Touch screen tablets include new easy-to-use video chat to connect senior living residents with their families and healthcare providers during the pandemic
Denver, CO – May 5, 2020 – iN2L, the leading provider of person-centered digital engagement to the senior living market, today announced the availability of enhanced iN2L tablets as a tool for family and telehealth connections during precautionary isolation measures taken by senior living communities. The senior-friendly tablets come with easy video chat and other tools to bring families together during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The state of Florida has already implemented an initiative with the Alzheimer’s Association to put iN2L tablets into 150 senior living communities across the state.
The iN2L tablet features easy virtual connection tools, including a new video chat application, to bring families together. With a simple tap on the tablet touch screen, residents can “visit” with their loved ones whenever they want. Residents simply initiate a video call to friends or family with a tap on the video chat icon and can talk to up to seven people simultaneously in one video chat session.
“Through the use of iN2L technology, our residents have been able to stay engaged and in touch with their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shiela Johnson, Director of Clinical & Education Services for USA Healthcare in Alabama. “They enjoy getting to ‘visit’ their families, especially participating in virtual family gatherings.”
“The iN2L tablets are great tools to help keep our residents connected with their families and friends,” adds Baylee Eaton, Recreation Therapist at Woodside Place in Pennsylvania. “We use video chat frequently on the tablets, especially during these times when families are unable to visit in person. This is great for when we have multiple calls at the same time. We also use the tablets for 1:1 programming for trivia, worship, travel, and other engagement.”
In addition to connecting residents with their families and friends for virtual visits, the iN2L tablet’s video chat can be used to facilitate telehealth appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with recent allowances issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The tablet enables residents to keep scheduled appointments for primary care, specialist care, urgent care, mental health, nutrition, and therapy as video visits in lieu of in-person visits. The tablet’s ability to support synchronous video chat with up to eight parties at once means family members may be remotely invited to these telehealth appointments to enable more accurate patient history, description of symptoms, and accurate communication with the provider.
Outside of video chat, the tablet fosters resident-family connection by making it easy for family members to continuously share photos, videos, and text messages of love and support from their own smartphones directly to the tablet. Residents will have these personal photos, videos, and messages at their fingertips, ensuring they never miss a special moment or memory, and can also send text message responses.
To further combat the negative effects of isolation, the iN2L tablet can be used for individual resident engagement when not in use to support virtual family connection or telehealth visits. The tablet’s portable format and content designed for individual interaction make it easy for community staff to maintain precautionary isolation measures, including having residents remain in their own rooms, while ensuring they remain engaged and entertained. The tablet is preloaded with over 1,000 pieces of interactive content specifically designed and curated for older adults. Games, puzzles, movies, audiobooks, and more are strategically selected to support the cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual aspects of overall wellness.
“Social isolation is always a concern for the senior living community, but even more so during the precautionary isolation measures being taken to protect against COVID-19 transmission,” said Lisa Taylor, iN2L CEO. “iN2L is dedicated to ensuring social connection and personalized engagement continue for senior living residents, despite the current pandemic. We recognize that this health crisis brings a heightened sense of urgency to communities that need to keep residents safe and healthy, while attending to their social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual needs. We believe iN2L tablets will not only help communities fulfill those core needs for residents, but also help them stay connected to their loved ones outside the community as well.”
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About iN2L
As the market leader in content-driven engagement for seniors, iN2L has been creating possibilities, enjoyment, and connection for older adults since 1999. iN2L’s expansive content library promotes wellness, empowerment, and engagement among older adults and is the foundation for activities that facilitate social interaction, cognitive and physical exercise and therapy, education, reminiscing, areas of interest, and memory support engagement. iN2L is a critical part of the resident experience in more than 3,000 nursing homes, assisted and independent living communities, memory care settings, and adult day programs across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.in2l.com.