As the healthcare environment struggles with increased demand, small and medium-sized businesses in the senior care space may want to explore innovative solutions like those pioneered by ElephasCare. This Ontario-based startup is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing to solve one of long-term care’s most pressing challenges: the workforce shortage.
Long-term care homes across Canada are facing severe staffing shortages, especially in Ontario. Estimates suggest that there will be an urgent need for at least 58,600 additional nurses and personal support workers by 2029. Considering these challenges, ElephasCare offers an innovative AI-based platform designed to improve care efficiency and responsiveness in nursing facilities.
The company’s technology uses radar-based sensors to unobtrusively monitor residents for potential health changes. By detecting subtle changes in behavior or daily activities, ElephasCare’s system alerts caregivers before problems become serious, enabling timely intervention. “Early intervention in hospitals and senior care facilities is a proven way to improve outcomes,” explains Chris Lehman, President and COO. “Subtle changes can be a sign of health problems that, if overlooked, can escalate into more serious problems.”
ElephasCare leverages Lenovo’s AI Center of Excellence to enhance its solutions and uses Lenovo’s ThinkEdge SE455 V3 server to provide real-time analysis of multiple sensor feeds. This structured approach accommodates the realities of understaffed environments by providing immediate notifications to caregivers via a smartphone application. Because data is processed at the edge, operational efficiency is maintained. This helps streamline your workflow by ensuring that only important events are sent to the cloud for further analysis.
“Unlike traditional monitoring technologies that rely on wearables or video cameras, our solution is based on radar telemetry. We wanted to make the sensors lightweight and scalable while not violating residents’ privacy,” Lehman said, emphasizing the initiative’s user-centric design.
For small business owners operating senior care facilities, this innovation offers several key benefits. First, it aims to improve outcomes for residents by responding more quickly to health problems such as urinary tract infections, potentially reducing hospital visits. Initial results from the pilot deployment are expected to reduce falls, pressure ulcers and emergency room visits by more than 50 percent, which could lead to significant cost savings for facilities.
ElephasCare’s strategy also addresses privacy concerns associated with surveillance technologies. Using radar sensors without video or audio recording meets compliance requirements and ethical considerations that small businesses must adhere to.
However, there are also challenges business owners must consider. Implementing cutting-edge solutions can require significant initial investment and operational process transformation. Additionally, smaller facilities may not have the same technological infrastructure to support advanced AI systems. “While most of the vendors we evaluated focused on server specifications, Lenovo focused on our vision and long-term business goals. Their involvement was a collaborative effort,” said Lehman.
Small business owners should also keep in mind that they will need ongoing support and training to utilize these technologies effectively. As AI and edge computing continue to advance, the workforce must adapt and become proficient in new operating paradigms.
Going forward, ElephasCare plans to expand its AI monitoring solution to a broader audience using a hybrid cloud strategy that integrates Lenovo’s resources across on-premises and co-located data centers. This strategic expansion allows ElephasCare, as well as senior care facilities that adopt this technology, to benefit from improved outcomes and efficient processes.
“The monitoring capabilities we provide can have a significant impact in other healthcare settings as well, and we look forward to bringing the benefits of AI insights to more organizations around the world,” Lehman concluded. A proactive approach to health monitoring allows small and medium-sized businesses in the aged care sector to find new opportunities to provide quality care, improve operational efficiency, and more effectively address staffing shortages.
For more information about this innovative approach, see Lenovo’s original press release. lenovo news.
