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As wrap up to a productive 2021 the team at Tochtech Technologies would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your support and business.

2021 has been an exceedingly busy year for us as we built on a number of the initiatives and plans from 2020. The one word that defines 2021 at Tochtech has been expansion: reach, product, and geography.

Our Toch Sleepsense bed sensor continues to gain much attention and further validation with pilot projects in Canada, Australia, China and more recently the UK. This product also gained much recognition during our winning Village MD product pitch that was delivered in Las Vegas recently. 2021 has also seen Tochtech as the technology partner with two significant research projects being carried out by researches from UBC, Carleton University, Breyere and University of Ottawa. Tochie and Toch Sleepsense are the two solutions powering these research projects that are focus on improving senior care.

From a product expansion perspective, the technical teams at Tochtech have been busy enhancing our award-winning Toch Sleepsense bed sensor ensuring it remains ahead of its competitors. Earlier this month we also launched our new Sleepsense Night Safety Package which integrates Sleepsense with smart lights offering a unique night safety feature for seniors. And just this week Tochtech in conjunction with Dr. Colleen Carney and her doze team launched the new doze mobile app for teens. Yes, we have been busy!

2021 has seen our business growth with our partners in Australia, New Zealand and China but also expand through new partnerships in the UK, Newfoundland and Thailand. We have also expanded our retail presence through partnerships with senior care consultants and providers as well as retailers Best Buy and Amazon.

As we look to 2022 and building on the solid foundation of this year, the team at Tochtech wish you a very Happy Holiday Season!

The Tochtech Team

Tochtech Technologies and the team at doze led by Dr. Colleen Carney are excited to announce the launch of the doze mobile phone version of doze, a proven success in helping young adults sleep better. Tochtech has taken the technical lead in the migration of the web app to the Apple and Android platforms with further enhancements. Sleepsense, Tochtech’s sleep monitoring device may be offered as an addition to the doze app early next year.

What is doze?

Helping young adults get a better night’s rest

For youth, co-designed by youth, research-derived and validated¹, tailored for individual sleep concerns

doze enables youth to better understand their sleep patterns and make changes for improvements. doze puts them in the driver’s seat.

doze mobile app will be available on the App Store and Google Play starting Dec. 15^th, 2021.

Watch the following video to learn more about doze 

¹ Carmona, N. E., Usyatynsky, A., Kutana, S., Corkum, P., Henderson, J., McShane, K., Shapiro, C. M., Sidani, S., Stinson, J., & Carney, C. E. (2021). Improving access and outcomes for teen sleepers: Results from a feasibility trial of an evidence-based app for sleep disturbance. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 5(11), e25392

Tochtech is pleased to announce our partnership with Dr. Colleen Carney, one of Canada’s leading experts in psychological treatments of insomnia and creator of doze, a sleep app for young adults currently available on the internet.

 Dr Carney is an Associate Professor and Director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory at Ryerson University in Toronto. She has authored of a number of books including “goodnight mind for teens” a companion book to the doze app and is also President of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. 

Tochtech is taking the technical lead role in the transition of the doze sleep app to the iPhone and Android mobile platforms, and the on-going development and support for this application. Sleepsense, Tochtech’s sleep monitoring device may be offered as an addition to the doze app early next year. The doze mobile app will be available on the App Store and Google Play Store starting December 15, 2021. A detailed announcement will be issued in the coming weeks.

“We are honored to be collaborating with Dr. Carney and welcome Dr. Carney to our advisory board. Through our partnership, Dr. Carney provides us with valuable guidance on sleep analysis and sleep management and provides powerful academic and research support for Sleepsense. This is the beginning of many collaborative initiatives  between Tochtech and Dr. Carney in the digital therapy area.” said Jessica Yang, CEO of Tochtech.

Sleepsense Nightlight Safety Package

Auto lighting that provides enhanced safety during the night

(Bed sensor & Smart lights combo)

WE ARE TAKING ONLINE ORDERS STARTING DECEMBER 1^ST

ORDER SOON – LIMITED STOCK AVAILABLE

Our award winning Sleepsense bed sensor can now be integrated with smart lights offering an innovative night safety solution like no other. When the sleeper gets out of bed, smart night lights will automatically light up offering guidance to the bathroom or reduces the risk of falls in the dark. Lights will automatically turn off when the sleeper returns to bed. Original Sleepsense alerts and safety features remain part of the package.

Visit our online store for more information and to purchase

Tochtech is pleased to announce that its distribution partner in Australia, HSC Technology Group has been successfully awarded the contract to supply the next generation assistive technology solutions to the 275-bed Australian Unity aged care provider. Installation of the technology will be at Australian Unity’s aged care and assisted living facilities in Melbourne and Kilsyth, Victoria, and will commence mid 2022. HSC will also provide ongoing monitoring and maintenance services.

The contract worth $1.04 Million awarded to HSC includes Tochtech’s Sleepsense monitoring solution, the Care@Home Nurse Call, wearable pendants, motion sensors and falls radar. All the components will be integrated into HSC’s TALIUS Smart Care Platform – an agnostic Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine powered by the patented CSIRO Safer Smarter Homes Activities of Daily Living algorithm that links with existing systems and technology to provide resident oversight through simple dashboards.

“We are thrilled to be able to support HSC with our Sleepsense sleep monitoring solution, and to be working with HSC in bringing our technology to the Australian and New Zealand markets.” said Jessica Yang, CEO, Tochtech Technologies. The Tochtech – HSC partnership has been in operation for close to a year.

About Australian Unity
Established in 1840, Australian Unity was Australia’s first member-owned wellbeing company, and now has 260,000 members and more than 700,000 customers. Their range of health, wealth and care products and services provides member, customer and community value that is supportive of personal and community wellbeing. Areas of expertise include healthcare, financial services, retirement living, assisted living and insurance. The Independent & Assisted Living team within Australian Unity delivers aged care, retirement living, home care, Aboriginal home care, disability and allied health services which are designed to support and empower.

About HSC Technology Group
HSC Technology Group is a technology company that improves quality of life, later in life. They do this through their next generation software, the TALIUS Smart Care Platform that collects and analyses data from a range of world-class sensors to improve business and resident outcomes in a range of Aged Care settings.

Do you worry about the safety of your residents during the night? What if they fall when getting out of bed or are off wandering?

Tochtech Technologies is pleased to announce a unique feature to its award-winning Sleepsense bed sensor.

With the night light safety feature when a resident gets out of a bed equipped with Sleepsense, smart night lights will automatically come on to help guide the senior to the bathroom or provide sufficient lighting to help reduce risk of falls. The lights will also automatically turn off when Sleepsense detects that the resident is back in bed.

The team at Tochtech has successfully integrated the Sleepsense ‘off bed’ detection with a range of popular  and affordable smart lighting devices enabling smart night lights or smart table lamps to automatically turn on during the night when the sleeper is out of bed. Providing visual cues like night lights can help seniors with dementia to be less disorientated and help direct them to the bathroom. Non-disruptive low lighting when they get out of bed can also help reduce risk of falls.

“Many of our clients have expressed the need for increased  support for night safety, to reduce risk of falls for seniors. With this added feature Sleepsense is able to address a range of night time safety and risk concerns. We having been working hard to build more features into the device, and will be announcing additional features in the weeks to come” said Jessica Yang, CEO and Co-founder of Tochtech . Check out Frank  Engleman’s article sharing his experience with this feature on Tech enhanced life website.

 Toch Sleepsense is an award-winning bed sensor that is able to detect body movement, in and out of bed status and vital signs (heart and breathing rate). Placed under the leg/wheel of the bed, Sleepsense issues real time alerts directly to caregivers’ smartphone when a health or safety risk is identified. Additionally, sleep analysis data offers critical information and feedback for medication and care plans.

For more information on Toch Sleepsense please visit www.tochsleepsense.com

Tochtech’s seniors-focused solutions are the basis for two significant research projects taking place this October. Both these Mitacs sponsored projects are looking to understand how the senior care industry which has faced many challenges in the last two years, can benefit from technology and innovation.

Night Time Bed Occupancy Project is focused on better supporting staff caring for Persons Living with Dementia (PLWD) within assisted living and other communal living models.  One key symptom of dementia is disorientation for time and/or place that can lead to a disruption in the circadian rhythm. A result of this, is that PLWD can wake overnight and be confused about when and/or where they are, leading to them exiting their bed and wandering that can include leaving their own room in a care home, or potentially falling and not being detected until someone happens to check on them. Researchers are using Tochtech’s Sleepsense bed monitor to assess if the sensor system will improve staff ability to support residents that have exited beds through more effective response and staff efficiency. Collaborating parties on this 6-month project include SAM³ (researchers from Carleton, Bruyère and UOttawa),  Bruyère Continuing Care, Courtyards Senior Residences and Tochtech Technologies.

Using smart audio devices in seniors’ home environments, researchers from UBC are looking to explore perspectives and experiences of seniors, families and care staff using smart audio devices in senior care settings to broaden user-friendly considerations for future development of senior-focused smart devices. For this project Tochtech’s Tochie personalized smart speaker will be the basis of the project which will involve participation from seniors and their families from Amica White Rock, UBC researchers and Tochtech Technologies. Focus groups will be held at the end of the project for participants’ feedback.

“We are thrilled to be collaborators on both these projects and contribute to improvement in senior care. We are always looking for ways to improve our products and to learn more about the needs of seniors and their families, and research participation is one way to achieve this, while also giving back”, said Jessica Yang, CEO of Tochtech Technologies.

For more information on either of these projects or our products, please visit www.tochtech.com

 While we have managed to take some time off during the summer to recharge and refuel, we at Tochtech have also been busy working with a number partners to reach as many customers as possible:

Toch Smarturns and Tochie now available for purchase online at BestBuy.ca and Amazon.com . Tech-enhanced Life, a corporation with a mission to improve the quality of life for older adults and their families is also now a Tochtech partner and has evaluated our products and is making them available online to their members and the public.

Toch Sleepsense our award-winning sleep monitoring bed sensor has now gone global. While we are busy working on an increasing number of Sleepsense projects with seniors’ homes in BC, this fall we will be embarking on projects in PEI, Newfoundland, the UK and Thailand. Successful installations and pilots with our partners in Australia and China have provided helpful international market feedback as we work on the next product release of Sleepsense.  Alerts from our Sleepsense system have been integrated with nurse call and other alert notification systems allowing for easy assimilation with existing systems.

Tochtech products in the news. Check out a review of Tochie on the Best Buy Blog and a review of  Smarturns by Frank Engelman for enhancing kitchen safety with audio and visual alerts.

If you have any questions about Tochtech or our products please contact us at [email protected]

 Tochtech Technologies and Elim Village Retirement Community in Surrey, BC are thrilled to announce a joint pilot of Tochtech’s award-winning Sleepsense bed sensor technology.  Elim Village is a premier retirement community located on 25 acres of community living amenities, offering the full spectrum of senor living, from independent through to full care.  The goal of Elim Village is that as care needs increase, most residents, including husbands and wives, would be able to stay in the community. “We are always looking for innovative technologies to enhance the safety and health and wellness of our residents, and we are keen to pilot this new technology” said Jennifer Ladesma, Director of Care at Elim Village.

  “The objective of the pilot is for Elim Village’s management and staff is to assess the technology in how it will help reduce falls and injuries, increase sleep quality of our residents and positively impact resident and family satisfaction. “We are thrilled to be able to access the sleep information that we have never been able to access before. As we all know, sleep is vital for our health, and so be able to assist our residents achieve a better night’s sleep could make a difference in their physical and mental health” added Ladesma.

Placed under the frame of the bed, Sleepsense is able to detect body movement, in and out of bed status and vital signs (heart and breathing rate). Real time alerts are then sent directly to caregivers’ smartphones or a nurse call system when a health or safety risk is identified. Sleepsense ensures care staff are constantly updated on the status of residents without having to physically check on them, and alerted on residents most in need of assistance. This new technology offers residents increased safety, especially high risk residents in Assisted Living and Long Term Care. Toch Sleepsense was the recent winner the 2020 AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge Competition. The Toch Sleepsense pilot program is also being launched at Fleetwood Place in Surrey and Chalmers Lodge in Vancouver.

Senior living providers interested in participating in the Sleepsense pilot program can contact Tochtech at 1-800-360-1286 or [email protected]

For more information on Sleepsense please watch our video and read the following article.

Tochtech Technologies is delighted announce that Fleetwood Place in Surrey, BC, has commenced a pilot of Tochtech’s latest Sleepsense bed sensor. With a focus on providing the best care possible for long term care residents, care leaders at Fleetwood Place believe that Toch Sleepsense can help increase safety for high risk residents through its fall prevention and emergency notification capabilities. “We are always looking for innovative technologies to enhance the safety of our residents, and Sleepsense definitely caught our attention” said Kevin Ahmon, Executive Director at Fleetwood Place.

Placed under the frame of the bed, Sleepsense is able to detect body movement, in and out of bed status and vital signs (heart and breathing rate). Real time alerts are then sent directly to caregivers’ smartphones or a nurse call system when a health or safety risk is identified. Sleepsense ensures care staff are constantly updated on the status of residents without having to physically check on them, and will alert staff on residents most in need of assistance. This is especially critical as most senior living providers struggle with adequate staffing levels during COVID-19. “We are working with our pilot partners to ensure this vital information collected and identified by the Sleepsense bed sensor gets to the right staff at the right time, so the necessary action can be taken – additionally, the dashboard provided offers critical information in real time.” said Jessica Yang, CEO of Tochtech.

“The management and staff are delighted to be trialing this technology. The installation went smoothly, and staff have been well supported with training and help. The ability to customize the monitoring of each resident based on their needs, will help enhance our ability to offer personalized care to our residents” said Ahmon. “This innovation provides so many more benefits for our residents and staff compared to the bed alarm pads being currently used, so we are thrilled to have a chance to test it” added Ahmon

Toch Sleepsense was the recent winner the 2020 AGE-WELL National Impact Challenge Competition.

Senior living providers interested in benefiting from the Sleepsense technology can contact Tochtech at 1-800-360-1286 or [email protected] and discuss a product trial.