Looking for innovative ways that technology can satisfy residents and address workforce issues? Check out these highlights from the recent LeadingAge Annual Meeting. The meeting included 14 sessions on aging services technology and took place November 5-8 in Chicago.

You can also use the new LeadingAge tool Unlocking Workforce Technology Solutions to choose the best tech solutions.

Solutions that Satisfy Residents and Staff

HealthTech shared lessons learned in “LeadingAge23: Adapting to New Residents and Workforce Needs in Senior Care.” For residents, projects such as upgrading a community’s network and bandwidth can increase satisfaction. So can paying close attention to the kinds of technology residents want to use, recognizing that many prospects and residents are now tech savvy.

To address workforce needs, providers should consider how to increase staff satisfaction as well as save time.

Using technology thoughtfully to offer services that matter to staff members can help with retention. Panelists mentioned providing staff with single sign-on accounts and documents that could answer employee questions. Systems that provide same-day pay can also boost employee morale.

“Celebrating staff and recognition is incredibly important,” Peter Corless, executive vice president of enterprise development at OnShift, a LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus, is quoted as saying.

The article also shared advice from Steven VanderVelde, director of senior living partnership at ProviNET Solutions, a LeadingAge Business Associate. He advised senior care organizations to use automation and artificial intelligence to augment their workforces, citing solutions that automate redundant tasks or monitor patients.

HealthTech presented examples from several providers who are using artificial intelligence (AI) to backstop workers in “LeadingAge23: How Will Generative AI and Robotics Impact Senior Care?”

At Cypress Living, a LeadingAge CAST Patron, AI in helpdesk software supports the IT department. Presbyterian Senior Living, a LeadingAge member, began using robotics in its dining services during the pandemic. Robotics help with medication management, physical therapy, telemedicine, entertainment, and wayfinding at RiverSpring Living, a LeadingAge CAST Patron.

New LeadingAge Tool: Unlocking Workforce Technology Solutions

If you are considering new workforce technologies, check out the new LeadingAge tool Unlocking Workforce Technology Solutions. In a market with a wide range of options, the tool gives you an easy-to-understand map of technology solutions in several categories:

• Recruitment and Retention
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Education and Training
• Workflow Efficiencies
• Robotics
• HR Tools

Each category has information on what the technology does, what effort is needed to implement the solution, and where to find more information.

The tool also offers discussion prompts to guide team leaders and board members in exploring technology solutions. The prompts explore topics such as how to address costs and find funding, how to decide if the solution fits within the organization’s strategic plan, and how the organization can address digital equity among team members.

Scott Code, vice president of LeadingAge CAST, and Jenna Kellerman, director of workforce strategy and development at LeadingAge, developed the tool.