Introduction – Autumn’s Arrival
After a surprisingly brisk and sweltering summer, autumn has finally arrived. The time of beach visits, outdoor concerts, and amusement park hijinks will now give way for cooler temperatures, pumpkin spice beverages, and the changing of the leaves. With that, comes new and fun activities for everyone to partake in—particularly seniors.
Autumn provides several unique opportunities for senior activities, and we here at Ivy Marketing are here to detail a few to you in the hopes that your own community will host them. Let’s get started!
1 – Autumn Festivals
The first activity that we’ll discuss is the eponymous autumn festival, a time for families to get together, eat food, play games, etc. This would be the perfect opportunity to have family members get together with their respective residents and go to a local festival! (This will require plenty of planning ahead, so be mindful of timing and scheduling.)
There are plenty of local festivals in the Chicagoland area, such as Nightmare on Chicago Street in Elgin (October 21st), Free Family Day at the Chicago Children’s Museum on the Near North Side (October 26th), and the Corporate and Community Tree Trim in Brookfield (November 11 – 12th). Additional festivals are can be found on several websites, such as the news site WTTW.
2 – Nature Walks
With the sweltering summer temperatures now in our rearview mirror, the slightly frostier autumn temperatures have now arrived. With that comes an easier time for seniors to make their way outside for a lovely nature walk, whether that be in the local park or even the local nature preserve. Your community can schedule these walks for your residents on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, so as to give them some fresh air—and maybe even some exercise! The cool air will no doubt be a much-needed reprieve at times, especially if certain residents have been unable to leave the community.
That being said, there are some things that need to brought to your attention. Since the seasons have changed, the weather can have an adverse effect on your residents. (For example, during the summer months—as the website Lifespan explains—seniors are at a higher risk for heat strokes due to their older bodies.) The website Comfort Keepers goes into detail about how the cooler temperatures have a detrimental effect on seniors’ bodies, so it’s best to make sure that when nature walks are scheduled, have them dress in layers. Not only that, but the site also recommends that they be mindful of leaves on the ground, as that could make potentially make them fall.
3 – Halloween Movie Nights
October is the month of the so-called “spooky season”, so don’t be surprised to see an uptick in ghouls, goblins, and gremlins. Not actual ones, thankfully, but rather children dressed up as them! This time of the year is a special one for kids, as they’ll be treat-or-treating on Halloween night, collecting candy by the dozens—if not hundreds!
What also makes this season special are the movies. Hocus Pocus. Beetlejuice. The Haunted Mansion. So many to choose from, and what better way to bring children and the residents of your senior living communities together than by hosting Halloween movie nights! (And the great thing is, you don’t need to limit this to the day itself.) Perhaps every once every week—or even twice—you can invite the residents’ grandkids to come to the community and watch some spooky movies with their grandparents. It would be a fun way for your residents to spend time with family members, along with the kids themselves being treated to sweets and everlasting memories. Have the kids dress up in costume, too, if you like; it would only add to the experience.
If you are struggling to find movies to show, The Hollywood Reporter has compiled a list of films that might hit the spot!
4 – “Autumnal Decoration Days”
The last activity that we’ll discuss are what we here at Ivy Marketing like to call “autumnal decoration days.” What we mean by this are dedicated days throughout the autumn months where your living community can invite residents’ family members to make autumn decorations. (Perhaps make a limit on how many can be allowed.) They can partake in crafting multicolored leaves to hang in residents’ rooms. They can make papier-mâché pumpkins and squashes to post near the entrances and exits. They can hang orange lights in the main halls and eating areas.
These are just starting suggestions that you are more than happy to implement, along with some that you come up with!
The details present in this blog article were comprised of information gathered from the sources listed below. I want to give credit where credit is due.
References
Elderly Couple Holding Hands Near Tree Trunk · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com)
2023 Chicago Festival Guide | Chicago News | WTTW
HOME | NOCS (nightmareonchicagostreet.com)
Free Family Days with Chicago Children’s Museum | Navy Pier
Chicago Zoological Society – Tree Trim at Brookfield Zoo (czs.org)
How Seniors Can Stay Safe in Summer | Lifespan
Autumn Safety for Seniors | Comfort Keepers
6 Festive Fall Activities for Seniors – DailyCaring
Best Halloween Movies for Kids From Hollywood – The Hollywood Reporter
By: Anthony Herring
This article continues the subject matter first introduced in “How A.I. Can Improve the Lives of Seniors in Retirement Communities (Part One).”
1 – A Solid Pairing
As mentioned at the end of Part One, A.I. has already been implemented within senior living: two prominent programs are used by retirement communities that are quite beneficial to its residents.
The first program, dubbed “Minerva,” is mentioned by the retirement website myLifeSite in a piece they wrote; the program was created by the tech company TSOLife. Minerva acts as an A.I.-based software that collects data on residents within retirement communities. (Said data is collected with residents’ consent.) This software is in use by the retirement organization known as Benchmark. (The U.S.-based org is responsible for maintaining dozens of smaller communities on the East Coast.) They have a program called “Something in Common,” which is a project that aims to connect residents through mutual interests; Minerva is used to collect data on the residents and find possible matches for them through the project.
The second program, created by the tech company CareSmartz360, is called…well, “CareSmartz360.” This software is based upon A.I., and is used for home care usage within retirement communities. As detailed by the company itself, CareSmartz360 helps residents maintain their daily lives through multiple avenues: sending reminders for taking medicines, providing communication methods with friends and family, etc. Not only that—and this is probably the tool’s most beneficial feature—CareSmartz360 is capable of monitoring residents’ activities, which can potentially prevent emergency situations from happening.
For example, take the passive sensor technology that was discussed in Part One. An A.I. system like CareSmartz360 can be applied within a retirement community as a method both to help detect when a resident is about to fall on the floor or perhaps even predict the likelihood of a resident falling (a similar estimation made for if A.I. was applied to smart tech like Google Home in Part One). Depending on the situation, community staff can enact measures based on what CareSmartz360’s data determines and act accordingly.
2 – Proceed with Caution
As with every new technological advancement, there are grounds for caution—and A.I. is no exception. With the software’s usage growing at a rather alarming rate, it is unsurprising to see that people are worried at how frequently it’s appearing in our day-to-day lives.
Sadly, this means that seniors—the most vulnerable demographic regarding technology—are at great risk. A.I. is an incredibly malleable tool, so much so that it can be manipulated to spread misinformation, which the media company Decrypt has discussed in an article on the subject. The author, Nathan Reiff, notes that artificial intelligence can be used to create false news articles, blog posts, videos, etc., and that among certain circles, these pieces can spread like locusts. If seniors were a part of these groups—or even just generally browsing the Internet—and found these pieces, they might actually believe that they’re real. Now, if their loved ones were able to catch them in time, then they can prevent them from falling for misinformation in the future. (However, if they can’t, then these seniors might fall deeper down the rabbit hole, believing these pieces more and more to the point of disaster.)
Another notable danger is one that hurts everyone: the scam. Scams have grown more sophisticated since the Internet became more prominent in our lives, and unfortunately, they show no signs of stopping—especially when A.I. gets thrown into the mix. A.I. is capable of fabricating voices, so scammers can make it sound like anyone they wish. Their cousin? No problem. President Joe Biden? No brainer. Your little brother? Of course. It is a scary and dangerous practice, and with seniors as more-than-possible victims, they are easy targets.
One particularly troubling scam aimed at seniors is called “the Grandma scam,” which Forbes deliberates on in an article regarding A.I. According to its author, Carolyn Rosenblatt, this scheme involves scammers using A.I. to trick seniors into giving money to their “grandchildren.” The “children” in this instance aren’t that at all, and are actually the scammers using fabricated voices. Since seniors aren’t able to tell that the voices are falsified, they fall right into the trap.
Conclusion – Time Will Tell
A.I. is here to stay, and with it now being a part of senior living, it can be an incredibly helpful tool for seniors. Unfortunately, it is important to remain mindful of how it can be manipulated to harm them, and to take the necessary precautions. We shall see just how far A.I. goes in this industry.
The details present in this blog article were comprised of information gathered from the sources listed below. I want to give credit where credit is due.
References
A Bearded Man Playing Chess · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com)
Artificial Intelligence Used in Senior Living Communities (mylifesite.net)
TSOLife | Happier more connected senior living community
TSOLife | Minerva–AI for Improved Senior Living
Benchmark Senior Living | Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities
Home Care Management Software for Home Care Agencies | About Us (caresmartz360.com)
Cloud-based Advanced Home Care Agency Software Solution (caresmartz360.com)
Artificial Intelligence Enhancing Home Care for the Elderly (caresmartz360.com)
Cloud-based Advanced Home Care Agency Software Solution (caresmartz360.com)
What Are the Dangers of AI? – Decrypt
Will AI Help Or Hurt Our Aging Parents? (forbes.com)
Introduction – A Sudden Surge You have no doubt heard about a particular tool that is popping up in various industries: A.I. (short for “artificial intelligence”). With it seen as an eventual technological advancement, this surge was inevitable. A result of that inevitability is the growing presence of A.I. in the senior living industry. It will no doubt revolutionize the way retirement communities take care of their residents, acting as a platform to improve their experiences. Before we can further discuss said improvements, an important question must be answered.
1 – What is A.I.? The technology firm McKinsey and Company defines A.I. as “a machine’s ability to perform cognitive [thinking and reasoning] functions we usually associate with the human mind.” From this definition, McKinsey considers A.I. to be a part of a long line of “smart machines,” which include devices such as calculators and personal computers. As mentioned earlier, A.I. has been increasingly utilized in many different industries, and Forbes contributor Bernard Marr talks about these specific usages. He details that the retail sectors have been able to create more specific marketing practices and customer service chatbots; financial companies receive help with financial planning, wealth management, and fraud detection; security divisions can make more powerful surveillance networks and threat detection technology; healthcare providers can better customize treatment plans, collect patient data, monitor mental health, and so much more.
2 – What Technology is Present in Communities? With A.I. making its way in senior living, it’s important to know what technology is already in use to see how this will soon embed itself on a larger scale. In an article from December 2022, HealthTech Magazine reported that there is a substantial increase in the use of A.I. in senior housing. Its authors, Jessica Longly and Liz Cramer noted that there will be a rise in audio and video devices—such as FaceTime on Apple products—that can help seniors to communicate with their family and friends, along with allowing them to interact with smart technology, such as thermostats. Longly and Cramer also discussed how the implementation of A.I. could help with what they called “passive sensor technology,” a tool that can aid workers in preventing senior injuries such as falls.
Was HealthTech right in their predictions? Well, yes, they were (and there is an example to prove it)! President and CEO Mike King authored an article about his retirement community, Jewish Senior Life, and the advancements it has made it using digital devices. He talks about how residents are able to use a plethora of audio and video tools to converse with friends and family, particularly Google Home (a smart speaker) and a computer system named “It’s Never 2 Late” or “iN2L” (a computer system that can help tailor residents’ interests). Now, while A.I. doesn’t appear to be directly mentioned as part of Jewish Senior Life’s digital devices, it is easy to see how its presence could be applied: both Google Home and It’s Never 2 Late are smart tech, so A.I. could be used to predict what residents might plan to do that day or perhaps change their pre-adjusted schedule (Google Home) and provide specific—or even block—content based on what residents engaged with in the past (iN2L).
Conclusion – To Be Continued With that, Part One is concluded. We hope this article has helped to give you a better understanding of A.I.’s growing presence and how it can affect the current technology in use at retirement communities. Part Two will go into more detail about two A.I. programs that certain communities are already using, and the potential dangers that could arise. Stay tuned!
The details present in this blog article were comprised of information gathered from the sources listed below. I want to give credit where credit is due. References A Robot Holding a Cup · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com) What is AI (Artificial Intelligence)? | McKinsey 15 Amazing Real-World Applications Of AI Everyone Should Know About (forbes.com) 3 Senior Care Tech Trends to Watch in 2023 | HealthTech Magazine Smart Technology Takes Hold in Retirement Communities (nextavenue.org) Smart home automation from Google | Google Home iN2L | Senior Engagement Technology
