New iN2L Research: 60% More Leaders at Senior Living Communities Believe Engagement Technology Is Extremely Important

Report compares senior living community leader perspectives before and during COVID-19

Denver, CO – Sept. 10, 2020 – Senior living community leaders believe engagement technology is more important now than they did last year, according to a new research report released today by iN2L, the leading provider of person-centered digital engagement to the senior living market. The report, Senior Living 2020: The State of Engagement and Technology, examines how community leaders view and value senior engagement technology now versus before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senior living communities had to quickly enforce precautionary isolation measures as a defense against COVID-19 earlier this year. This came with its own set of health concerns, as research demonstrates that loneliness and social isolation increase the risk for chronic conditions including dementia, stroke, and heart disease.[1] Leaders have turned to tools like engagement technology to facilitate residents’ mental and physical wellness, using engagement technology to connect residents with their loved ones, with each other, and with their unique interests and hobbies to keep them engaged with the world.

To learn how COVID-19 has affected how communities use and value engagement technology solutions, iN2L surveyed 100 senior living community leaders and compared their responses with those from the same survey conducted in 2019.*

Download the full results here.

Key findings include:

More leaders say they’re doing a good job engaging residents

• • Almost two-thirds (63%) reported they do this very or extremely well in 2020, versus around half (53%) in 2019​.
  • Last year, about one in ten (12%) leaders said they were engaging residents slightly well or not well at all, compared to only 5% this year.

Engagement technology is rising in importance

• • Of the 2020 respondents who use engagement technology, 90% believe it is at least moderately important, compared to 82% of respondents using engagement technology in 2019.
  • The percentage of leaders who believe engagement technology is extremely important increased by almost 60% year over year.

Leaders agree that technology is a differentiator and has an ROI—and they’re prioritizing investment

• • The number of leaders who say engagement technology definitely or probably differentiates their communities increased by 20% year over year.
  • The percentage of leaders who believe there is definitely a clear ROI for engagement technology doubled, from 24% to 48%.
  • Respondents who place a medium or higher priority on acquiring engagement technology increased by almost 20% year over year.

“COVID-19 has challenged community leaders in so many ways, and they have risen to the occasion,” said Lisa Taylor, iN2L’s CEO. “It’s heartening to see leaders say, ‘we’re doing a better job at engagement than we were last year, we’re seeing the benefits, this is important to us, and we’re ready to invest in it.’ We predict that it’s going to be the norm to see engagement technology come out of the activity department silo and permeate every aspect of senior living—we were already seeing this start to happen before the pandemic, but the health crisis has accelerated this shift. It’s clear that engagement technology is more important than ever, and it is playing a key role in helping leaders achieve their community engagement goals.”

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Methodology*

In March 2019, iN2L electronically surveyed 114 senior living community leaders from various functional areas. The same questions were asked in June 2020 of 100 community leaders representing the same functional areas. Respondents in both cohorts represented a range of senior living environments, predominantly continuing care retirement communities and assisted living.

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 3,200 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.

[1] https://journal.ahima.org/covid-19-and-social-isolation-puts-elderly-at-risk-for-loneliness/