Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a fascinating topic for me and many others and has continued to grow in popular consciousness. For many, including myself, their introduction to AI came through movies like Terminator 2, which presents a dystopian future where computers control the lives of humans; thank goodness for John Connor. While we don’t advocate for such a future, we believe AI can improve the senior living industry.
At its core, AI is a learning tool that uses data to inform decisions. AI in senior living is a conversation that occurs, but not to the level of opportunity and needed clarity, especially regarding resident and staff engagement. Numerous questions remain about AI, but we should ask whether AI is being looked at to improve the lives of older adults and residents in senior living communities.
Among its many benefits, there is still a fear of adoption, but we need to remember that AI simply cannot replace the need for a human presence, even more so within the senior living industry. An AI programmed for interaction through a screen can augment social interaction but cannot replace the positive impact of person-to-person connection.
AI can be designed to provide critical and personal resident information to staff, which can aid in and accelerate more fulfilling and personal connections and improve quality of life. Therefore, we should supplement some of our work with AI to become better providers.
What Are The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence?
- AI uses computers to do things that traditionally require human intelligence
- AI can process large amounts of data in ways that humans simply cannot achieve, regardless of knowledge or expertise
- AI is capable of identifying patterns in an objective and accurate manner
- AI solves complex problems, reducing subjective conversations and meetings aimed at fixing something
- AI creates processes that inform the staff to be proactive instead of reactionary
AI does Things That Traditionally Require Human Intelligence
One of the most rewarding experiences in senior living is working with people. Yet, at the same time, working with people is one of its most challenging aspects. This reveals the importance of how we inform and empower staff to engage and interact with residents.
Each of us develops a unique and complex personality over our lifetimes. It is truly a tall order to learn the subtleties of each resident and then understand how best to make them feel comfortable and thrive. This takes time to develop, and the process starts over in the case of staff turnover.
Traditionally when a new resident moves into a senior living community, they are interviewed by a staff member who writes down important resident information. Whatever resource you are using to collect that data, the most important thing to remember is if it isn’t being reviewed or passed along to other staff, it loses its value.
TSOLife provides a talk-to-text functionality with the ability to gather all of your resident data in an online profile for each resident. The resident profile is funneled through Minerva, our AI-powered platform, which will automatically provide your staff with Active Insights about each of your residents. This is an excellent example of how AI is being used to empower staff members with an enhanced way to engage with residents more personally.
Our technology platform is not limited to a single department or individual. For example, our AI provides personalized insights to caregivers, empowering them to connect with residents and identify shared interests. This data can help staff create intentional connections with residents. It can also be used by sales and marketing teams to gather and understand valuable community information.
AI Can Process Large Amounts of Data
The amount of data generated by senior living communities can be overwhelming, from resident health records to resident interests and community engagement. While humans can analyze and make sense of this data, the sheer volume of information makes it challenging to identify trends or patterns, which is where artificial intelligence can make a significant impact. AI algorithms can efficiently process and analyze vast amounts of data in a fraction of the time it would take a human to do so. Allowing senior living communities to quickly and accurately identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions based on AI and business intelligence that ultimately benefit residents and staff alike.
AI is Identifying Patterns
AI in senior living communities has the capability of identifying patterns in an objective and accurate manner. When we rely solely on human data entry, we put accurate, reliable, and consistent data at risk of error, inaccuracies, or lack of motivation. Human errors are inevitable, especially in a fast-paced, dynamic environment like a senior living community. With AI working for us, we can capture larger data sets more quickly and rely on it for an output to help identify trends or patterns in human behavior without manipulating subjective feelings.
In the senior living setting, juggling staffing demands can be challenging. AI can help reduce some of these challenges. In addition, we can see improved quality of life by limiting human bias by incorporating AI into daily operations. AI doesn’t replace human interactions or job duties but enhances them by assisting staff to recognize how vital and dependent the business is on their work and various roles.
AI Creates Processes That Inform Staff to be Proactive, Not Reactionary
In senior living communities, staff must constantly balance the demands of residents’ immediate needs with planning for their long-term care. As a result, it can be difficult for staff to stay ahead of potential issues and provide the best possible care for residents. However, by leveraging AI-powered tools, staff can gain valuable insights into residents’ interests and preferences.
In addition to providing staff members with valuable insights into residents’ behavior, AI-powered insights about residents can enhance communication between staff and residents. By understanding each resident’s preferences and personality traits, staff members can better tailor their interactions to suit each individual’s needs. This helps build stronger relationships between staff and residents, leading to improved quality of life and higher satisfaction levels for everyone involved.
AI-powered tools like TSOLife’s Active Insights transform the senior living industry by enabling staff members to be more proactive, responsive, and effective. By leveraging the power of AI, senior living communities can improve care outcomes, enhance the resident experience, and create a more positive work environment for staff.
Enhancing the resident experience starts by building community and friendships. The AI tools can quickly identify like-minded residents based on their past, present, and future experiences and aspirations. When engagement staff has helpful information at their fingertips without having to search or recall handwritten notes, the quicker and more authentic the transition is for residents to assimilate into the community and build a peer network.
Although AI can be intimidating, especially with all kinds of AI, it continues to become more prevalent in our everyday lives and the senior living industry. Make it a goal to continue learning now how it can be leveraged to benefit your communities or the staff working with your residents; the more you’ll get out of it in the future. I recommend learning more about where AI is available in the senior living industry, and the best place to start is TSOlife.com, even if I’m a little biased.