SPH's Orange Valley partners StarHub, ST Engineering for smart nursing home

Singapore

ORANGE Valley Nursing Homes, a subsidiary of Invest Healthcare, has partnered companies such as StarHub and ST Engineering to test aged-care technologies for its new smart nursing home in Balestier.

This was announced at the official opening of the 4,700 sq m, five-storey building on Wednesday.

Invest Healthcare was acquired in April last year by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), which also publishes The Business Times.

Lyn Edel Yip, chief executive of Orange Valley Nursing Homes, which is also Singapore's largest private nursing home operator, said: "Because we are so engaged with paperwork, monitoring and documentation, we are hoping that these technologies can help us improve the quality of care."

On the choice of testing out the technologies at the new nursing home, she added: "This is the latest home that we could envision to build to what we want, rather than the older ones which were already built."

Orange Valley is working with StarHub to trial a fall prevention management solution at the nursing home.

This solution uses motion-detecting, Internet of Things technology to send out instantaneous bed exit notifications via a mobile app to the nursing staff when a resident is trying to climb out of the bed.

This is part of StarHub's expansion into healthcare, under an agreement signed between SPH and the telco in January this year.

The nursing home operator is also teaming up with ST Engineering to trial an automated visitor registration system, which uses facial recognition to allow for a one-time registration.

These tests will start in three to six months, said Orange Valley.

The building at Balestier is the first new nursing home to be opened since SPH acquired Orange Valley, and is the sixth nursing home managed by Orange Valley.

It offers 118 beds, including two for quarantine and isolation purposes. Besides open wards, there are single, two-bed and four-bed rooms as well as two deluxe suites.

Ms Yip said the nursing home operator is exploring collaborations with other potential partners, in areas such as robotic wheelchairs.

Anthony Tan, chairman of Orange Valley and deputy chief executive of SPH, said: "Singapore is facing an ageing population, and even as a commercial entity, we also recognise our social obligations to serve a bigger purpose - that all Singaporeans have access to quality eldercare to live in comfort and with dignity."