A Virtual Concierge at The New Jewish Home
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Sarah Neuman, The New Jewish Home’s
Westchester campus, post-acute patients
and residents are utilizing Virtual Concierge, voice-
enabled Amazon Echo Show devices customized for
older adults, to achieve greater independence and
autonomy. The Connect the Dots program behind
Virtual Concierge was developed by Soundmind
Intelligence and is the first of its kind to be used in a
skilled nursing facility.
Synced to the campus calendar of events and meal
plans, the devices, which answer to “Alexa” and
respond to voice commands, are easy to use. Unlike
computers or tablets, they don’t require logging in,
remembering passwords or typing on a keypad. For
older adult clients with limited mobility, dexterity
problems or impaired vision, Virtual Concierge has
been especially helpful. A rehab patient with vision
impairment explained that trying to find out the time
when he woke up in the middle of the night used to
be a challenge, but now he simply asks, “Alexa, what
time is it?”
After a brief program pilot in April, Virtual Concierge
has now expanded throughout Jewish Home’s
Westchester campus. More than 70 Amazon Echo
Shows are currently operational, including one in
each post-acute rehab room, and several long-term
care residents also have the device set up in their
rooms. Additionally, Virtual Concierge is utilized
to enhance therapeutic recreation activities in
communal areas of the long term care floors and
communities. In response to the positive reviews
from staff and clients, Jewish Home expects to have
100 devices operationalized by the end of the year.
Although many rehab clients and residents had
initial reservations about using Virtual Concierge,
once they learned how easy to use it was, they were
hooked. A former post-acute rehab client, Enrico
Corrado, said, “I didn’t think I would use it at all, but
after the staff showed me how it worked, I was asking
Alexa questions every single day.”
For many older adults, being able to easily
connect to their personalized care team, find
out what’s on the menu and enjoy music of
their choice (“Sinatra” remains one of the most
frequent requests) is empowering.
Virtual Concierge also helps New Jewish Home
clients remain connected to their interests and
communities. Mr. Corrado, an avid football fan, was
concerned that his rehab stay would make it difficult
for him to keep up with his teams, but thanks to
Virtual Concierge, “I didn’t miss a game.”
He explained, “What I liked most about the device
was that it tells you everything you want to know in
seconds. It was so easy and convenient. Before I was
discharged, I made sure to buy one for myself so I
could continue using it at home.”
As a health care system that embraces person-
directed care, Virtual Concierge helps The New
Jewish Home staff to deeply know the older adults
in their care by providing real-time insight into
their needs and interests. Patterns of use can be
studied to reveal preferences and engagement
activities. Weekly
meetings
between
Soundmind and
New Jewish
Home staff
promote open
conversations
about how they
can continuously
refine the
Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Fall 2018