Buckeye Hills Regional Council announces today its partnership with California-based software company HealthJay Inc. in a joint effort to deploy JayPad tablet solutions to older adults in several senior living communities. Hundreds of older adults will benefit from the initiative that is to address the pressing challenges of social isolation and staffing shortage. This partnership will also put Marietta on the map as one of the early adopters in the country to use smart technology to deliver hybrid senior care.
“Social isolation has caused depression and deterioration in social determinants of health,” says Rick Hindman, Executive Director of Buckeye Hills Support Services, Inc. “Staffing shortages are an ongoing systemic threat to quality care delivery. This initiative will address these challenges by connecting our clients in real-time to their family and caregivers whether they are close-by or far away.”
A No Wrong Door grant from the Ohio Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Community Living, and the Ohio Aging and Disability Resource Center is helping Buckeye Hills Regional Council and Buckeye Hills Support Services put the tablets into the Washington County Home and the upcoming Buckeye Fields independent living community, in partnership with the Washington County Commissioners and Washington County Job and Family Services. The Marietta Community Foundation provided the initial funds for the environmental and marketing studies to apply for the grant. Residents will be socially engaged through no-touch video calls with family, virtual hangouts with other residents, and virtual classes to meet other older adults from all parts of the country. Caregivers can achieve more from virtual wellness checks, and concierge on video, improving efficiency to daily operation.
“Technology is not an option; it is our future,” says Misty Crosby, Executive Director of BHRC. “BHRC and HealthJay share the vision of integrating easy-to-use technology as part of the solution for senior living communities to thrive in a fast-shifting industry.”
The initiative was born out of the Buckeye Fields senior living project and a desire to provide both mental and physical health advantages to combat isolation and loneliness. Buckeye Fields will be a new affordable senior housing community with 64 ranch-style apartments on 25 acres near the Washington County Home, which received 60 tablets.
Buckeye Fields is slated to receive 67 tablets once it opens; construction on the community will begin in June 2022. Hindman told McKnight’s Senior Living that the community is the first project for a model for affordable senior housing that BHSS plans to replicate throughout its eight-county region.
“I anticipate that we will be using the tablets for telehealth for this housing model going forward,” Hindman says.
“Connecting older adults and their caregivers in a way that data can be collected for accountability and analytics defines HealthJay’s virtual platform as an industry-based leader,” says Rosita Wong, CEO of HealthJay. “Data is instrumental to raise health equity and to continue restructuring hybrid care delivery to meet changing needs.”
HealthJay is a multilingual virtual platform designed for older adults, offering virtual classes, remote wellness checks, and smart features such as voice commands, video calls, community messaging, and a concierge button. It is supported by an ecosystem of a mobile app for caregivers to monitor their clients, and an admin dashboard that tracks virtual activities for accountability. HealthJay’s website is www.healthjay.com.
Buckeye Hills Support Services is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for affordable housing in conjunction with readily accessible services, supports and programming for senior citizens in the Buckeye Hills Regional Council service region.
Learn more at bhss.org.