The more things change…Argentum published a new survey of senior living executives last month, querying execs about tech adoption, including thoughts about AI in senior living. The report (also sponsored by A Place for Mom) compared two sets of responses about tech from 2023 and 2024 – enabling a possible comparison. On the upbeat side, as of 2024, 76% of responders are optimistic about the role AI can play in their organizations. That question was probably not asked in 2023, so there was nothing to compare, but a number of them today are apparently experimenting with AI. They say that the uses are for staffing efficiency, care planning and improved resident interaction. Perhaps a number of them read a most 2024 report from this website, The Future of AI in Senior Living and Care and saw possibilities for improved documentation, staff education, and even the potential for predictive analytics.
Just looking at those three aspects – what are they actually doing? The survey indicated 85% using ‘digital dashboards to visualize data trends and patterns.’ However, those dashboards (maybe not AI-enabled) lacked a common view of residents’ health and wellbeing driven from all implemented data sets. The majority said they lacked any way to integrate their data with health care systems, which no doubt contributed to the view of 77% who said that primary issue was ‘interoperability between software tools and access to data sets.’ Ironically this number was up from the year prior. Translated, perhaps in 2023, because Covid’s public health emergency only expired in 2023 – their attention understandably was elsewhere.
Senior living tech obstacles have been ongoing. In 2024, the top issue for 74% of responders? The difficulty in demonstrating the ROI on new tech investments – 63% said that the second biggest barrier was lacking the funding and resources to do more. These issues have been noted for a long time, usually couched in the ‘optimistic’ side of the need to implement new technologies in senior living in the ‘coming year’ whether that year was 2019 or represented the biggest issue of 2014, implementing EHR technology. When asked what they would do if they had an additional $2 million for tech projects, comments were revealing: finish implementing Electronic Health Records (EHR), add resident monitoring, better call bell technology, and voice-activated status check-in for resident apartments. All this, of course, has been available for years.
…The more things WILL change…it’s a conundrum. The industry is facing challenges from all directions, not the least of which are demographics – the baby boomers begin turning 80 in January – for the next 20 years! The cost of senior living is viewed by many as prohibitive for the next wave of prospective customers, especially in some geographies like California. Any problems that occur in senior living are extremely well-publicized. Consumers delay and delay a move. They say repeatedly that they want to age in their own homes, however impractical that may be. Home care may look like a better (cheaper) option, but only if you do not buy a lot of it – otherwise it is comparable. And it lacks the social connections that residents in senior living may enjoy, whether it is with staff or peers. And of course, many senior living organizations supplement staff for an increasingly frail resident population…with home care.
