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There are lots of conversations and investments being made in artificial intelligence (AI) by senior care administrators and operators. The goal, of course, is to improve their communities. While some are moving forward with AI, others are in a wait-and-see mode. If you’re holding back on fully embracing AI, here are some discussion points to consider that will help you be successful.

First, let’s agree that AI in general can be daunting because there is a lot to unpack and understand. From an administrator and operator perspective, the bits and bytes are not as critical as knowing the benefits of AI to your community. Start by asking the following questions to help prioritize your investments in AI.

1. What are the biggest challenges facing my senior care community today?
2. How are these challenges impacting the resident experience?
3. What is their impact on the business? Include metrics such as staff retention, resident retention, and compliance and safety risks.
4. How are these challenges currently being addressed by staff? Include the use of technology and/or paper-based processes.

Taking Control Over Your Data

Before you make any decisions about AI, you should know how the vendor builds its data models and what happens to the data you collect from your community.

For AI to be successful in senior care, it needs accurate, private data. However, many data models built for AI tend to have the least amount of information on older adults. While this is changing due to the rise of longevity technology, the missing data on older adults can skew AI recommendations. For example, it may not be able to easily discern health issues from the natural aging process.

Look for a solution that builds upon your own facility and business data and that can easily integrate with other data sources without compromising privacy. Yet be sure that you maintain control over the data. This includes transparency into how the data models are built and used, and the assurance that a resident’s personally identifiable information is never collected. 

How to Get Started with AI

Starting small with AI is the best way to introduce it to staff, allay fears of redundancies, and see faster results. It begins with a clear, measurable, and achievable goal.

For example, a big challenge for many senior care communities is having enough qualified workers. Before deciding how to fix it with AI, break down how work gets done into specific steps. Map out the processes, protocols and job requirements for each staff member. When you have a better understanding of each task and how it is executed, you will have a clear picture of activities that can be automated through AI.

What many administrators discover through this approach is that current processes may not align with the needs of residents. In one community, staff were responsible for walking the floors to conduct hourly room checks. They also relied on residents or visitors to press call buttons in the event of an emergency. This protocol took staff away from other activities for up to one hour per eight-hour shift. Meanwhile, administrative work piled up and cut into time that could be better spent actively engaging residents.

By installing sensors that combine AI and body heat sensing technology to understand how humans move in a space without compromising privacy, administrators were able to determine the best time to do room checks based on resident needs and trend data as opposed to fixed schedules.

They were also alerted to changes in resident movement patterns. This included an increase in trips to the bathroom, which could be an early sign of UTI. Also, they were alerted to a resident’s lack of movement, which can indicate an emergency where the resident was not able to press a call button.

By using AI to understand staff processes and resident behavior, the community was able to provide a safer, engaging experience for residents along with a more efficient staffing model.

Questions to Ask When Evaluating AI Solutions

By understanding how to prioritize AI investments, protect data, and where to get started, you can be more discerning in the technology evaluation process. Be sure to ask these questions.

1. How does the solution address my biggest challenges?
2. How will this AI solution improve the resident experience?
3. How long does it take to get up and running on the AI solution?
4. Will this solution create more work in terms of staff learning curves and additional paid time for training?
5. Does the AI solution compromise resident privacy in any way? How can it offer assurance of anonymity?
6. Will the installation disrupt the resident experience?
7. How easy will it be to connect the AI solution with existing technology already in place such as nurse call alerts?
8. How quickly will it deliver a return on investment?

Done right, AI can play a valuable, reliable, and helpful role for older adults in senior care communities. As a result, it can lead to earlier interventions, personalized care, and new staffing models that more closely reflect the needs of residents.

Honghao Deng is a computational designer and entrepreneur, and the CEO and co-founder of Butlr. In his previous role, he was a researcher at City Science Group, MIT Media Lab. He earned a Master of Design Technology with Distinction at Harvard University.