Siemens: Siemens Caring Hands e.V. donates $400K to implement IoT technology at Cummer Lodge in fight against COVID-19 pandemic

The Siemens Caring Hands e.V. charity is making a long-term contribution to fighting the pandemic and is supporting the City of Toronto in Canada with a donation of approximately $400,000 (€295,000) to benefit Cummer Lodge. 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 will 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. Sensor data also assists with sanitization and how to optimize and validate cleaning routines. Cummer Lodge is one of 10 City of Toronto operated long-term care homes and provides individualized care to each of its 391 residents within a safe and friendly environment.
“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.”
At the initiative of Siemens AG and with the support of Siemens Caring Hands e.V., a COVID-19 relief fund was established in March 2020 to provide charitable support to people affected by the crisis worldwide. A total of 15.2 million euros (including corporate donations and matchings) was collected to aid projects all over the world. This includes local initiatives with NGOs or qualified donees in the individual countries as well as global initiatives directly managed by Siemens Caring Hands e.V.
Siemens Caring Hands e.V. is a charitable association that was founded at the initiative of Siemens AG in 2001. The association is especially active in providing support in major emergencies and pursues charitable and non-profit purposes. These include backing assistance for disaster victims, supporting fire / disaster / civil protection and promoting development of the public health system. The charity was established because Siemens AG Management and employees wanted to provide direct, uncomplicated assistance to victims of the September 11 attacks. Siemens Caring Hands e.V. also provided assistance in response to the massive tsunami in Asia in 2004, the historic flood in Germany in 2013 and numerous other natural disasters.