65% Fewer Outbreak Weeks At A Regional Seniors Living Operator

From 19 weeks of lockdowns to 3, restoring safe family connection and reducing outbreak-related costs.

65% Fewer Outbreak Weeks At A Regional Seniors Living Operator

From 19 weeks of lockdowns to 3, restoring safe family connection and reducing outbreak-related costs.

Solution Provider: Novem Digital | Customer: A regional seniors living operator with a 120-resident supportive living community | Location: Western Canada | Asset: Supportive and long-term care residence

BACKGROUND: Keeping Residents Safe, Connected, And Out Of Isolation

A regional seniors living operator manages communities where residents depend on stable routines, familiar connections, and safe social contact. During one flu season, a 120-resident site endured 19 consecutive weeks of outbreak restrictions.

Residents went weeks without in-person family visits. Meals moved back into rooms, group activities stopped, and staff worked through constant anxiety about the next outbreak. The operator needed a way to protect residents without repeating the pattern of prolonged isolation.

THE CHALLENGE: Protect Without Isolating

Before the transformation, respiratory outbreaks spread rapidly and triggered lockdown protocols that were blunt by necessity. Poor ventilation and outdated infection-control practices meant leaders could only see risk after people were already sick.

The result:

• Weeks of restricted movement, loneliness, and lost autonomy for residents
• Mental exhaustion for employees managing repeated crises
• Families forced to watch loved ones through windows instead of visiting in person

Leadership recognized they were managing symptoms instead of causes. They could not see what was happening in the air until it was too late. They needed real-time visibility and prediction, not faster reaction to each crisis.

THE SOLUTION: Predicting Viral Risk Before It Becomes Crisis

The operator partnered with Novem Digital to deploy a digital risk platform focused on air quality and infection risk. The mission was clear: restore human connection while keeping residents, staff, and families safe.

Continuous Air Monitoring Everyone Can See

Novem deployed advanced sensors throughout the building to track CO2, humidity, temperature, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and other environmental factors tied to respiratory virus survival.

The platform monitors air quality in real time and surfaces risk conditions to staff instead of burying data in back-office systems. The operator is adding resident-facing displays that translate complex data into simple messages such as “Air Quality: Safe” or “Ventilation Increasing To Reduce Risk,” making protection visible to residents and families.

Predictive Intelligence That Prevents Outbreaks

Novem’s platform uses machine learning to identify combinations of environmental conditions that historically precede viral spread at the site. When those patterns emerge, the system flags elevated risk before people become sick.

Automated actions include:

• Increasing ventilation in affected areas
• Alerting staff with clear guidance for preventive measures
• Updating onscreen guidance for residents and visitors
• Logging interventions for performance tracking and insurance evidence

For residents, that means fewer disruptions and more family time. For employees, it means dealing with issues during regular shifts instead of managing weekend crisis events. For families, it offers confidence that safety does not require isolation.

A Platform Designed To Evolve

The operator chose Novem Digital’s open protocol platform to integrate future capabilities such as weather data, broader air quality inputs, and potential wearable integrations. The goal is a long-term foundation for safety, wellness, and capital planning, not a single-purpose point solution.

BY THE NUMBERS: The Impact

Headline results at the community:

• 65% fewer outbreak weeks
• 65% lower outbreak-related wage premiums
• 34% reduction in PPE spending over 3 years
• Zero respiratory outbreaks for 12 consecutive months after installation
• Approximately 200 residents and 110 employees directly benefited, along with hundreds of family members and visitors

WHAT THE NUMBERS MEAN

These savings allowed the operator to redirect funding from crisis response toward resident programming, wellness services, and employee support. Instead of absorbing outbreak-related wage premiums and PPE costs every season, leadership can plan capital and operating budgets with clearer visibility into risk drivers.

For insurers and boards, the data demonstrates that outbreak risk is measurable and manageable, not simply a seasonal inevitability. That evidence supports better insurance positioning and more confident decisions about coverage structure and capital allocation.

At the same time, residents and employees describe the system as passive and non-invasive. Many simply notice fewer worries about illness and more confidence heading into respiratory season.

The operator is also starting to monetize data. Air quality, outbreak, and staffing data now inform staffing models, program design, and insurance negotiations, turning what used to be unstructured information into a financial asset that reduces Total Cost of Risk Ownership.

THE BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT: A Season Without Respiratory Outbreaks

In a recent season, the community experienced zero respiratory outbreak weeks for the first time in more than seven years. Cherished traditions like seasonal teas and school performances proceeded exactly as planned.

For residents who had lived through repeated cancellations, that season represented more than a metric. It was proof that daily life could feel normal again while still being protected.

THE TRANSFORMATION: Life Improves For Everyone

For residents: Outbreak season no longer automatically means weeks of room-based isolation. Residents experience safer visits with family, restored group activities, and a renewed sense of freedom and dignity.

For families: Visits are more predictable, even during respiratory season. Families know their loved ones are protected by an environment that adjusts itself before risks become crises.

For frontline employees: Early warning systems relieve some of the mental load that came with constant crisis mode. Staff can focus more on care and connection instead of emergency protocols and overtime coverage.

For the broader community: The facility demonstrates that senior care can be both safe and connected, rebuilding trust after years of pandemic disruption.

LOOKING FORWARD: A Model For Post-Pandemic Senior Living

The operator is now exploring expansion of the model across its portfolio and sharing lessons with peer organizations. With Novem Digital’s platform as a foundation, leadership can integrate additional data sources and demonstrate how proactive risk management supports dignity, connection, and financial resilience.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND NDA

This case study is anonymized to protect customer confidentiality. Under NDA, Novem Digital can share full customer identity, underwriting evidence, and detailed financial and technical results with qualified insurers, lenders, and strategic partners.

ABOUT NOVEM DIGITAL

Novem Digital is an AI powered digital risk platform that transforms operational data from real estate into measurable financial returns. Novem predicts and prevents equipment failures before they happen so leaders can reduce Total Cost of Risk Ownership, protect cash flow, and manage risk-related costs with confidence.