Choosing Resident Technology: 5 Questions to Ask
If you run a retirement village, you are almost certainly being pitched a resident app right now. There is one question that does more than any other to decide whether the investment pays off, and it rarely makes the list.
Start with who you need to reach, not what you want it to do
A resident app, however well designed, reaches the residents who are willing and able to use a smartphone. In most villages, a meaningful share are not. Industry experience suggests app-only platforms struggle to reach close to 45% of residents. Before you compare features, ask a vendor how their technology reaches the people who will never open an app.
Adoption is the real metric, not feature count
In a recent survey of 30 residents at The Sterling, 93% reported using Lumin daily or regularly, 87% used it for events and village news, and 83% said they felt more connected to their community. The adoption held even among residents who started out nervous about technology.
Five questions for your next vendor meeting
1. How does this reach the residents who will never use an app? 2. What is your real adoption rate in villages like mine? 3. Can this sit on one platform, or am I stitching several together? 4. How does this help with my changing obligations under the Retirement Villages Act? 5. Will the platform carry voice, AI, and wellbeing insight as they become standard?