Innovation and Technology
70th AHCA/NCAL Convention and Expo
Juliet Holt Klinger, MA
Senior Director of Dementia Care and Programs
Brookdale Senior Living, Inc.
Disclosure: Nothing to Disclose
Juliet Kerlin, MA
Director, Program & Research Partnerships
It's Never 2 Late
Disclosure: Nothing to Disclose
Senior living professionals are looking to improve clinical and quality of life outcomes for their residents. Person-centered engagement technology provides opportunities to engage and care for residents undergoing physical and cognitive decline by focusing on their strengths and interests and by encouraging creativity, self-expression, and continued personal development.
This session will look at multiple technology solutions geared toward individuals living with dementia as well as how Brookdale has successfully rolled out these technologies. In addition, we will review research that evaluates engagement-technology programs throughout the country. Technology-delivered engagement and therapies can mitigate the feelings of boredom and loneliness that older adults living with dementia experience all too often by lessening isolation, increasing a sense of empowerment and well-being, and in many cases reducing the use of psychotropic medications. Engagement technology also provides easier access to family and friends and the world at large, and allows staff to embrace the belief that well-being encompasses all the dimensions of personhood—mind, body, and spirit. If approached with specific objectives and milestones in place, the rewards to residents, as well as professional and familial caregivers, can be transformative. Geared toward nontechnical individuals, this session explores technologies that deliver dramatic breakthroughs to multiple constituencies, demographics, and age groups. It’s a positive message to deliver in a world increasingly concerned about the staggering growth of dementia.