Technology Sessions at This Year’s Annual Meeting

CAST was front and center Oct. 30 through Nov. 2 during the LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO, bringing 16 technology-related sessions to Indianapolis, IN.

CAST Partners, Supporters, Patrons, Associates, and staff members shared their expertise and experiences during Annual Meeting sessions focusing on a wide range of technology topics, from telehealth and data security to resident engagement and dementia care. 

6 Sessions by CAST Supporters and Patrons

LeadingAge and CAST Partners, as well as CAST Supporters and Patrons, led 6 Annual Meeting sessions focusing on telehealth, technology trends, security of information technology (IT), and the intersection of technology and dementia. The sessions include the following:

• Leveraging Telehealth Technologies for Care Transitions (6-C): Discussed how 9 skilled nursing providers leveraged telehealth technology to monitor readmissions rates in high-risk patients. Philips, a LeadingAge Silver Partner and CAST Supporter, represented at this session by Tom Edmondson from Philips Hospital to Home in Baltimore. They were joined by Mary Hagen from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

• Today’s Real-Time Technology Trends (11-F): Explored the importance of planning strategically for IT needs to improve your organization’s existing IT infrastructure.This session featured Dan Hermann, senior managing director and head of investment banking at Ziegler, a LeadingAge Gold Partner with CAST Focus; CAST Commissioner Chip Burns, president and chief information officer (CIO) of The Asbury Group-Integrated Technologies at CAST Patron Asbury Communities, Inc.; and CAST Commissioner Peter Kress, vice president and CIO at CAST Patron Acts Retirement-Life Communities, Inc. 

• IT Security and Risk Management (4-B): Cybersecurity trends related to the use of electronic medical records (EMR) was the hot topic of this well-attended and well-received session. Presenters included CAST Executive Director Majd Alwan, Joe Velderman, director of consulting services at CAST Supporter ProviNET Solutions, David Finkelstein, CIO at CAST Patron RiverSpring Health, and Steve Rausch, corporate director of IT at United Methodist Communities, a LeadingAge and CAST Member in Neptune, NJ. 

• The Birdsong Initiative: Engagement Through Customized Technology (5-C): This session shared findings from a study about the positive effects of customized touch-screen computer technology on the behavior of residents with cognitive impairments. Ben Unkle, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CAST Patron Westminster Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, presented on this exciting initiative, along with Scott Sautter from Eastern Virginia Medical School. 

• The Intersection of Technology and Dementia (7-D): CAST Commissioner Jack York, co-founder and president of CAST Supporter It’s Never 2 Late, discussed how multimedia technologies delivered through adaptive computer systems can deliver quality-of-life benefits to individuals with dementia and their caregivers. York was joined by representatives of 2 LeadingAge and CAST Members: Presbyterian SeniorCare in Oakmont, PA, and Integrace in Eldersburg, MD.

• Data Breach Lawsuits and Enforcement Actions (15-H): This session explored the common organization and IT practices that create the highest amount of risks for aging services organizations. CAST Commissioner John DiMaggio, CEO of CAST Supporter BlueOrange Compliance, and Tatiana Melnik, an attorney with Melnik Legal PLLC, showed attendees how to effectively minimize data privacy and security compliance risks in their organizations.

4 Sessions by CAST Business Associates

Four CAST Associates presented educational sessions about EMRs, socialization technology, tele-rehabilitation, and mining wi-fi data. 

• Socialization Technology: Bridging the Senior Digital Divide (9-E): Director of Client Experience CAST Business Associate Caremerge, Tom Kissane, discussed how socialization through the use of technology can decrease isolation and increase quality of life. The session also included Chris Dana, vice president, IT, and Brenyale Norman, senior resource portal program manager, at Episcopal Senior Communities, Walnut Creek, CA.

• Tele-Rehabilitation: The Gamification of Physical Therapy (1-A): Marie Rosenthal, administrator of The New Jewish Home, a LeadingAge and CAST Member in New York, NY, shared her organization’s experience combining physical rehabilitation with virtual games and motion tracking sensors.

• Mining Wi-Fi Data for Insights About Your Community (2-A): Sheriff Popoola, executive vice president of engineering at CAST Business Associate HealthSignals, joined Andrew Dietzel, director of information technology (IT), Garden Spot Village, New Holland, PA, and Charles Moore, IT director, Inglis Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, to explore what Wi-Fi and Internet usage can tell you about your community. 

• The Implementation of an Integrated Electronic Health Record (3-B): Josh King, director of health information management, and Illa David, CIO, of Lutheran Senior Services, a LeadingAge and CAST Member in St. Louis, MO, discussed how they used CAST’s EHR Technology Selection Tool to select and implement integrated clinical and non-clinical information systems. 

CAST Session

• Functional Assessment and Activity Monitoring: Provider Case Studies (8-D): In this session, CAST Executive Director Majd Alwan and Associate Director Scott Code explained the different types of commercially available functional assessment and activity monitoring technologies for long-term care and post-acute care settings and demonstrated CAST’s Functional Assessment and Activity Monitoring Selection Tool. Kelly Soyland, director of innovation and research, Brad Edwards, innovation designer, of LeadingAge Member and CAST Patron The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, Sioux Falls, SD, discussed the organization’s innovation journey, experience in, and outcomes of activity monitoring technology.

Other Technology Sessions

Other technology-related Annual Meeting sessions include:

• Using Predictive Mobile Technology to Drive Quality Improvement (12-F) reviewed the outcomes of several pilot studies exploring whether a predictive mobile technology platform can provide comprehensive care coordination. 

• The Technology Tidal Wave: Are You Prepared? (13-G) focused on the relationship between personal technology devices and consumer decision-making. This session emphasized the importance of incorporating technology into strategic planning and conducting strategic IT planning. CAST Executive Director Majd Alwan reminded attendees of CAST’s Strategic IT Planning Tool and emphasized the importance of conducting strategic IT planning in new construction, campus updates, or expansion projects, as recommended by the March 2016 CAST Commission Report.

• Supporting Health and Wellbeing Through Mobile Wellness Technology (14-G) explored how a life plan community utilized a mobile-health software platform to create a robust culture of wellness and vitality. 

• Linking Data to Wellness: A Personalized Approach to Wellbeing (16-H) considered the role of technology in delivering on the value proposition of a healthier and more engaged lifestyle. 

• Home Assessment Systems for Improved Safety and Independence (10-E) explored how a safe home environment supports aging in place, or thriving in place of choice, by reducing the risk of injury due to falls.