It’s Never 2 Late is a game changer.

It’s Never 2 Late (iN2L) has been called a “game changer” by Sally Plank, executive director at Sunny View Retirement Community since its debut in June 2015 at the community’s skilled nursing Care Center and memory care neighborhood, Summer House® at Sunny View.

Residents use a touch screen to access engaging, entertaining, educational, spiritual, and personalized content that is appropriate to their level of cognitive, physical and technical ability. Accessing e-mail and web cams to connect with family and friends, participating in mind-stimulating activities, and improving hand-eye coordination, older adults – even those who have never used a computer before – engage in activities adapted especially for them. Conducting a virtual orchestra, reading scripture, finger “painting,” puzzles, video chat, exploring the Internet and even an image and sound of a laughing baby on You Tube is enough to raise giggles among residents.

Other content includes sensory, reminiscence, brain fitness, physical fitness, and music specifically designed to engage seniors with very little prior experience with technology. The system integrates hardware, software, media, ergonomic and adaptive components to allow anyone, regardless of previous computer experience or cognitive ability, to engage in learning or just have fun.

Sunny View originally launched iN2L as part of a research study initiated by the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing (FPCIW) with the support of residents and the Sunny View Foundation. In its pilot analysis over a five-month period, the FPCIW found that the program …

  • Increased group interactions among residents
  • Improved family relationships, and was a highly effective tool for resident engagement

In 1,114 tracked surveys, FPCIW also found …

  • Overall mood improvement by 58.4% between pre- and post-sessions (Care Center)
  • Overall mood improvement by 69.0% between pre- and post-sessions (Summer House)
  • Improved most recent family visit by 56.7%

“We’ve seen a phenomenal change in residents,” says JoAnn Gilbert, director of health services at Sunny View. “They are calmer, more engaged. We don’t find them in their rooms much. They come out to see what’s happening.”

Read the CIW’s Final Report about iN2L.

Browse our iN2L photo gallery.

Download a PDF version of this story.