At a Glance:
By seamlessly integrating Amazon’s Alexa for Senior Living voice AI and video technology into their platform, Serenity transformed the community into a personalized digital concierge service, adding smart coordination and consolidated communication to the otherwise complex senior care system,
As a result, The Gardens at St. Elizabeth:
- Connects Providers on one Platform: Physicians, Director of Nursing/Wellness, Hospice and Physical Therapists are able to oversee shared care of a residents on one communication channel
- Increases Revenue: Helps close 1-2 new move-ins every month
- Boosts Staff Satisfaction: Staff turnover dropped by a whopping 40% (equivalent to a $54,000-$96,000 savings annually) and staff saves 5-10 hours a week by lessening the burden on overstretched care providers no longer needing to chase paper, listen to voicemails, and address miscommunication issues.
- Strengthens Industry Reputation: Showcasing Serenity at The Gardens’ industry open house networking events was a big hit with placement agents. It showed the industry how proactive their community was in satisfying older adults’ craving to learn something new and get savvier with technology.
Setting the Stage
The Gardens at St. Elizabeth, a CHI Living Community within CommonSpirit Health, stands as part of the largest Catholic and second-largest nonprofit health care system in the United States. Offering a range of living options, including independent and assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, and rehabilitation services.
Families find solace in considering The Gardens as “home” for their loved ones due to its inclusive and welcoming culture, valuing independence and striving to meet aging-in-place needs while maintaining a delicate balance between personal freedom and compassionate care.
Improving Communication to Support Independence
The Gardens at St Elizabeth recognized the common misconception that everything is automatically taken care of when an aging adult moves into senior care, resulting in loved ones having to manage communication gaps due to stretched staff and accommodating multiple patients.
Determined to enhance their level of care, The Gardens embarked on a journey to establish seamless connections and communication channels among care providers, senior communities, older adults, and families.
Enter Serenity.
“Information sharing is the best medicine for senior care. When everyone on a resident’s care team has access to collaborate with the same information, decision-making is harmonized and the entire senior care ecosystem experiences reduced variability in care.”
The partnership led to the first-ever use of smart display technology at the Gardens, powered by Serenity’s Smart Community platform. By engaging with Amazon’s Alexa for Senior Living voice-enabled AI, older adults have more control of their day in addition to taking the pressure off the front desk with phone calls to answer questions about the day’s meals, what movie is playing, what services are being done to the building, plus much more.
“Serenity’s Smart Community platform is game-changing. It gives residents the independence they crave in a way that makes their lives easier. Residents feel like they have a friend by their side. It can tell them the weather, play music, or let them sign up for activities or a visit to the salon. It has exceeded all expectations to streamline our communication across the community.” – Melissa Santistevan, Interim Executive Director
Maintenance Updates
The Garden’s Maintenance Director excitedly adopted Serenity to better communicate with residents and his staff. He sends messages for things such as planned or unplanned power or internet outages, an elevator repair, or building plumbing repairs that may impact residents. No more squawking walkie-talkies!
Marketing the Community
Interim Executive Director, Melissa Santistevan, uses an Alexa device to market the community by setting a station up in the lobby during tours. The families are blown away at the convenience, response time, and efficiency the care teams and residents have by communicating this way.
“When families learn and see first-hand how they can text our care team with questions or updates and get an immediate response, they are ecstatic. Serenity helps put a spotlight on the already extraordinary work that’s being done within our community that people don’t see every day. It builds a certain level of trust that gives families greater peace of mind!” – Melissa Santistevan
Guiding Through the Healthcare Journey
Serenity connects The Garden’s incredible team of outside healthcare providers, internal care teams, and loved ones near and far. It fills communication gaps during medical appointments, therapy sessions, and medication updates.
The Director of Wellness plays a pivotal role, much like an air traffic controller, in managing and coordinating communication with external stakeholders. Their responsibilities include ensuring prompt and accurate information transfer, collaborating with outside professionals to identify and prevent health issues, and leveraging resident information to deliver faster care, eliminate errors, and enhance the quality of life for inside their community.
As a result of this integrated communication, The Garden’s is able to:
* Accelerate time-to-care
* Identify and prevent health issues
* Eliminate communication errors, misinterpretations, or misunderstandings
* Ensure higher quality of life for residents
* Potentially minimize medication usage
Furthermore, by directly communicating with third-party providers like Bloom Healthcare and Legacy Healthcare Services, Inc, as well as on-site therapists, Serenity ensures continuity of care and simplifies information retrieval. Families receive immediate feedback on their loved ones’ physical therapy status, wellness appointments, and prescription refills. Serenity’s referral channel also makes it easier for new residents to establish care with a primary doctor. No more waiting or navigating through call centers; all the information is easily accessible.
“As part of a large care community, multiple people are providing services, so we’re always trying to align information and resources. It’s nice to have this collaboration where everyone has access to one another for consistency of information and no exchange of personal phone numbers are needed. Serenity has saved me 1-2 hours every single day from chasing paper, answering phone calls, and responding to emails. Sharing care through real-time communication with one single post has helped us not miss a beat.” – Jess Peterson, PTA, CDP, CFPS, ECDCS, CGIP, Memory Care Manager/Wellness Coordinator
ABOUT SERENITY CONNECT
Serenity Connect is the only network that allows aging service providers, older adults, and their loved ones to “care together.” Our web, mobile and Alexa assistant products power the network to enable real-time, HIPAA-compliant communication, collaboration, and education. Providers and communities increase revenue and lower expenses, while families and older adults get better care and greater peace of mind.
