increase engagement across its three life plan communities. The organization leveraged Go Icon’s ability to integrate with key systems, such as WorxHub and Mealsuite, allowing residents to access work orders, dining menus, events, and community updates from one centralized location. Importantly, the platform was extended to include off-campus residents.

A majority of residents (68%) are registered on the Go Icon platform, and half of those log in weekly. Off-campus “charter members” are highly engaged. With easy access to information and peer interactions, residents feel a stronger sense of community. Staff enjoy streamlined communications and daily operations, with more time and less complexity.

Enhancing Life and Work at Masonic Village through Integrated Digital Solutions

Senior living community Masonic Village at Elizabethtown in Pennsylvania, also a LeadingAge member, used K4Connect’s FusionOS platform and the K4Community suite of integrated tools and applications to revolutionize how residents and staff interact with technology.

With integrated systems, residents gain access to real-time information—from dining menus, account balances, and work order status—directly in their app. These innovative solutions led to an impressive increase of over 87% in resident app engagement and saved more than 2,000 staff hours, promoting a stronger sense of community and efficiency.

Pine Haven Christian Communities & LifeLoop

Local care facility Pine Haven Christian Communities in Sheboygan County, WI, implemented engagement content by LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus LifeLoop across its three campuses. By leveraging LifeLoop’s digital calendar, communication tools, and attendance tracking, along with iN2L engagement content, Pine Haven streamlined operations and created a more personalized, connected experience for residents and families.

With LifeLoop, staff time needed for activity planning and calendar creation now takes 10 hours per month instead of 40, freeing staff time by 75% for more meaningful resident interactions. Attendance tracking takes a third of the time to accomplish twice as many tasks. Activity attendance improved, family communication was simplified, and photo galleries led to greater family engagement.

The Golden Age to Stay Connected: How Uniguest Technology Enhances Senior Living at Discovery Village

Discovery Village is a senior living community in Naples, FL, that partnered with Uniguest to implement Community Hub, a digital engagement platform designed to connect residents to community life through technology. By integrating tools like community apps, digital signage, digital calendars, and resident TV, the community empowered residents to remain independent, informed, and socially engaged. Uniguest’s headset technology improved accessibility, especially for residents with hearing difficulties.

Staff focused on showing residents how technology could support their routines, yielding more sign-ups for activities, more conversations, more independence, and a renewed sense of community connection.