SentosaCare's Benjamin Landa and Bent Philipson Test New Technology Designed to Better Connect Nursing Home Residents with Friends and Family

LONG BEACH, N.Y., Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SentosaCare, an organization formed to service, guide and assist affiliated nursing home facilities in fulfilling their commitment to quality health care, today announced the launch of a trial program designed to deliver enhanced social interaction to long-term care residents at the Park Avenue Extended Care Facility in Long Beach, Long Island,

Developed by Life.VU, a technology company based in Israel, the social network platform under review has been installed in ten of the 240 rooms of the 5-Star facility. The communications system utilizes in-room televisions and allows text and photo content to be shared on-screen in real time. Experiences can be shared from any number of pre-approved home computers or hand held devices. 

"The Life.VU system aims to introduce the power and functionality of the internet to a segment of the population that often is not capable of using or simply does not want to use computers or cell phones," says Benjamin Landa, co-owner of SentosaCare.  "We are always in search of cutting edge innovations that can improve the quality of life for our elderly residents.  Early indications are that the Life.VU system is delivering on its promises by building a meaningful communications bridge between residents and the outside world.  While it is often difficult to quantify emotional benefits, it is clear that Life.VU has an undeniable feel-good component to it that benefits not only the resident population but their friends and family as well. It is a joy to be an early adopter of this very promising technology and to see the Park Avenue residents and their families connecting in a way that was not available to them before," Landa added.

According to Elazar Cohen, CEO of Life.VU, the plug and play device connects to the existing room infrastructure and enables seamless and scalable deployment. "In addition to messages from a resident's friends and family, Life.VU's functionality includes an administration utility that enables the on-site facility manager to broadcast time-sensitive updates directly to the residents and encourage usage. The goal is to further facilitate resident activity-engagement and significantly increase and enhance social interaction," said Cohen. "The Life.VU Kiosk feature also allows participating facilities to promote their schedule of activities and offerings in public places. In addition to serving as a reminder to residents, messages on the public space Kiosks showcase the activities calendar to visitors who can further encourage resident participation," Cohen added.

SOURCE SentosaCare