Laurel Manor Care Center Launches Innovative New Technology for Delivering Care to Colorado Springs
By Laurel Manor Care, Colorado Springs LIVING WELL Magazine
Volunteers of America’s Laurel Manor Care Center (LMCC) have announced the incorporation and innovative sleep quality monitoring technology from WellAWARE Systems into its standard offering to residents.
WellAWARE Systems uses cutting-edge technology designed to deliver proactive and preventive care to seniors. The system includes a wireless sensor placed under bed linens. As a senior sleeps, WellAWARE’s advanced “smart sensor” unobtrusively gathers data about the resident’s wellness and overall health. This information is reported to caregivers who can proactively respond to trends that may indicate developing health problems. Caregivers can provide just the right care at just the right time and significantly improve health and quality of life for their residents.
Growing evidence points to the critical importance of sleep quality and the devastating impact sleep disturbances have on the lives of nursing home residents. Research has shown that seniors who get fewer than six hours of quality sleep at night have a 50% increased risk of viral infections, heart disease, and stroke (Sharecare 2011).
“Based on research findings that pointed to the impact of sleep quality in seniors, we conducted our own independent study to validate the effectiveness of WellAWARE,” says Wayne Olson, SVP, Healthcare Operations, Volunteers of America. “Our pilot study results were impressive with 28 success stories, 17 best practices identified and a greater than 60% reduction in falls over a four-month period.”
Dana Olson, executive director, LMCC, says, “By incorporating WellAWARE’s sleep monitoring technology into our standard offering, we will now be able to identify changes in our resident’s health sooner and provide care proactively, avoiding hospital readmissions for issues such as medication reactions, viral infections, and falls. Ultimately, this means a higher quality of life for seniors in our care. We are proud to be raising the bar and setting the standard for long-term care in Colorado.”
About Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe, and productive lives. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America’s most vulnerable groups, including veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, those recovering from addictions and many others. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and health care, Volunteers of America helps more than two million people in over 400 communities. We offer a variety of services for older Americans, in particular, that allow them to maintain their independence and quality of life – everything from an occasional helping hand to full-time care. Our work touches the mind, body, heart, and ultimately the spirit of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services.
For more information or a tour, please contact Laurel Manor Care Center at 719-473-7780 or visit us at 920 S. Chelton Rd. Colorado Springs, CO 80910.
