LeadingAge CAST has released a new Digital Transformation in Aging Services guide. Use it to learn how digital transformation can help you address staffing issues, manage demand for bandwidth, and make the most of current technologies. The white paper also presents multiple pointers on how to achieve digital transformation.

Digital transformation is the process and journey of using digital technologies to create new—or modify existing—organizational processes, culture, and resident and staff experiences to meet changing business and market requirements. While technology platforms are a key element, digital transformation is more than installing a single solution. It begins and ends with how you think about, and engage with, residents and staff.

Why Digital Transformation Matters

Several factors affecting the industry make digital transformation critical for today’s senior living organizations. Staffing issues are challenging the aging services sector, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount of data that organizations generate, need, and use is growing exponentially. Demand for bandwidth has kept pace with skyrocketing data needs.

Fortunately, digital technologies have evolved to be much more useful and efficient in supporting processes than ever before, making the situation ripe for digital transformation.

Benefits

Digital transformation is important in aging services because it increases productivity and reduces labor costs, improves the resident and employee experience, and drives innovation. The positive outcomes of this process can be a market differentiator for the organization.

Key Elements of the White Paper

The white paper outlines the elements your organization needs to achieve digital transformation, starting with buy-in from your leadership. The building blocks on the technology end include ensuring you have a strong operational backbone and digital platform. An iterative approach to engaging customers, residents, and employees to gain their insights is important, as is an accountability framework for product managers.

If an organization successfully adopts the first four building blocks of digital transformation, customer demand for new and more-refined offerings eventually will outpace its ability to deliver. Then, developing an external developer platform allows a company to supplement its own offerings with those of partners who specialize in other areas.

Application Areas Primed for Digital Transformation

Several areas are primed for digital transformation, especially in aging services organizations. To guide your organization’s journey, the white paper highlights potential use cases and their potential benefit in these areas: back-office operations, clinical care, resident/client support services, dining services, facilities/maintenance management, and customer relationship management.

Planning and Scaling

The white paper continues with extensive guidance on planning for digital transformation and bringing your new digital approach to scale. It includes pointers on how to look at your strategic goal from a digital transformation perspective, assess your organization’s digital maturity, assemble the best team, and create a structure and process for digital transformation. It also recommends creating platforms that can scale not only the infrastructure but also the outcomes.

Be sure to check out the new Digital Transformation in Aging Services guide.