Siemens Caring Hands e.V. donates $400K to implement IoT sensors at Cummer Lodge to fight COVID-19

TORONTO — The Siemens Caring Hands e.V. charity is making a contribution to fighting the pandemic through a donation of approximately $400,000 to benefit Cummer Lodge, a Toronto long-term care facility. Long-term care residents have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and despite very high levels of vaccination among residents and visitors (the City of Toronto has a mandatory vaccination policy in place for staff), the safety of all these groups remains a top priority. Cummer Lodge is the first Canadian recipient of the international fund led by Siemens Caring Hands e.V.

The donation will be used by the City of Toronto to install 2,000 Siemens Enlighted IoT sensors in ceiling fixtures at the Cummer Lodge long-term care home. Abiding by all privacy regulations, the sensors pair with software applications, with the resulting anonymous data being analyzed and used to make data-driven decisions around occupancy management, asset tracking, motion tracking, utilization data and building sanitization.

“Combating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is a core purpose of Siemens Caring Hands,” says Stephan Frucht, member of the board of Siemens Caring Hands.

“Our support for Cummer Lodge plays a central role in this. This digital solution will help to alleviate the long-term negative effects of the pandemic and add safety and security to the residents, caregivers and visitors. We hope this will mean enhanced quality of life in the facility and that will provide additional comfort to both the residents and their loved ones.”

Information garnered from the data hopes to help the Cummer Lodge care team improve resident safety and care. Space occupancy heat maps help manage occupancy limits in common areas, asset tracking helps employees locate and track the high value assets and protect them with virtual geo-fencing and motion trails enable staff to see highly trafficked areas and can be used for targeted cleaning and social distancing tactics. Additionally, utilization data helps teams identify occupant density and can be used to identify bottle-necks in the building.

“Throughout the pandemic we have worked hard to protect our residents and ensure that those who are most vulnerable are supported”, says Mayor John Tory, City of Toronto. “The city prides itself on providing quality care every single day to residents in our long-term care homes. I want to thank Siemens Caring Hands e.V. for this donation which will help further enhance our care.”