Nanowave technology, which is being used to prevent the spread of COVID-19, has come to senior living. Presbyterian SeniorCare Network®, which serves more than 6,500 older adults each year in 10 counties in western Pennsylvania and is a LeadingAge Provider Member, has become the first aging services provider to deploy a new Nanowave technology device made by Dynamics.

This technology is also being expanded to address pathogens beyond COVID-19, which could assist with future infection control.

Nanowave Tech Inactivates Multiple Pathogens

The Dynamics proprietary Nanowave technology is said to be the first technology to inactivate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Dynamics released Nanowave Air™, the first publicly available product to incorporate the Nanowave technology, in November.

In early December, Dynamics announced that its Nanowave technology has successfully inactivated the deadly Staphylococcus bacteria in fast-moving air, and inactivation rates have been developed for the pathogens that cause the common cold, staph infection, influenza, and tuberculosis, among others. 

Deployment in Staff Breakrooms

Presbyterian SeniorCare Network received its first two Nanowave Air devices on Nov. 25, 2020. These were deployed immediately in two employee breakrooms at the Willows skilled nursing center on the Oakmont campus, where the Network is headquartered. 

While staff members are screened each day before going to their shifts, limit group sizes in breakrooms, and follow social distancing and other precautions, employees need to take off their masks when eating or drinking. “So in an abundance of caution, we decided to use the Nanowave devices in the breakrooms, since it’s the one area where masking cannot be 100% of the time,” said Network COVID-19 Task Force Leader Susan Dachille, RN, MBA VP, of Quality and Risk Management.

Despite the limited supply, Presbyterian SeniorCare Network has secured an additional nine Nanowave Air devices and will deploy them in additional breakrooms in area communities. “The portability of these devices also is an attractive feature for us since we can move these to other geographies in our Network or different areas within a community based on changing needs and priorities,” added Dachille.

About Presbyterian SeniorCare Network

Presbyterian SeniorCare Network is a non-profit, faith-based network of living and care options with more than 2,100 employees. The region’s largest aging services provider, the Network includes LifePlan and independent living campuses, personal care and assisted living communities, skilled nursing centers offering short-stay rehabilitation, and more than 30 supportive housing communities for income-eligible adults and persons with disabilities. It is known as a Center of Excellence in three areas – Dementia Care, Rehabilitation and End-of-Life Care.