The Relay: Episode 13 Now Available

LISTEN NOW: https://youtu.be/-vAoiq5PMY4

How can technology help caregivers recognize a patient’s decline before it becomes an emergency?

In this episode of The Relay, host Val Emmons is joined by Jackie Vance, President of the National Transitions of Care Coalition, and Amy Chidester, owner of R.A. Chidester Consulting, for a practical discussion about how assistive technology is changing skilled nursing, long-term care, assisted living and transitions of care.

The conversation explores remote patient monitoring, AI-supported clinical tools, sensor-based technology and new approaches to incontinence care that can give caregivers better information without replacing the human judgment that patients still depend on.

Jackie and Amy also discuss how technology can help care teams:

• Identify subtle changes in condition earlier

• Detect risks for infections, UTIs, dehydration and skin breakdown

• Reduce unnecessary emergency department visits and hospital readmissions

• Improve fall prevention and patient safety

• Preserve dignity during personal care

• Reduce unnecessary brief changes and caregiver workload

• Recognize patient-specific patterns instead of relying solely on traditional scheduled checks

• Give nurses and CNAs actionable information when staffing resources are limited

• Improve communication and continuity during transitions between care settings

The episode also takes a closer look at emerging incontinence-monitoring technology, including sensors that can alert caregivers when intervention is actually needed, allowing staff to respond based on the individual patient rather than an arbitrary schedule.

The central message: technology should not replace caregivers — it should give caregivers better information so they can intervene earlier and focus their attention where patients need them most.

Learn more about the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) and access additional transitions-of-care resources at NTOCC.org.

Guests:

Jackie Vance — President, National Transitions of Care Coalition

Amy Chidester — R.A. Chidester Consulting

Host:

Val Emmons — The Relay