Caremerge Partners with Spiro100 to Drive Engagement with Senior Living Wellness Programming

Updated 11.23.21 from a post originally published 10.9.20

A strong culture of wellness can help to continuously promote healthy behaviors among older adults throughout a community. The past 18 months have highlighted just how important developing this sort of culture can be as older adults deal with the heightened impacts of ageism, inaccessible technologies, and social isolation. 

Fully adopting a wellness culture takes time, but strategically integrating wellness principles can help mitigate the issues residents may face.

This is why Caremerge has expanded on their partnership with Spiro100, a fitness and wellness video program provider, to provide new features and enhancements that boost resident engagement. Senior living communities around the country need accessible wellness content that can serve as a backbone to their other wellness initiatives.

This partnership enables communities to access the full suite of wellness classes from Spiro100 through the existing infrastructure of Caremerge technology, driving resident engagement and independence.

Senior Living Wellness Programs Drive Engagement and Occupancy

Before discussing the impact of senior living wellness programs, it’s important to understand what wellness actually is and its application to senior living communities.

There are eight dimensions of wellness: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental. These dimensions must all receive attention to benefit a person’s health.

This is also why it’s important to distinguish the difference between exercise and a wellness model. Wellness does not simply refer to the integration of an exercise program – it is a holistic approach to care.

When implemented effectively, senior living wellness models increase occupancy and resident independence. Forty-six percent of individuals in a senior living community say that wellness was the main reason they chose the community, and communities with wellness programming prolonged resident independence by nearly three years.

However, flexible programming is necessary to improve and encourage resident engagement. This means that senior living communities must roll out wellness programs that cater to every resident.

This consideration is especially important as COVID-19 variants continue to spread and mutate. But even in times beyond a global health crisis, there are still older adults who may have barriers to engaging in live, in-person classes. Flexible programming provides access and resources to each resident.

Strong implementations of technology can further shape a program’s flexibility. For example, if a community is introducing wellness programming with the goal to reach every resident, they would likely need an existing technology infrastructure that residents can understand and use properly. This technology should enable residents to engage virtually with any program or event.

Spiro100 Delivers Accessible Wellness Programming to Older Adults

Spiro100 provides a full suite of online streaming content – with over 100 full-length sessions – that covers five categories:

• Mind: Cognitive stimulation exercises promote brain health and intellectual wellness.
• Body: Fitness classes are designed to improve balance, strength, endurance, and flexibility for all ages and abilities.
• Spirit: Mindfulness exercises help reduce stress, improve sleep, and alleviate pain and anxiety.
• Memory care: Spiro100 has a suite of memory care classes created specifically for older adults with memory loss through virtual social interactions and new learning experiences.
• Fun: Bingo100 is Spiro100’s take on one of the most popular games in senior living. They also offer a selection of other exciting games.

Each of these categories ensures residents can choose classes that best support their wellness journey.

The partnership also makes use of existing technology to drive resident engagement. This is because residents can access Spiro100’s wellness content through the Community Engagement platform or through their in-room TV channel.

Loading virtual wellness classes into the Community Engagement platform also saves time for staff. Generally, content for senior living wellness must be created and uploaded by senior living community staff members.

With Spiro100 providing the content, and with Caremerge providing the technology, staff members can focus their efforts on optimizing the delivery of this wellness programming to residents. 

For instance, staff members can use Community Engagement to create custom video playlists or even build programs for specific audiences. By utilizing ScreenCloud, staff members can also schedule and manage the content being shared on the in-room TV channel.

Why Wellness Programs in Senior Living Communities Are Here to Stay

Nearly 60 percent of senior living professional respondents said their communities will be based in a wellness lifestyle with options for care, rather than the other way around. When coupled with the knowledge that the global wellness market is estimated at $1.5 trillion and growing, one thing is clear: the focus on wellness in senior living communities won’t be going away anytime soon. 

What does this mean for senior living communities? They must invest or continue investing in digital tools that enhance residents’ wellness and overall health. Together with Spiro100, Caremerge strives to provide this sort of wellness supplement that will remain accessible to all older adults.

To learn more about how Caremerge’s partnership with Spiro100 can help residents stay engaged,