The Program, including the provision of devices and associated services, is being administered by Avia Health.   Jefferson Health was awarded a grant by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to participate in the RCAT and provide certain educational and clinical support services to certain assigned post-acute carefacilities.   This Program is being made available in furtherance of the objectives of the former RCAT program, in order to provide support to long-term care facilities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, by offering Amazon Smart Devices (Echo Dots and Shows) to the 300+ long-term care facilities that were in Jefferson Health’s RCAT region. Facilities will be able to request the numbers and type of smart devices they are interested in. The devices and a one-year of service will be provided to interested facilities at no cost.

Aiva Health is a software and services company that works with long-term care facilities and hospitals across the country, including Atria Senior Living, Sunrise Senior Living, Life Care Services, Jefferson Health, Yale New Haven Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Aiva has received investment from Google and Amazon, as well as from a number of healthcare providers.

The facilities that were under Jefferson Health’s southeast region in the RCAT are eligible for this incentive program. If you are unsure, please reach out and we will verify your eligibility.

You pay nothing for a year – the devices are yours forever and the first 12 months of Aiva service are covered by the grant secured by Jefferson Health.  After 12 months, there are a couple of possibilities:

• You could sign up for Aiva yourself at a discount offered to facilities who participated in DVACO's Aiva Program.
• You could discontinue the Aiva service and revert the Echo devices to consumer mode. That would mean losing the Aiva management console and capabilities.

The Aiva team would be happy to go into more detail on these options at any point. We understand it's important to be able to plan ahead!

A one-year, no cost End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) with Aiva.

Jefferson Health and the DVACO will work with Aiva Health to assess interest and requested devices to determine allotment for each community.

The Aiva Program includes both virtual and on-site set-up and training. Staff training takes about 30 minutes. For the first month, a project manager at your site will need to dedicate 2-3 hours per week for implementation success. This is typically the Community Life or Activities Director.

These Echo Shows are enterprise managed, which means they offer extensive privacy safeguards similar to those required by hospitals. For example, no PHI will be collected by Jefferson or DVACO.  Also, the devices are anonymized, and voice commands are not stored or reviewed. Facilities have the ability to select Echo Dots vs Echo Shows based on the facility and resident preference, and they will use Aiva's HIPAA-compliant console to manage these enterprise devices.

Yes. Amazon recommends between 1Mbps and 2.5Mbps, although the most popular features like music use as little as 128-160 Kbps. Note that enterprise wifi is required in order to get free device provisioning from Aiva; if your residents have their own wifi providers, it will be up to the resident or staff to connect their device to their wifi. If you want to use this as an opportunity to add enterprise wifi, Aiva can steer you toward a 3rd-party services firm in the Delaware Valley area.

For residents, the benefits include:

• Calling Friends & Family: Chatting over video can reduce symptoms of depression, according to a study cited by the US News & World Report in 2019.  Echo Shows have a screen, so residents can more easily make and receive video calls with loved ones. For example, they can just say something like, “Alexa, call my son” to connect with the phone or Echo Device of that family member.
• Engaging in Activities: Participation in wellness programs (fitness, activities and recreation) can improve health and increase social interactions. In a 2015 study by McKnight’s Senior Living, 45% of senior living residents said that wellness programs improved their quality of life. Using Echo Shows, staff can send event promotions and reminders via voice and visuals. An Aiva client, Atria Senior Living, reported in 2022 that using Echo Shows helped increase the percentage of residents participating in activities at one of their communities from 15% to 40%.
• Connecting with Community Staff and Neighbors: The Echo Shows also help residents stay in close touch with the community. For example, they can place calls and staff can communicate into resident rooms with audio, pictures and video on the Shows, pinpointing individuals with personal messages or broadcasting community-wide with important news or announcements.
• Accessing Audio & Video Programming: Alexa offers a wide range of audio and video content to entertain residents – some created by Amazon but most created by thousands of 3rd-party creators. They can use their voice to access music, news, weather, jokes, games and podcasts, including religious content.
• Having a Companion: There’s no replacement for human company, but Alexa has conversational abilities that residents often find engaging. “I refer to her now as my roommate,” said one resident at Aiva client Masonic Homes of California.

For staff, benefits include:

• Reduced workload. Alexa handles many tasks on behalf of staff, particularly showing information about meals, events and the community. One Aiva client, The Forum at Rancho San Antonio, reported saving 30 minutes per shift per care team member, for $120,000 in estimated efficiency savings.
• Free set-up and support. This includes device provisioning, staff training, educational materials for residents and an online help desk. Note that enterprise wifi is required in order to get free device provisioning; if your residents have their own wifi providers, it will be up to the resident or staff to connect their device to their wifi.
• Enterprise-level security and privacy. These Echo Shows are enterprise managed, which means they offer extensive privacy safeguards similar to those required by hospitals. For example, the devices are anonymized, and voice commands are not stored or reviewed.
• Dashboard controls. Staff can use Aiva’s web-based console to send messages and images to the Echo Shows, to manage residents’ phone books and to track utilization.