Residents in more than 300 senior living communities in the United States and United Kingdom soon will have access to video calling and other functions of a voice assistant. A large implementation by Volara, in collaboration with LeadingAge and other organizations in the field, are providing Google Next Hub Max devices to 9,000 residents.

LeadingAge CAST Patron HumanGood is one of several organizations helping to implement this technology, along with CDW Healthcare, the Lighthouse for Older Adults project, and Google.

The devices have 10-inch touchscreen displays, two-way Google Duo video calling, support for eight languages, and a hearing-impaired mode, according to a recent press release. Volara sets up the devices and installs the residents’ personal contacts so that residents can use voice commands to make video calls right away.

The devices also give residents access to diverse content, including topics such as health and fitness, music, film, news, religion, games, cooking, and more.

“When COVID-19 hit, we became concerned about the impact of forced isolation on seniors and knew we could provide a solution,” said Volara CEO David Berger in the press release. “We became hyper focused on enabling as many seniors as possible to communicate with their children, grandchildren, doctors, and clergy face to face just by uttering a simple voice command.”

Volara is said to be the largest provider of enterprise-grade voice assistant solutions in the senior living industry and offers a Technology Concierge Membership Program for seniors in independent and assisted living communities.

Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, noted the importance of technology in improving outcomes for older adults.

“Our partnership with Volara, the solution provider that customizes, deploys, and manages the Google Nest Hub Max devices for use in affordable housing communities, is a terrific example of the technology’s benefits as well as of the continued need for our advocacy,” said Sloan in the press release. “We must ensure older adults have access to Internet service and devices so they can take advantage of the telehealth revolution and protect themselves from the ravages of social isolation.”

Pandemic Tech Learnings at Free Virtual Summit June 8-10

Join the upcoming Collaborative Care & Health IT Innovations Summit, which LeadingAge CAST convenes online June 8-10, 2021, to learn about more technology lessons learned during the pandemic.

Be sure to catch the following keynote and sessions: 

“Pandemic As Propellant: How COVID-19 Made Technology The New Toilet Paper For Younger & Older Consumers,” by Joe Coughlin, Ph.D., Founder & Director, MIT AgeLab at MIT, on June 8 at 1 p.m.

“Panel VI: Innovative Uses of Telehealth During Crises,” to be held June 9 at 4 p.m., will share best practices and lessons learned from providers who ramped up their telehealth implementations and social engagement technologies during the pandemic.

After a year of struggling with COVID, many providers have shared that their budgets will not allow them to attend this year’s Collaborative Care & Health IT Innovations Summit. LeadingAge is now offering free registration to all care providers across the collaborative care continuum, to enable everyone to come together, learn, share, and collaborate.

Register for free today!