Opportunity

Located in New Jersey’s Monmouth County, Arbor Terrace Middletown offers quality independent living, assisted living and dementia care. Prior to 2016, Arbor Terrace relied on an individual on night watch for guest administration. When someone arrived at the front entrance that individual was able to see the visitor on the other side of the glass and decide whether or not to allow entrance to the building.

Because this community had an existing relationship with Status Solutions through their use of the Situational Awareness and Response Assistant (SARA) they sought out our help to automate this process. As Arbor Terrace began to innovate with Status Solutions, they transitioned the responsibility of monitoring the front door from an individual on night watch to a night nurse. While the night nurse was working, they would receive an alert that someone was at the front door and would leave their station, and sometimes a resident’s bedside to walk downstairs. Once downstairs, the nurse would approach the front door where the visitor had been waiting and decide whether or not to let them in.

Solution

While continuing to innovate with Arbor Terrace, we recommended implementing SARA’s eMessenger with video paging. This application allows users to receive alerts via a mobile dashboard on iPhones and quickly respond to an unfolding situation, such as a guest at the front door. Users are also able to initiate, respond and acknowledge alerts, and escalate/notify others as necessary, all from the same easy to use interface.

Putting eyes on an unfolding situation enhances emergency alerting and response management. The SARA video paging capability gives your designated personnel the ability to see exactly what is occurring. SARA delivers pop-up alerts containing color-coded text and audio. Live video, prerecorded videos, photos and/or maps can also be included. This level of information allows more informed responses.

Results

Improving Staff Efficiency and Response

With the implementation of SARA’s eMessenger with video paging, it is no longer necessary for the night nurse to leave their station or a resident’s bedside to walk downstairs and check on the front door. Through the application the nurse now receives a live video feed of the front door and can then take the proper next steps. The Executive Director of Arbor Terrace Middletown, Charles Dixon, explains the process, “Allowing a nurse to be focused on our residents and have a doorbell ring their phone that gives them the opportunity to see and talk to the person at the door without having to leave their location created a huge safety improvement for us.“

Improving Safety and Security

Video paging not only improved safety and security of the building itself but it also gives the night nurse a greater peace of mind. When the nurse receives the alert they can see a live video feed of the front door and then remotely decide what their next step is, rather than putting themselves in an uncomfortable situation. “It allows the nurse to be a nurse and still allows for remote visibility of what is going on in the lobby. In a lot of ways that improved safety and security allows them [the night nurse] to feel a greater sense of comfort about what was going on at the front door while they’re working elsewhere in the building. That is a great improvement for us.” explains Dixon.

The first few minutes of an emergency are critical in determining outcomes, so the ability to see what’s happening in your facility greatly improves risk management. Video paging alerts users with more details to better understand the situation so they can response accordingly. In addition to guest management, video paging can be leveraged in various situations from an intruder to a resident in duress to a fire in the building. SARA has the ability to monitor any triggering event to give you the power to have eyes on the situation in real-time.

The Partnership

Arbor Terrace Middletown chose Status Solutions as a technology partner in 2010 with the implementation of SARA. For the past 9 years Status Solutions been actively committed to growing with this community as their needs change. Dixon offers, “When we talk about helping seniors live their best lives, if your mom is struggling with health issues we want to respond quickly when she needs us. That’s the same type of response we need from our vendors and Status Solutions has always delivered.”

About Arbor Terrace Middletown

Arbor Terrace Middletown offers quality independent living, assisted living and dementia care in New Jersey’s beautiful Monmouth County and is operated by The Arbor Company. Simply put, Arbor Terrace knows senior living. They have more than 30 years of experience in serving seniors. Honoring individuality and celebrating each person’s unique life through deep connections with residents and families. Arbor Terrace creates delightful surprises and meaningful moments within a safe and caring community.