Enhancements to Networking in Senior Care, Fedding Positive Experiences for Service Providers and Elderly Residents
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, senior care providers have been adapting to meet the evolving needs of their residents. One such example is St. Mark Village, a senior care provider in Florida, which undertook a significant network upgrade in 2020.
The network upgrade at St. Mark Village included the installation of Cisco Meraki Systems Manager to manage 80 iPads for clinicians. This move has improved Wi-Fi coverage consistency for the residents, allowing for new initiatives like putting Apple iPad devices in every community.
St. Mark Village's network upgrade has been instrumental in supporting various aspects of care. By investing in faster and more reliable internet connections, the provider ensured that residents and staff had consistent access to digital tools. This upgrade helped overcome common connectivity issues that older adults often face, making it easier to use tablets, smartphones, and computers for communication and entertainment.
Enhanced networks have enabled seamless video consultations, remote monitoring, and virtual visits with healthcare providers. This was crucial during the pandemic when in-person medical visits were limited. Telehealth helped maintain continuity of care and allowed quick medical interventions without exposure risks.
Improved connectivity also allowed staff to efficiently coordinate care, access electronic health records (EHRs), and use operational software without lag or downtime. It also helped staff communicate swiftly with family members and healthcare providers, improving overall responsiveness and care quality.
With better network support, providers like St. Mark Village could introduce user-friendly technology platforms tailored to seniors. Training programs and tech support became more feasible with reliable connections, easing seniors’ transition to digital tools for social interaction, education, and daily activities.
The strong networks have also enabled streaming services, virtual events, and interactive social platforms that helped reduce isolation and loneliness during lockdowns. This contributed to improved mental health and wellbeing for residents.
St. Mark Village is not alone in these efforts. Senior care providers like Enlivant and Eskaton have also leveraged network upgrades in similar ways to improve technology adoption among older adults, support telehealth services, and enhance overall operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
St. Mark Village is in the process of expanding Cisco Meraki APs to 250 across both campuses. They are also identifying residents who are excited about new technologies and who can provide peer-to-peer training. The improved Wi-Fi has also enabled Enlivant to start piloting electronic health records.
Other providers like Eskaton, a senior care provider in Northern California, and Enlivant, a senior care provider headquartered in Chicago, have also upgraded their network infrastructure in 2020 to accommodate new pandemic-related solutions and expanded Wi-Fi coverage to locations that hadn't needed it before.
St. Mark Village's network upgrade has enabled improved connectivity for residents to visit with family members via videoconferencing and on smart TVs. They are following a conservative timeline for the network upgrade to account for potential supply chain delays. St. Mark Village is also using a "fail fast" approach to flush out as many unknowns as possible through small-scale pilots.
In summary, network upgrades have been foundational for senior care providers to successfully pivot during the pandemic — enabling not only effective telehealth and operational continuity but also fostering technology adoption and social connectivity among older adult residents.
