Texas assisted-living facility utilizes senior care technology to contact trace COVID-19 cases

AMARILLO, Texas - In just five minutes, management at an assisted living center in Amarillo was able to track each step a nurse suspected of having COVID-19 made inside the facility.

Joe Walter, executive director at The Legacy at Town Square, received a call from one of his staff members one night saying they had symptoms consistent with COVID-19. The nurse was going to make their way to a local hospital to get tested. 

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“Before she left the house, I already pulled all the contact tracing information and sorted it so I knew exactly how long she was in contact with staff and residents,” Walter said. 

The nurse ended testing negative for the virus. Walter was prepared however to begin isolating anyone she came in contact with. He was able to create a report immediately, utilizing the software provided by CarePredict. The senior care technology company added a contact tracing feature to their CarePredict Tempo bracelets allowing management to act quicker than state agencies in responding to potential exposure.

“It’s basically instantaneous contact tracing and the way it works is if an individual is infected with COVID-19 they go into our software and they will select a 14-day window,” said Jerry Wilmink, CarePredict CBO. “This tool allows them to get ahead of the curve and really mitigates the spread so you don’t have viral spread throughout a community.”   

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The pandemic has initiated a number of state guidelines to help keep residents safe. Walter said the CarePredict devices add extra peace of mind. The residents don’t mind the devices, staff is able to monitor a resident’s health behavior pattern daily activity and the bracelets have an emergency call button.

“In essence a craftsman is only as good as its tools,'' said Walter. “This tool really helps us make good decisions at a moment's notice.”

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To date, The Legacy at Town Square does not have any COVID-19 cases within the facility.

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