Upgrading technology infrastructure and services

Cedar Community’s wireless and technology upgrade project was supported in part by a loan from Economic Development Washington County (EDWC). Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann presented Cedar Community CEO Lynn W. Olson with the EDWC loan check.

If there is one thing that most of us have adapted to over this past year, it is how to use technology to stay connected with our family and friends, and as an organization, Cedar Community has used virtual platforms to conduct many of our business functions. Technology certainly is not new to senior living, but it has emerged as a very important part of our lives, keeping us all connected and informed. As we continue to grow and improve, Cedar Community is working on a large project to upgrade the technology infrastructure on all of our campuses. We have also partnered with an organization that will help integrate many of our technology programs and platforms.

While there are hundreds of programs to choose from, K4Connect is bringing many of those solutions together through one single system. “Our technology solutions help to streamline and unify the team member experience, and the goal is to have a single source of information from which you can distribute relevant information to residents, team members, and families,” says Bethany Gale, K4Connect Growth Director.

The K4Community Plus mobile application allows Cedar Community to use an app for phones and tablets, that will allow for pushing out information and updates, while keeping residents e ortlessly connected to family and friends. The app will include menus, event calendars, phone directories, and much more. A group of Cedar Community residents volunteered to test the K4Community Plus app, and they have been using it for several months to provide feedback and help make improvements before it is made available to all residents.

The K4Community Smart Home program will allow residents to easily automate their lights, temperature, and room fans to their comfort, as well as other program options, through the app on their personal smartphones and through a voice-enabled Alexa device. The new Cedar Ridge Homes will all have K4Community Smart Home built, and these options will be available in the future for our existing homes and apartments. One of the key features of the Alexa program is the voice interface is private and secure, and not tied to personal Amazon accounts. The Alexa is de-identi ed from the residents’ personal information, and is associated with the home or apartment, not the person.

“Voice is one of our most exciting o erings, not only because of ease of use, but it is an easy and exciting way for residents to engage in technology that they maybe never had before,” says Natalie Jones, K4Connect Director of Marketing and Communications. “Technology has also created an incredible level of accessibility for residents who have mobile and visual impairments. For example, we had a partner with a resident named Joyce who su ered from macular degeneration. She loved to read, and she has used Alexa to help her with her love of reading.”

Cedar Community is proud to be the rst senior living community in Wisconsin to adopt the K4Connect program. As the modules are rolled out across all of our campuses, the technology will help create even more enriching and engaging experiences for residents, and it will make it easier to connect to all of the amenities and services Cedar Community has to o er in an up-to-date, immediate platform.