Minneapolis Star Tribune reports…

From independent living to memory care centers, residential facilities across Minnesota are adding smart technologies to make life easier, safer and more fun for residents and their caregivers.

The burgeoning trend ranges from digital signage and wearable devices to health monitoring and robots. Such technology can help improve people’s moods, prevent falls, lead to earlier detection of infections, and enhance connections.

Nationally, more organizations geared toward older adults invested in automation and artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools last year, according to a Ziegler survey. They expect to invest more in those as well as high-speed connectivity, wander management systems and fall detectors in the future.

Not all of the technologies require broadband but it’s easy to see how broadband enhances the experience, especially in terms of looping loved ones into the daily life of residents…

When you walk into a memory care room at Talamore Senior Living Woodbury, you may not notice the small box mounted near the ceiling. It’s a depth sensor that monitors movements in the room, which appear as outlines, said executive director Breanna Bruce.

It’s part of Foresite Healthcare’s predictive health-monitoring system that Talamore Woodbury uses in its 26 private memory care rooms and 14 enhanced care rooms. Another sensor below the mattress monitors vital signs like body temperature and heartbeat. A motion sensor in the bathroom tracks the number of visits.

When a new resident moves in, the sensors take up to two weeks to build an algorithm of the person’s vital signs and mannerisms, such as their heart rate, temperature and walking gait, Bruce said. A change in gait may signify an increased risk of a fall. Extra trips to the bathroom may signal a urinary tract infection.

Each morning, Foresite sends a status report for every room to the staff. The AI-based system sends staff alerts sooner for changes it deems emergencies, such as a fall, she added. …

When you walk into a memory care room at Talamore Senior Living Woodbury, you may not notice the small box mounted near the ceiling. It’s a depth sensor that monitors movements in the room, which appear as outlines, said executive director Breanna Bruce.

It’s part of Foresite Healthcare’s predictive health-monitoring system that Talamore Woodbury uses in its 26 private memory care rooms and 14 enhanced care rooms. Another sensor below the mattress monitors vital signs like body temperature and heartbeat. A motion sensor in the bathroom tracks the number of visits.

When a new resident moves in, the sensors take up to two weeks to build an algorithm of the person’s vital signs and mannerisms, such as their heart rate, temperature and walking gait, Bruce said. A change in gait may signify an increased risk of a fall. Extra trips to the bathroom may signal a urinary tract infection.

Each morning, Foresite sends a status report for every room to the staff. The AI-based system sends staff alerts sooner for changes it deems emergencies, such as a fall, she added.