Aging baby boomers are increasingly looking to downsize and move into something smaller, more convenient. Seeking entertainment, activities, and community, many of them opt to move into senior living properties that connect them with folks in their age group who share similar interests.
The majority of seniors are incredibly comfortable using technological devices. To provide a comforting living experience, senior living communities must begin investing in technology that enables their residents to feel right at home. For example, a high-speed network for senior living communities enables properties to deliver data, video, and voice to residents so that they can enjoy their new home.
If seniors are unable to watch their favorite shows on Netflix or browse Facebook to see pictures of their grandchildren, they may look elsewhere for a community that can offer these digital accommodations.
Here are four areas of technology that healthcare administrators should begin to prioritize in their senior living communities:
1. High-speed Internet access
In 2018, 74 percent of senior living communities invested in infrastructure and systems that support high-speed Internet access (HSIA).
This makes perfect sense: How can residents feel at home in their community if they lack access to their favorite shows and websites and can’t connect to Wi-Fi to FaceTime their friends and family?
Though you can invest in wired systems that your residents can plug their devices into directly, today’s leading properties offer robust Wi-Fi services that enable seniors to connect to the Internet from all over the property.
2. Scalable bandwidth
When your residents have access to high-speed Internet, it is important that they can actually use that access as designed.
When too many concurrent users are on an inadequate network, bandwidth grinds to a halt and it takes forever to complete simple actions, such as loading a website or downloading an app.
If you’re in the market for a new senior living network solution, look for an option that offers enough bandwidth to meet your property’s needs and can grow as your community grows. Otherwise, you may end up upgrading your network only to find out the hard way that it isn’t working as well as you hoped—much to the chagrin of your residents.
3. Leading-Edge TVs for streaming
Your residents expect their in-room experience to be the same as it was in their homes.
To this end, it is beneficial to install smart TVs in your property that support modern television services, such as IPTV and streaming.
That way, they will be able to watch their favorite shows—whether they’re on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or YouTube.
4. Minimal hardware
Installing a community-wide network shouldn’t require significant amounts of hardware in each resident’s room. Hardware costs can add up, and residents prefer not to have the hardware cluttering up their living space.
Leading solutions enable communities like yours to deliver HD television experiences to your residents without having to put a set-top box in every room. These simplified solutions provide a much more comfortable environment that’s also easier to manage on the back end.
