Technology can improve a senior living community substantially, but only if staff and residents are willing to actively engage with new technology and maximize its potential. To ensure successful technology implementation, it is critical to prioritize widespread adoption. However, many communities do not place enough importance on implementing community-wide adoption strategies.

Below are some strategies that help increase the likelihood that staff and residents will adopt technology and benefit from it.

• Communicate Relevant Value: An organization should clearly define the value of the technology that is relevant to staff and resident needs. For example, the technology may reduce workloads by improving staff efficiency or enhance resident services, experience, and quality of life.
• Provide Ongoing Training and Support: Residents and staff are more likely to use and adopt a technology if they feel supported and confident in their ability to use it. Organizations should offer more than just one or two initial trainings. Providers should give ongoing training to residents and staff, establish support channels, and identify resources to address technical issues. This comprehensive support can help overcome any barriers to adoption.
• Involve Users Early: Residents and staff should be part of the technology decision-making process early on. They should have an opportunity to demo the technology and provide feedback before any decisions are made, to help create and build buy-in.
• Call Out Any Concerns: Understand and address any concerns residents or staff may have about technology up front. Being transparent about the potential concerns (such as privacy) and capabilities of the technology can help build trust and increase adoption.   
• Identify Influencers and Early Adopters: Influencers and early adopters can dramatically help promote the technology and drive adoption. These individuals can help spread the word about the technology to their colleagues or neighbors and encourage others to try it out. Residents teaching residents can be a very powerful driver for adoption. 

If you are thinking about implementing some of these technology adoption strategies, please consider the following questions.

• Features and Benefits: What are the main features and benefits of the technology, and how do they align with the needs and goals of the users (residents and/or staff)?
• Barriers: What are the potential concerns, challenges, or barriers to adoption, and how can they be addressed or mitigated?
• Integration: How can the technology be integrated into the users’ existing workflows and processes?
• Training: What kind of training and support will be needed to help users learn how to use the technology effectively?
• User Experience: How can the technology be made more user-friendly and intuitive, and how can the user experience be improved?
• Metrics: What kind of metrics or indicators can be used to measure the success of the technology, and how can they be tracked over time?
• Promotions: How can the technology be promoted and marketed to increase awareness and adoption, and what channels or platforms should be used?

By asking these questions and addressing the concerns and needs of the residents and staff, you can accelerate technology adoption. For additional use cases of technology implementation and adoption, please review the CAST Case Studies.