VivaTrace LLC and Vantage Technology Ltd Partner to Enable Automated Digital Contact Tracing in Senior Living Communities
November 13, 2020 – New York, NY
The partnership between technology innovators addresses an urgent need for contact tracing and safe distancing approaches in response to COVID-19 to ensure health and safety for essential workers and high-risk nursing home residents.
According to the CDC, 42% of coronavirus-related deaths reported in the US were in senior living and nursing home facilities, with adults 65 years and older responsible for 8 out of 10 deaths.
Today, VivaTrace, a pioneer in senior community contact tracing solutions, announces its strategic partnership with Vantage, one of the world’s leading technology innovators in real-time locating systems (RTLS).
The integration of VivaTrace’s software and Vantage’s RTLS technology creates a platform to quickly retrace the path of an infected individual, understand who they have come in contact with, and the duration for which they have been exposed. The platform automates the tracing process to be completed in seconds, without the arduous and imperfect method of interviewing individuals and relying on memory recall.
Challenges of Contact Tracing in Nursing Homes and Senior Living Communities
Nursing homes and senior living communities house a population highly vulnerable to the virus. Understanding each individual a person may have come in contact with and pinpointing a timeframe that could span from a few minutes to two weeks, is a formidable task. Further, relying on effectively tracing through the recollection from residents who, in certain cases, may unfortunately struggle with memory retention, adds another layer of complexity to contact tracing in nursing homes and senior living communities.
VivaTrace’s contact tracing solution, powered by Vantage’s RTLS technology, strengthens traditional, costly, manual efforts, while delivering unprecedented value in response time, visibility, and reporting at a fraction of the cost. Operators can leverage this unique capability to instantly identify every resident, employee and visitor who may have been exposed.
When a person is showing symptoms or has tested positive, facilities can now quickly sanitize and disinfect all of the areas the person has visited. VivaTrace provides immediate visibility into the areas visited by the carrier so that staff can use enhanced disinfection and testing protocols in these spaces.
Unlike popular contact tracing mobile phone applications, VivaTrace’s solution relies on feather-light bracelets for the highest level of wearability, sanitization, and ease of use. This allows nursing home communities to seamlessly ensure compliance of all persons in their facilities, without the expense, sanitation risks, and complexities of managing mobile phones.
Senior living residents enjoy a greater quality of life when they are able to maintain social interactions, which is why VivaTrace and Vantage are working tirelessly to develop solutions that limit exposure and empower operators to confidently allow social engagement. “When we’ve spoken to these facilities, their biggest concern is obviously the safety of their staff, residents, and visitors. Beyond limiting outbreaks, they’re looking to return to some form of social interaction that their residents once knew, whether that be small group activities, one on one programs, or a limited number of visitors,” remarked Alex Margovsky, VivaTrace’s CEO. He continued, “It is our mission to safely reunite residents with the activities and people that they love, which is why we’ve partnered with Vantage.”
“In a time where personal relationships matter more than ever, it’s critical that we equip the organizations that serve our most vulnerable populations with the quality care technology they desperately need,” commented Philip Edgell, Vantage’s President. “Our resident journey platform, combined with VivaTrace’s intuitive software creates a powerful tool in the drive to keep senior living facilities safe while allowing them to continue supporting a wellness culture.”
Head Administrator at Harbor House Assisted Living, Krystal Ross, commented:
“The peace of mind that VivaTrace has afforded our organization cannot be overstated. Being able to tell our resident families that we have an existing layer of security lends even more importance to the precautions that we have taken, and continue to take, to protect our communities.”
Located in Long Island, the leading dementia care facility is currently piloting the platform, with subsequent facility rollouts scheduled for Q4 of 2020 and Q1 of 2021.
For a PDF version of the complete press release, please click here to download.
