I recently received an email from a reader asking me about technology in long term care facilities. He was curious about how nursing homes implement emerging technologies into their facilities since the technology in the facility he placed his family member in is almost non existent.
With slim profit margins and an increased corporate presence, the amount of money being placed into non-essential technologies is minimal. Our company, Fox Learning Systems, has experienced this firsthand. FLS creates a multimedia presentation that requires a basic computer to experience the learning environment. In the early days of the company, many nursing homes did not have computers. Although that has changed in the eleven years we have been in business it is often surprising how low tech some multi-million dollar facilities remain. But money isn’t the only issue we are dealing with when it comes to technology. Training, or lack thereof, for nurses, assistants and administrators is often over looked when it comes to technology. Many facilities still rely on the conventional in-service lectures to meet their training needs.
But this is changing and the tipping point of this new change may well be You Tube. This internet phenomenon is almost identical to our presentation style (minus the advertisements of course). There will be a new wave of elder care employees that will understand and want to see content implemented through this new type of technology. Even seeing facilities starting to use the Nintendo Wii as part of exercise and rehabilitation programs gives some hope that technology and its benefits will soon be standard practice instead of a luxury.
With slim profit margins and an increased corporate presence, the amount of money being placed into non-essential technologies is minimal. Our company, Fox Learning Systems, has experienced this firsthand. FLS creates a multimedia presentation that requires a basic computer to experience the learning environment. In the early days of the company, many nursing homes did not have computers. Although that has changed in the eleven years we have been in business it is often surprising how low tech some multi-million dollar facilities remain. But money isn’t the only issue we are dealing with when it comes to technology. Training, or lack thereof, for nurses, assistants and administrators is often over looked when it comes to technology. Many facilities still rely on the conventional in-service lectures to meet their training needs.
But this is changing and the tipping point of this new change may well be You Tube. This internet phenomenon is almost identical to our presentation style (minus the advertisements of course). There will be a new wave of elder care employees that will understand and want to see content implemented through this new type of technology. Even seeing facilities starting to use the Nintendo Wii as part of exercise and rehabilitation programs gives some hope that technology and its benefits will soon be standard practice instead of a luxury.
