PLYMOUTH, WIS., October 23, 2020 - Rocky Knoll Health Care Center in Plymouth, Wis., in collaboration with Sheboygan, Wis.-based VibeTech, has been recognized by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living as a Gold winner in the 2020 McKnight's Excellence in Technology Awards in the Skilled Care Track’s Innovator of the Year category.

To view McKnight’s announcement of the award, click the following link https://www.mcknights.com/news/102898/

In 2016, Rocky Knoll Health Care Center entered into a partnership with VibeTech by investing in its device that uses vibration to reduce atrophy and pain in low-mobility patients receiving therapy. The Sheboygan County-owned skilled nursing facility now works with VibeTech to develop and measure the effectiveness of modified versions of the vibration device meant to increase the resident populations served.

In 2018, Rocky Knoll staff created a pilot to study how well memory care residents would tolerate the device, which imparts low-intensity vibrations tuned to contract muscles in the legs and low back to simulate standing and walking. The successful pilot study led to a Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) initiative aimed at reducing falls in this population that is twice as likely to fall as other residents and almost three times as likely to break a hip if they do fall. In 2019, data the group presented at the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) annual conference showed a 45-percent reduction in falls over a three-month treatment period versus the previous three months in the first six residents treated.

As a result of the tremendous success with these pilot studies, Rocky Knoll received a grant to develop VibeTech’s portable VibeSit™PRO, which uses the same technology without requiring residents to transfer from a wheelchair to get the benefits. Treatments can now be administered by all staff members as well as family members. Moreover, the portable design helps residents isolated by COVID-19 to receive treatments wherever it is most convenient (e.g., in their room, therapy department, exercise gym, etc.) while being disinfected between uses. A prototype is now being tested in conjunction with VibeTech.

In addition to Rocky Knoll’s and VibeTech’s participation, a community-based fall reduction program advisory group was formulated to provide feedback on the design and functionality of the portable device and the associated fall reduction program. The advisory group consists of local aging, dementia and Alzheimer’s organizations and organizations which cater to this population, which include:

·        The Gathering Place   http://memorymattersmost.com/

·        Generations   https://www.generationsic.org/

·        Home Care Health Services   http://www.homecarehealth.org/

·        Sheboygan County Aging & Disabilities Resource Center (ADRC)   https://www.sheboygancounty.com/departments/departments-f-q/health-and-human-services/aging-and-disability-resource-center

·        Tender Hearts Senior Care   www.tenderheartsseniorcare.net

“With the mission of ‘Innovation with Compassion,’ Rocky Knoll continues to partner with VibeTech in order to provide the Sheboygan County residents residing at Rocky Knoll with better quality of life and care using vibration technology,” Rocky Knoll Administrator Kayla Clinton said. "It's a tremendous honor to receive national recognition for our partnership with VibeTech to reduce atrophy and pain in our low-mobility residents. We are excited to see the vibration technology evolve and benefit individuals affected with dementia and Alzheimer's disease." 

VibeTech CEO and Founder Dr. Jeff Leismer says the partnership with Rocky Knoll has helped to advance the impact of vibration technology to the next level.

“Creating technology that truly helps people is extremely rewarding, especially when seeing what the technology has done for Rocky Knoll’s memory care residents and other low mobility residents,” Leismer said. “We are proud of the new, portable therapeutic vibration technology and fall reduction program our community collaboration has produced, and we are excited to bring our solution to communities across the country to make the largest impact possible on quality of life and cost of care for one of the most difficulty-to-treat populations. That is why the McKnight’s Gold Award for Innovator of the Year is such a big deal. It helps us get the word out to the senior living industry that our team created a highly effective, novel solution to the large and growing problem of falls that so negatively affects the population the industry serves. The timing of the award is especially important, as it comes just as VibeTech launches an equity crowdfunding campaign to raise the capital needed to complete product development to bring this important solution to market.”

The 2020 McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards contest offered six categories for skilled care providers. Winning entries described the technology involved, how it was used and the benefits that resulted. An independent panel of experts selected Gold, Silver and Bronze winners for each category.

“We know technology makes a difference, but this year, more than ever, as a result of the pandemic, we have seen how it can lead to significant improvements in the lives of residents and staff,” said McKnight’s Editorial Director John O’Connor.

ABOUT ROCKY KNOLL HEALTH CARE CENTER

The Sheboygan County-owned Rocky Knoll Health Care Center is a licensed short-term rehabilitation and long-term care facility that serves up to 149 residents. For the past three years, Rocky Knoll achieved the highest possible overall rating of five stars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS developed this rating system to provide consumers with a standardized way to grade nursing facilities.

For more information on Rocky Knoll Health Care Center, visit https://myrockyknoll.com.

ABOUT VIBETECH

VibeTech is a NASA Spinoff medical device company located in Sheboygan, Wis. Its FDA-listed, patented therapeutic vibration technology is designed to treat patients with muscle weakness, impaired balance, reduced mobility and pain. It does this conveniently from the comfort of a chair or wheelchair, with or without the user putting forth effort. This solution maximizes efficiencies of care staff by engaging family members where possible to improve outcomes and provide a rewarding, interactive, engaging experience to all. The immediate and long-term benefits of treatment which have been observed and published are unprecedented in the senior living industry, because the age and frailty of VibeTech’s end users typically precludes the reversal of atrophy, decline and pain experienced even when receiving standard care. Over 20,000 Medicare and insurance reimbursed treatments have been provided safely to date, bolstering the company’s goal of establishing the new standard of care for older adults most at risk of falls and fall-related injuries.

For more information on VibeTech, visit www.vibetechglobal.com. To learn about participating in VibeTech’s equity crowdfunding round, visit www.wefunder.com/vibetech. 

ABOUT McKNIGHT’S

McKnight’s is a media, branding and technology company with editorial offices in Northbrook, Ill. It is owned by Haymarket Media. McKnight’s Senior Living serves senior living professionals, and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News serves skilled care professionals, by providing the news, information, perspective and insight they need to succeed. The brands’ annual Excellence in Technology Awards competition recognizes operators that are harnessing technology to better serve their residents and business interests.

Additional information about McKnight’s can be found at https://www.mcknights.com/events/mcknights-technology-awards/.