Anthem Memory Care residential facility, Photo courtesy of Brivo

In the United States today, a person develops Alzheimer’s disease every 71 seconds; there are currently 5.2 million Americans living with the disease. Anthem Memory Care addresses the needs of seniors afflicted by Alzheimer’s and dementia through specialized care. Each Anthem community is planned, designed, and operated with the specific needs of its residents in mind.

“The expected shortfall in the supply of memory care facilities has been identified as the most significant long-term healthcare risk to the baby boomer generation,” says Isaac Scott, Principal at Anthem Memory Care. “We have an enormous challenge to meet this unmet demand for years to come with facilities that offer focused care that enriches the lives of each resident and their family members.”

Brivo Systems LLC announced today that Anthem Memory Care has standardized on the Brivo OnAir hosted cloud-based access control and video surveillance management solution for their future new care facilities. Key-Rite Security of Denver, Colorado is the dealer and installer for this project.

As Anthem planned out its network of facilities, Scott and his executive team sought to choose and standardize on best-in-class technologies, managed by true professionals. For access control and video surveillance, “Brivo gives us the peace of mind we must have so that our caregivers can focus on what is most important—our residents,” he says.

The Brivo system is installed at the company’s Littleton, Colorado, community, which will have 76 residents at capacity, cared for by a total of 40 staff. “This is a 24/7 operation,” explains Scott. “We have to be agile and we have to respond quickly to any event.” The Brivo system manages nine access points at the community, with two video surveillance cameras at each of the two main entrances. Staff and family members gain entry and exit by entering a passcode on keypads located inside and outside each access point.

Chris DiGuardi, of Key-Rite Security, related an incident which illustrates the essential need for a reliable, always-on managed system: “One Saturday at 2:00 in the afternoon, we got a call from a staff member at the Littleton community:  a resident had learned the passcode. Within minutes, I was able to log on remotely, change the passcode, and ensure a secure community for the residents.” Scott adds, “Ninety percent of the moments you never plan for happen on a Saturday at 2:00. We need a partner like Key-Rite and a technology like Brivo that can react quickly and get it right.”

Anthem plans to open a total of four communities in 2013 and six in 2014, and the growth does not slow down after that. “We’ve got the model right now, and we anticipate having upwards of 50 communities across the country by 2022 in markets that display a significant shortage of beds for those suffering from cognitive impairment. With this kind of growth and the critical nature of our mission, we have incorporated the hardware and software technologies that keep our residents safe and make sure they are well taken care of 24/7.”

Scott continued, “We are selling peace of mind to our staff, our residents, and our residents’ families. We are able to do that when we employ the best people and technologies. Brivo is a key part of that. I don’t want our caregivers needing to worry about security, I want Brivo and Key-Rite to do that and free them up to provide best in class care for our residents. Our staff know that whatever they need is simply a phone call away.

DiGuardi explained another key aspect of the Key-Rite/Brivo offer: “With the Brivo cloud-based system for access and video management, Anthem does not have to worry about system failure, all risks have been removed. All system updates are automatic and the Brivo system has the scalability and rapid deployment to meet this fast-growing company’s needs.”