Two insurers with a senior strategy
Church Mutual is launching a preferred vendor program with San Francisco-based SafelyYou to introduce its fall prevention technology to memory care customers. Church Mutual Senior Living Professional Liability Customers may be eligible for a pilot installation of SafelyYou’s technology.
Founded in 2015, SafelyYou uses artificial intelligence technology to provide real-time video of resident falls. When an incident happens, it alerts care staff immediately so the video can be reviewed and appropriate action can be taken. Privacy and liability are protected through cameras that activate only when a fall is detected. Memory care staff can use the videos to determine the root cause, the need for an ER visit, and resident-specific care strategies.
“Our research shows that SafelyYou’s memory care-focused technology reduces resident falls by an average of 40%, so we are excited to share this game-changing technology with our senior living customers. By accelerating the adoption of the technology, our goal is to help keep professional liability loss costs down and offset increasing insurance rates. Once our customers get to experience the technology in action, we are confident they will be interested in deploying it more fully throughout their communities.” – Jim Ketterson, Director – Special Business Unit/Senior Living for Church Mutual.
“Church Mutual has been working with senior living communities for more than 40 years and is at the forefront of providing the latest safety resources to its customers. They share our mission and values, and we are honored to be named a preferred vendor. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with their wide network of senior living communities and all the residents they serve.” – George Netscher, CEO for SafelyYou.
With a semi-similar objective – to also care for seniors – exactly five years ago, State Farm announced its partnership with Lively, a San Francisco-based wearables company founded in 2012 to operate in the space of passive monitoring; offering seniors an emergency alert device to track their activity through sensors placed in their homes. Lively is no success story as in 2015, its assets were acquired by San Diego-based connected health provider for active aging GreatCall, which was later acquired by Best Buy for $800 million. Today, Lively retails for $50.
To State Farm , the short-lived partnership with Lively offered eligible customers the Lively system for a discount as part of the insurer’s Connected Care program. Another ‘special offer’ by State Farm was for ADT Medical Alert, a 24/7 professional monitoring. The shipping and activation were offered for free, however, customers had to pay for the month-to-month monitoring.
These offers have likely expired but State Farm is still crawling its way toward a connected home strategy centered on seniors. Last summer, the insurer announced it “teamed up with Amazon” to develop an Alexa skill to help coordinate tasks among the care circles of seniors living at home. “A limited trial is currently being conducted, with plans to launch broadly in 2020,” was said in a statement.
