
Red Dot Digital Media, a leading specialty integrator in the digital signage space, was approached by a Florida-based retirement community to create a custom workflow for an innovative new stress-reduction tool called the Mind Pod. The Soul Happy Mind Pod is a therapeutic enclosure that creates an engaging, sanctuary-like environment designed to immediately reduce stress levels of those who enter the enclosure.
“We developed this experiential, innovative, real-time therapeutic environment to de-escalate anxiety, and we’re thrilled to report the immersive sanctuary-like enclosure is already showing positive results at Shell Point,” said Mind Pod Co-Founders Cara Hewett and Tracy Zboril.
Shell Point provides residents a tropical, resort-like lifestyle, while simultaneously offering a full range of medical services to ensure residents’ healthcare needs are met. Administrators and care-givers are entrusted to provide a high level of care to all Shell Point residents – a responsibility that often comes with stressors that take a toll on the mental health of its employees. Shell Point’s commitment to provide top-notch care extends beyond the residents themselves. The executive committee places a high priority on the well-being of its administrative personnel and other staff members within the community, offering them the tools and programs to maintain both their physical and emotional health.
“Shell Point’s commitment to positive aging extends far beyond the day-to-day care we provide our residents, as we also care deeply about those who visit and work here at Shell Point,” said Sarah Owen, Vice President of Business Development at Shell Point. The Mind Pod is a wonderful resource available to everyone who enters, and we’re pleased to see it make such an immediate and positive impact on those who use the Mind Pod to improve their mental well-being.”
Red Dot was brought in to help Shell Point’s IT team customize the Mind Pod’s “in-pod” experience. Upon entering, individuals are asked to rate their current stress level and then asked to choose from a series of different videos intended to help them reduce anxiety, boost focus and transform their attitude. Videos include deep breathing exercises, introspection techniques, faith-based content and other calming videos, all of which help to center the individual and promote a sense of calm. Individuals are asked again to rate their stress level before exiting the Mind Pod. In total, the full experience lasts approximately five minutes.
Red Dot customized the Mind Pod workflow and gave them a way to measure and report on the Mind Pod’s positive impact on employees, residents and guests. This included updating the hardware configuration to include a 32-inch Bluefin touch-interactive display with BrightSign Built-In. The convenience of having BrightSign media player capabilities integrated into the display streamlined the hardware layout and ensured interoperability. Red Dot, which does extensive integration within the BrightSign ecosystem, chose to use the Wallboard content management system (CMS) for its versatility, and the ability to bypass programming in HTML to reduce the development timeline and ultimately reduce the cost to Shell Point. Additionally, Red Dot was able to templatize the layout such that future updates can be made by Shell Point IT personnel without the time and expense of engaging outside consultants.
Another reason for engaging Red Dot was to create a reporting system to provide quantitative feedback on the Mind Pod’s positive impact. Shell Point staff now receive daily emails that show how many people use the Mind Pod each day, and which videos were viewed during each visit. And because individuals are asked to measure their stress levels upon entering and leaving the Mind Pod, Shell Point can also see which videos are having the most measurable, positive impact on its residents, staff and visitors.
“We’re grateful that Shell Point trusted Red Dot to tailor the Mind Pod experience in a way that delivers a valuable experience for their residents, visitors and employees,” said Darryl Kuder, President of Red Dot Digital Media. “Shell Point staff now have daily visibility into how the Mind Pod is being used, with daily email reporting that shows which pieces of video content are impacting users most positively. Furthermore, the templates we developed ensure that future content updates can be made by internal staff, without having to engage outside technical resources.”
The Mind Pod has been extremely well received not only by staff, but by residents and visitors alike. Beyond the therapeutic benefits, staff have remarked that simply having the Mind Pod centrally located in the lobby is a visual reminder that they have convenient access to a tool that effectively and positively impacts their mental health. Family care-givers measured stress levels decreasing an average of 27%, while staff members experienced a decrease of approximately 20%. This measurable and immediate impact demonstrates that the Mind Pod is improving the mental well-being of those who live and work at Shell Point.
For more information about Red Dot’s full range of content management and specialty integrator services, visit www.reddotdm.com.
About Red Dot Digital Media
Established in 2007, Red Dot Digital Media is a leading digital signage specialty integrator focused on global digital signage deployments, content design, programming and CMS integration. As a BrightSign Top 10 Global Preferred Partner, Red Dot has grown to become one of the top digital signage companies in the country and, in 2014, created a global team to support its international projects. For more information, visit www.reddotdm.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.