Accushield Launches #ProjectLoveMeter to Attack Senior Loneliness and Isolation
ATLANTA, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Accushield, the leader in visitor management for senior living and skilled nursing, is excited to announce the official launch of #ProjectLoveMeter. The mission of #ProjectLoveMeter is to tackle the rising epidemic of social isolation, severe loneliness, and risk of mental decline among residents living in senior living communities and skilled nursing facilities, which often stem from a lack of social interaction and engagement with visitors.
With #ProjectLoveMeter, Accushield will use an “isolation score” calculated by their kiosk-based software platform to identify residents who may be “at risk” of social disconnectedness due to a low number of visitations and other engagement factors. When a resident is identified as “at risk,” the software intelligently matches the resident with volunteers who share similar likes, interests, and availability.
Since its start in 2013, Accushield has replaced over 7,000 traditional paper-based visitor sign-in books with a digital tablet, allowing communities to collect valuable visitor data that would otherwise be trapped in the sign-in books. The #ProjectLoveMeter initiative is part of Accushield’s broader mission to leverage this visitor data collected at the kiosk to improve resident care and social connectedness in senior living and skilled nursing. The #ProjectLoveMeter upgrade allows Accushield customers to unlock the power of their visitor data to put lonely and potentially disconnected residents on a higher path to healthy, connected living. #ProjectLoveMeter is well timed, as many communities are moving to a value-based care operating model.
Unfortunately, loneliness is not a new phenomenon in senior living and skilled nursing communities. An estimated 50% of residents have no close relatives, and 46% have no living children. These factors, as well as the life demands of loved ones, prevent more than 50% of residents from experiencing social connectedness through meaningful social visits.
Historically, life enrichment directors and programs have been utilized to address the social needs of residents in senior living and skilled nursing facilities. Life enrichment programs typically include group activities and engagement platforms on set schedules. However, due to limited resources, these programs are often not enough to promote and sustain social connections among residents effectively. #ProjectLoveMeter seeks to help by providing operators and life enrichment directors with data and insights to proactively detect risks of loneliness. It also aims to supply essential volunteer support to help staff enhance the engagement and connections that residents need and deserve.
“#ProjectLoveMeter is more than just another industry software program and piece of hardware,” explains TK King, Vice President of Healthcare Strategy at Accushield. “It’s an industry-relevant solution that takes the outdated paper sign-in book, revolutionizes it, and harnesses the power of visitation data that would otherwise be lost on paper to pinpoint resident loneliness and isolation risks. When you couple this kind of innovation with a robust volunteer matching program, you have a solution that not only addresses resident needs but also creates a new pool of resources for an already strained workforce.”
Here’s how Accushield’s #ProjectLoveMeter flips the script on the response to senior loneliness and isolation. First, Accushield’s Visitor Management kiosk captures resident social visits from family, friends, and volunteers. Then, customers leverage the Love Meter report, where social visit data is tracked, to help pinpoint residents at risk of loneliness due to limited or declining social visits. Next, the staff evaluates other factors that could increase the resident’s risk of loneliness, such as activity engagement, mobility status, and additional clinical insights. Based on evaluation outcomes, staff identify and implement the appropriate resident-centered interventions, including resident and volunteer matching via the #ProjectLoveMeter network.
#ProjectLoveMeter distinguishes itself from conventional life enrichment initiatives by aiming to establish the most extensive volunteer network in the industry. The Accushield volunteer network currently has 1.6 million people but will also utilize partnerships with universities, churches, industry groups, local businesses, and other entities in search of volunteer opportunities. All volunteers undergo a credentialing process that meets community standards. Through an advanced matching algorithm, residents are paired with volunteers who have similar interests, availability, hobbies, and more, promoting enriching and meaningful social interactions.
Charles Mann, Founder and CSO at Accushield, sums it up as follows, “Our senior living and skilled nursing partners do an amazing job of caring for their residents. #ProjectLoveMeter aims to augment that care by utilizing volunteer resources to come alongside community staff to love their residents and enhance the quality of their lives. We are excited to proactively address loneliness and see both residents and staff thrive!”
About Accushield
Accushield, an intelligent visitor management solution designed for senior living and skilled nursing, surpasses the mere streamlining of community visitor security and front desk efficiencies. Our groundbreaking tablet-based kiosk adeptly handles visitor and entry processes for visitors, staff, third-party caregivers, and residents and elevates operational efficiency. Accushield’s #ProjectLoveMeter feature allows customers to leverage volunteers, facilitate meaningful social interactions with residents, and enhance overall community engagement.
