Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1347119
62 I ICT TODAY • Asset tracking systems tag employees and equipment with designated areas, limiting unau- thorized access to secure spaces and mitigating scarcity issues regarding equipment like personal protective gear and ventilators. The adequate throughput of PoE facilitates extremely large volumes of wire-less telemetry data, allowing users to triangulateand locate Bluetooth and other wireless tags and devices. Owners and operators achieve optimal results when each of the wired and wireless devices enabling the above use cases is integrated into a single, data-rich ecosystem. This is especially true for owners looking to design their next facilities for digital-native Millennial and Gen Z decision makers. Both snapshot and trending data from smart devices provide action- able insights for for owners, operators, architects, general contractors, and electrical contractors charged with developing future-proof facilities. PoE-powered data use cases benefiting residents and family include: • Advanced fall sensors and detectors can predict an incident and provide early warning to staff, thus enabling faster intervention. Especially when coupled with personal emergency response service tools, these technologies can provide a sense of com- fort for family and other caregivers. Power over Ethernet can serve as the foundation that creates a consistent, reliable, fire-and-forget connection for critical health and safety applications. • Individualized environmental controls allow residents or staff to choose or automate changes to temperature, lighting, screens, and other smart devices in a resident's living space. Traditional thermostats can be eliminated and replaced by PoE nodes that connect directly to heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment. Users control through ADA-friendly interfaces, such as large touchscreens, voice commands, or centrally from nurse or administrative stations. • Long-distance caregiving and advocacy are made possible for family members through a series of connected devices and analytics. Cameras, sen- sors, and other monitoring devices send snapshot and trending data to visualization portals for care- givers so they can see remotely what is going on with a loved one's health and care. A growing number of application programming interfaces (APIs) connect these systems to additional, established family connection portals. • Digitized wayfinding solutions help residents with physical disabilities, sight and hearing impairments, dementia, and other issues navigate their homes. Smart wayfinding signage, in conjunction with wireless connectivity, gives residents real-time location-based routes to minimize travel time and reduce confusion. Residents can ask the building for directions, and the building itself can identify residents from wearable Bluetooth tags. DATA INSIGHTS FOR SMARTER SENIOR LIVING FACILITIES In addition to powering and controlling smart devices, PoE facilitates the collection and analysis of valuable smart device data, permitting an IoT platform to deliver business intelligence to a variety of stakeholders. Furthermore, the standard struc- tured cabling solution is flexible enough to accom- modate the rapid influx of new devices, apps, and analytics to the senior care industry. The technology essentially transforms a facility from a fixed asset into a datadriven machine, automated for the comfort and well-being of employees, residents, and their families. Some of the latest sensors provide incredible insight. Micro-doppler sensors, for example, detect heartbeat, breathing rate, and fall incidents from across a room. Bathroom motion sensors and door contacts on appliances establish a baseline of resident behavior. With health and behavior data, patterns and anomalies are much more easily identified which, in turn, provides warnings to care givers and family advocates.