ERCES Considerations When Planning a New Building Construction

ERCES Considerations When Planning a New Building Construction

When disaster strikes, emergency responders need to move quickly; every second they are delayed to take action could cost lives. The International Fire Code’s ERCES regulations were designed with this principle in mind. These guidelines govern radio infrastructure inside institutional buildings and ensure that all buildings that are accessible to the public maintain a strong radio signal for emergency communications, and they are imperative for developers when drafting plans for new senior living facilities.

What is ERCES? 

ERCES, or Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement Systems, refers to the radio system that supports communication between first responders in an emergency situation. The term emergency could refer to anything from a fire or flood to a terrorist event.  The important part is not the event itself, but the need for swift and decisive action. Responding appropriately to these types of occurrences often requires extensive coordination between teams of people, and they rely on good radio coverage to do it.

Unfortunately, radio signals weaken when they travel over long distances and through concrete, steel, and other obstructions. This means that ERCES in buildings can sometimes become spotty and unreliant. While this is usually not a concern for small buildings, larger ones may need to include additional broadcast points to ensure coverage throughout the entire structure.

Since the introduction of the IFC 510 in 2009, all new buildings have been required to include any in-building ERCES infrastructure needed to maintain an adequate radio signal. Amendments made in 2015 and 2018 expanded those requirements to include buildings that were constructed prior to 2009 as well.

The Importance of ERCES in Assisted Living 

Complying with the IFC 510 is more than just a legal obligation for senior living facilities; it is essential to the safety of your residents and staff. If a fire breaks out or another disaster occurs, they will be in serious jeopardy, and many may be unable to make any independent efforts to escape. They will be dependent on emergency response teams to help them evacuate to safety, and those teams will be much better equipped to do this if they can relay information back and forth across an unwavering radio connection.

While ERCES regulations were conceived with fire safety in mind, maintaining good Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement Systems in buildings is also useful in the context of medical emergencies. This is particularly important within assisted living facilities. Residents may require complex medical intervention at any time, and their health outcomes may become significantly worse if emergency responders cannot get them the care they need in a timely fashion. Strong radio coverage makes successful hand-offs significantly easier and ensures that all parties helping to address the emergency understand what is going on at all times.

Choosing the Right ERCES Technologies 

There are two technologies that are primarily used to meet ERCES requirements: radiating cable systems and distributed antenna systems.

A radiating cable system (also called a leaky cable) is a tall, flexible antenna that is used to broadcast radio frequency signals. This system can be easily installed in shafts and corridors inside a building, works well in close quarters, and can be used to enhance two-way radio capability. However, its range is short and it is susceptible to interference from other radio frequency signals in the area, so it is not suitable for all applications.

A distributed antenna system is composed of managed hubs and remote antennas supported by amplification boosters and bi-directional amplifiers. This system sends digital signals from the base station to the outlying hubs through a dedicated high-bandwidth fiber-optic network. When those signals reach the hubs, they are converted back to radio frequencies and distributed through the associated antennas. This allows the signal to remain strong and clear regardless of distance. This type of system can be costly, but it provides far more reliable radio coverage than competing technologies.

These sytems are complex and require detailed design by certified engineers to ensure that all First Responders needs are addressed.  There is not usually a “one size fits all solution for these implementations.

Invest in ERCES Solutions Today 

Incorporating a high-quality ERCES solution like HealthSignals’ into your new building ensures ongoing ERCES compliance and helps to make your senior living facility as safe as possible for your residents.

Our services include everything from design and engineering to ongoing management, providing a convenient and hassle-free experience for all our clients. Contact us today to hear more about our ERCES projects and how they can help you keep the occupants of your assisted living building safe.

 

Smart Aging: Make Sure Your Facility Supports it

Smart Aging: Make Sure Your Facility Supports it

Smart aging is an increasingly pressing topic having a profound impact on the well-being of seniors. It’s a fantastic AI-driven intelligence solution that uses web, mobile, and voice-assisted platforms like Alexa to enhance social connection, improve personal enrichment, add an extra level of security, and provide access to state-of-the-art healthcare. It’s been incredibly impactful during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing senior living community residents to socialize with loved ones and feel safe knowing their health needs will be met.

Smart Aging: Make Sure Your Facility Supports it.

If they’re not already, senior living providers must leverage today’s most advanced technologies to empower their residences to live a more independent, connected, and healthier life.

The Role of Technology in Smart Aging

Smart aging promotes senior well-being through the seamless integration of the latest technologies into their daily lives. It’s critically important to improving seniors’ lives, mitigating the health effects of aging, and improving the overall quality of senior living environments.

Following four main smart aging areas are considered to improve seniors’ quality of life:

  • Living environment, including housing as well as issues like accessibility, safety, and having basic needs met.
  • Mental capabilities as they relate to psychological well-being and overall quality of life.
  • Social experiences such as digital communications with relatives and friends, support groups, online classes, leisure activities, and artistic expression.
  • Physical well-being as it relates to physical activity, physical function, and high quality of physical well-being.

There are also four categories of smart aging-related technologies:

  • Information technology that supports social connections as well as contact with healthcare providers.
  • Medical systems and devices used to remotely monitor residents’ health.
  • Bio-technology to improve health and living systems.
  • Robotics supporting residents through tasks like food service delivery and hands-free temperature checks.

Smart aging technology components include things like wearables and telehealth services that significantly contribute to a better quality of life and improve everyday living. For instance, with telehealth technologies, seniors become more aware of their health with minimal effort needed for doctor’s visits, which, in turn, lets them become more proactive in keeping themselves fit and well while remaining independent.

Does Your Senior Living Facility Make the Grade?

Smart aging technology is an investment that benefits residents and providers alike. For facilities, it allows them to offer a more attractive resident experience and increases overall community satisfaction resulting in higher occupancy rates. For residents, it makes it easier to continue social connections and build fulfilling, active lifestyles. And the benefits will continue long after the pandemic is under control.

To ensure residents can take full advantage of everything smart aging technology offers, it’s crucial to have a Wi-Fi system in place that supports continuous streaming technologies like remote patient monitoring, video conferencing, and “store and forward” secure communications. Medical Grade Wi-Fi® from HealthSignals’ offers secure, campus-wide coverage that guarantees residents stay connected whenever and wherever they need to.

Contact us today to learn more.

How Technology has helped Seniors during COVID-19

How Technology has helped Seniors during COVID-19

At the start of 2020, no one could have imagined how much more crucial technology would become for residents in senior living residences. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated technology adoption for communities across the country, with facilities investing in technologies that keep residents and essential employees physically safe and emotionally well.

How Technology has helped Seniors during COVID-19

While technology has played a vital role in senior care for quite some time, since the beginning of COVID-19, it’s become more important than ever. Together with streamlining workflows and facilitating contact tracing, here’s how senior residents are benefiting from what the latest technologies have to offer.

Telehealth

What many refer to as “health care at a distance,” telehealth enhances patient-centered care and helps health providers deliver more personalized care to seniors. Providing telehealth access and services to senior living residents limits their exposure to the coronavirus and other contagions. It also frees up staff to spend more quality time with residents, something in higher demand as

family and friends are limited to virtual visits. Medical Grade Wi-Fi® enables continuous streaming telehealth technologies like video conferencing, remote patient monitoring, and “store and forward” secure communications.

Staying in Touch

With older adults struggling to connect with one another and their families and friends, keeping in touch during lockdowns and periods of isolation is critical to residents’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Video chat platforms like Zoom helps mitigate loneliness and reduce anxiety and stress. Residents can also connect to live streams of town halls where they receive live updates on things like changes to visitation policies.

Recreational Enjoyment

Keeping seniors engaged and entertained during social distancing can be tough. But while group meals, wellness classes, and other group activities have been put on hold, many providers and residents are discovering new ways to socialize and keep busy.

  • Virtual fitness classes are gaining in popularity, with trainers offering remote sessions.
  • Some communities are preprogramming activities like tai-chi, karaoke, and concert series for residents.
  • Residents whose travel plans have been postponed are taking virtual vacations, even sending friends and family virtual postcards.

Other creative solutions include computer classes, VR headsets, and interactive solutions for individual or team gaming, virtual lectures, and even religious ceremonies.

Making the Most of the Holidays

The same video chat platforms that the residents used to stay in touch at other times are now being used to celebrate the holidays with family. Many seniors, their friends and family shared meals with family during the Thanksgiving holiday by being across the screen rather than across the table. For the upcoming holidays, communities are planning activities similar to what worked successfully for them over the Thanksgiving holiday, like

  • Virtual cookie exchanges that involve either sending cookies to each other or everyone enjoying their favorites together onscreen while sipping a favorite hot drink and playing holiday tunes.
  • Residents who want to carry on their gift exchange tradition are having gifts delivered to recipients. Come Christmas day, everyone will jump online to open their gifts “together.”
  • Reading Christmas stories or singing holiday carols together to make the day especially fun for small children.
  • Using Zoom’s share screen feature so everyone can watch a movie together.

Of course, all of these great ideas depend on access to a reliable and fast internet experience. HealthSignals’ Medical Grade Wi-Fi® offers secure, campus-wide coverage that ensures residents stay connected whenever and wherever they need to. Contact us today to learn more.

COVID-19 has Taught Senior Living and Care Facilities to Pivot Sharply

COVID-19 has Taught Senior Living and Care Facilities to Pivot Sharply

COVID-19 has prompted senior living and care facilities across the country to reevaluate their value proposition and refocus operations. Amenities like fitness centers, housekeeping, dining options, and other lifestyle options remain essential features, but the pandemic has caused providers to make healthcare, safety, and online connectivity top priorities.

Transforming the Way Seniors Live

Recent pandemic-driven changes include the way people enter and exit buildings, more frequent hand washing and sanitizing voice-activated elevators and doors, and more. While the latest vaccine roll-out is welcome news, senior living communities realize future planning must focus on pivoting towards more sustainable goals. Creating the full and comfortable life that the residents expect and deserve now requires quick adoption of new solutions and technologies.

Senior living and care facilities no longer have the luxury of gradually improving or upgrading their tech infrastructure. With the vast majority of seniors now online, technology has proven itself to be the driver of high quality of life. It seems simple enough, but for many facilities lacking the capital investment dollars to make a widescale digital leap, it’s a real challenge.

 

Senior Communities Benefit from Making the Switch to Medical-Grade Wi-Fi®

The adoption of telehealth has accelerated, and virtual physician appointments have become the norm during the pandemic. New, HIPAA-compliant technologies such as Medical-Grade Wi-Fi® are essential in providing the best physical, mental, and emotional care to residents. Personal satisfaction also increases as full Wi-Fi access allows residents to stay connected with loved ones via platforms like Facetime, Skype, and Zoom.

Pandemic-related benefits include everything from facilitating reliable automatic contact tracing to enabling self-navigating robots that visit patients, automate food service tasks, and perform hands-free temperature checks. Some facilities have even introduced robotic pets to help seniors mitigate loneliness and isolation.

Facilitating Easy Adoption of the Latest Technologies with a No Capital Investment Option

One of the most significant financial outlays in upgrading or installing new technology is hardware. HealthSignals’ Medical-Grade Wi-Fi®as a service enables senior living communities to provide the high-speed internet residents and staff need without the capital investment needed to build the infrastructure, at predictable lower monthly costs. It’s a cost-efficient solution that also covers:

  • Design
  • Installation
  • Management
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairs and replacements
  • Upgrades

Focus on Quality of Life

COVID-19 has introduced a lot of new challenges for senior living and care facilities. When reassessing their value proposition, senior living providers must now shift their strategic goals. Safety, creative engagement, and access to quality healthcare are all values residents and their families are now keenly interested in having.

Looking ahead, senior communities must pull out all the stops to:

  • Keep residents safe.
  • Tap into technological resources designed to improve residents’ lives.
  • Adopt innovative technologies that not only address the current pandemic but prepare residents and staff for future health crises.

Most if not all the adjustments senior living and care facilities have made due to COVID-19 will stay with us post-crisis. The reliable, fast internet experience provided by HealthSignals’ Medical Grade Wi-Fi® WaaS offers secure, affordable campus-wide coverage that ensures residents have access to all the technological tools they need whenever and wherever they want them. Contact us today to learn more.

COVID-19 has Taught Senior Living and Care Facilities to Pivot Sharply

Changing with the Times: The Essentials Checklist for Senior Living

COVID-19 has prompted senior living and care facilities across the country to reevaluate their value proposition and refocus operations. Amenities like fitness centers, housekeeping, dining options, and other lifestyle options remain essential features, but the pandemic has caused providers to make healthcare, safety, and online connectivity top priorities.

Transforming the Way Seniors Live

Recent pandemic-driven changes include the way people enter and exit buildings, more frequent hand washing and sanitizing voice-activated elevators and doors, and more. While the latest vaccine roll-out is welcome news, senior living communities realize future planning must focus on pivoting towards more sustainable goals. Creating the full and comfortable life that the residents expect and deserve now requires quick adoption of new solutions and technologies.

Senior living and care facilities no longer have the luxury of gradually improving or upgrading their tech infrastructure. With the vast majority of seniors now online, technology has proven itself to be the driver of high quality of life. It seems simple enough, but for many facilities lacking the capital investment dollars to make a widescale digital leap, it’s a real challenge.

 

Senior Communities Benefit from Making the Switch to Medical-Grade Wi-Fi®

The adoption of telehealth has accelerated, and virtual physician appointments have become the norm during the pandemic. New, HIPAA-compliant technologies such as Medical-Grade Wi-Fi® are essential in providing the best physical, mental, and emotional care to residents. Personal satisfaction also increases as full Wi-Fi access allows residents to stay connected with loved ones via platforms like Facetime, Skype, and Zoom.

Pandemic-related benefits include everything from facilitating reliable automatic contact tracing to enabling self-navigating robots that visit patients, automate food service tasks, and perform hands-free temperature checks. Some facilities have even introduced robotic pets to help seniors mitigate loneliness and isolation.

Facilitating Easy Adoption of the Latest Technologies with a No Capital Investment Option

One of the most significant financial outlays in upgrading or installing new technology is hardware. HealthSignals’ Medical-Grade Wi-Fi®as a service enables senior living communities to provide the high-speed internet residents and staff need without the capital investment needed to build the infrastructure, at predictable lower monthly costs. It’s a cost-efficient solution that also covers:

  • Design
  • Installation
  • Management
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairs and replacements
  • Upgrades

Focus on Quality of Life

COVID-19 has introduced a lot of new challenges for senior living and care facilities. When reassessing their value proposition, senior living providers must now shift their strategic goals. Safety, creative engagement, and access to quality healthcare are all values residents and their families are now keenly interested in having.

Looking ahead, senior communities must pull out all the stops to:

  • Keep residents safe.
  • Tap into technological resources designed to improve residents’ lives.
  • Adopt innovative technologies that not only address the current pandemic but prepare residents and staff for future health crises.

Most if not all the adjustments senior living and care facilities have made due to COVID-19 will stay with us post-crisis. The reliable, fast internet experience provided by HealthSignals’ Medical Grade Wi-Fi® WaaS offers secure, affordable campus-wide coverage that ensures residents have access to all the technological tools they need whenever and wherever they want them. Contact us today to learn more.

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