A Response to CBC: Using Technology for the Better and Continuing to Care
As we enter in the New Year, it can be overwhelming to think about all of the changes that have occurred in our everyday lives over the past decade when it comes to technology. The potential negative side of this technology boom was captured in a recent CBC article, which discussed the need for the tech industry to focus on the right kind of innovation, mainly making consumers lives better and not just more convenient. At ContinYou Care we could not agree more – in fact, this is the foundation that our software and company are built upon. It’s no secret that in this not so new world of highly anticipated smartphone releases, drone delivery systems, automated ordering kiosks, and the plethora of phone and tablet applications, that the majority of tech innovators are focusing on simplifying consumers lives and hoping to deliver a more ‘convenient’ livelihood. But as the CBC questions – is convenience really the key to all of our problems? Will only focusing on this factor do our world any good? At ContinYou Care we think that the solution to a lot of issues regarding technology is that convenience needs to be one factor, and not the sole driver of the problem that technology attempts to solve.
The ContinYou Care platform is an innovative software system that caters to Seniors – a community of consumers that are often forgotten by the tech industry.
At the end of the day, ContinYou Care is meant to provide convenience and efficiency to the senior hospitality industry, namely nursing and retirement homes. You might be thinking this sounds somewhat contradictory considering what we just said about the tech industry as a whole and the driving force of convenience. However, what really sets our platform apart is the end goal of improving the care that our senior citizens receive once they become reliant on others. We believe that by focusing on the convenience and efficiency factors of the job processes of those caring for senior citizens, we’re able to help improve their quality of life overall.
Imagine running a restaurant where three times a day you had to serve close to one hundred patrons at a time, each with unique dietary restrictions and needs that were integral to their health. You would need to ensure all meals were delivered on time, and also continue to provide impeccable service that would make patrons want to return – it sounds chaotic and next to impossible doesn’t it? Well, this is the reality of senior care homes everywhere. Our software focuses on the meal services management aspect of the home as we realized that there was a disconnect between the care the staff wanted to provide their residents and the type of care they were actually receiving – particularly in the dining room. In homes where dining rooms are meant to sit over 100+ residents at a time, it can become complicated to ensure that each resident’s needs are met. Our platform allows residents to custom order their meal through the multi-lingual tablet application. Staff are able to come around throughout the day and have residents choose what they would like for Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner and through simple inputs residents are able to indicate what they can and cannot eat and attach this to their individual order. By having this information well in advance, the kitchen chefs are then able to anticipate these needs and prepare each meal accordingly.
By simplifying the ordering process, ContinYou Care not only makes the dining experience more convenient for staff and residents, it also improves the experience for the better.
Residents are able to have their dietary and nutrition needs met just as if they were living in their own home, and they’re also able to enjoy a meal that they prefer rather than their menu being dictated by the dining hall. As information is readily available to the kitchen and dining staff well in advance, the wait time in the dining room is also reduced and residents are able to enjoy their meal while it’s still fresh and warm.
As the CBC article pointed out, we know how large of an impact that technologies can have on our world and industries, and so it has never been more crucial to think about their impact holistically and really evaluate whether the change the technology will bring will be for the better. We believe that innovative platforms like ContinYou Care do have the ability to disrupt industries such as the hospitality sector – but not in a negative way. ContinYou Care allows senior care homes to keep the human factor involved and in no way eliminates the need for human interaction. Our platform allows staff to save time and deliver more effective results which consequently allows them to focus on the part of their job that really matters, the residents.
If you’d like to learn more about the positive benefits that our platform has had in the real world, be sure to watch this video on our success stories.