Background

Elim Village embodies a unique approach to senior living that brings together the best in housing, wellness, and care. The Christian retirement community operates two villages (Surrey and Chilliwack, British Columbia) that serve over 1,000 seniors with the support of more than 500 staff members. These villages span 35 acres and 1.2 million square feet of building space, distributed among 16 buildings and 18 duplexes.

Safety is a top priority for Neil Barkey, one of Elim’s Facilities Managers. “We serve an older demographic, many of whom are single, so safety is important. A modern security system provides extra comfort and protection to those who live with us.”

The Challenge

“Every network upgrade or Windows update inevitably led to issues. With almost 200 cameras and 20 DVRs, there was a constant struggle with hard drives, power adapters, or camera malfunctions.”

After nearly two decades of managing disparate security systems, Elim encountered continuous issues with legacy cameras and software. Manual updates often disrupted system functionality, leading to hardware failures and ineffective operations.

“We open a new building about every two years. As Elim Village grows, we need a comprehensive but simple-to-use security system that can scale with us.”

Why Verkada?

“The core motivation is the responsibility to safeguard a vulnerable population—older adults, including some unable to fully care for themselves. This demographic can include individuals with early onset dementia, for whom an advanced security system not only ensures physical safety but also aids in their daily care.”

Over the past six months, Elim Village has undertaken a massive overhaul of its security apparatus, transitioning from legacy systems to a comprehensive suite of Verkada products, including dome cameras, bullet cameras, PTZ cameras, and professional monitoring services. These systems are primarily installed in the entrances and on the exteriors of buildings, with special attention to new construction like The Hawthorn building, enhancing both safety and operational oversight. Supported by automatic software and firmware updates along with 10-year warranties, Elim’s eliminated the hidden costs associated with traditional systems – including upgrades, repairs, and maintenance. 

One Platform to Manage All Sites

"We have peace of mind knowing everything is functioning at maximum capacity with a single interface, and will continue to do so for another decade or more.”

Neil no longer needs to log into multiple systems and software to check on his site; instead, he manages all buildings from the centralized Command platform. The software interface is easy to use and accessible from anywhere—a desktop, laptop, mobile app, or dedicated viewing station—so designated team members can quickly view and respond to site needs and incidents. Cameras natively integrate with alarms, air quality sensors, access control, intercom, guest, mailroom, and connectivity solutions to provide visibility over critical areas.

• Loading Bay and Working Areas: Cameras in operational areas enable proactive management of deliveries and logistics.

• POI Alerts: Cameras at entrances aid in monitoring and managing visitor access. The system's capability to send Person of Interest (POI) alerts for individuals with specific needs (e.g., early onset dementia) underscores its role in extending resident care and keeping them safe.

• Intercom Systems and Emergency Response: The intercom system at Elim Village is designed to strengthen security and give staff the ability to answer calls from anywhere. With sharp video and clear audio, staff can communicate directly with first responders at the door, facilitating swift and effective action during emergencies.

• Kitchen and Storage Areas: Cameras that overlook walk-in fridges and freezers have the potential to be paired with air quality sensors. These sensors can detect temperature or air quality fluctuations that might indicate a malfunction or safety hazard, thus preventing potential health risks associated with spoiled food or dangerous emissions.

• HVAC and Mechanical Rooms: Similar to kitchen areas, HVAC units and mechanical rooms are equipped with sensors that monitor for noise, leaks, or exhaust issues. This continuous monitoring helps prevent equipment failure; any potential hazards are addressed promptly, thus maintaining the integrity of Elim Village's infrastructure.

Supporting Both Individual Safety and Privacy

“Our previous camera system was becoming overly complex and time consuming to use. Now, it's quickly absorbed into our daily routine.”

The ease of use has led to quick adoption among staff. Moreover, the ability to remotely manage sites empowers the team to maintain safe and peaceful environments for the well-being of its residents and staff. 

“It is fantastic to have real-time sightlines of our villages. Already we have had a few situations where our care staff have escalated a missing resident event.”

Best practices are also taken to protect individuals’ privacy while balancing necessary operations that support safety and security.

“The Freedom of Information Protection and Privacy Act is a key document in Canada and British Columbia. Verkada’s products are designed to protect people in a privacy-sensitive way, which resonates with our approach to keeping residents safe in a way that respects their privacy.” 

Elim Village can leverage Verkada’s features that support transparency, privacy, and compliance, such as live-only viewing, privacy regions, ​​face blur, role-based access, and granular permissions.

Afterhours Security with Professional Monitoring

“Our legacy system was difficult to use, which slowed our response time. Verkada detects and notifies us if something is amiss, and it takes a fraction of the time to investigate incidents. We can also streamline emergency response with professional monitoring if it’s after-hours.”

Elim Village has trained virtual guards who can respond to incidents from afar, driving cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency. It enables real-time interventions with immediate visibility through integrated cameras.

Looking Ahead

“After decades in this field, I can attest that Verkada is ‘head and shoulders’ above other security solutions.”

Plans are underway to introduce additional layers of security, including intrusion deterrence, air quality sensors for mechanical rooms, and intercom for after-hours entry. Ultimately, the transition to a cloud-managed system made teams more efficient, while providing peace of mind for 500 staff and over 1,000 residents. 

 "We use Verkada every single day and continue to find new ways to bring value to our organization.”

Key Features of Verkada

• Virtual Trips and Triggers: Cameras have various detection capabilities such as loitering, line crossing, and person detection. Analytics are tuned to differentiate between persons and vehicles, useful for after-hours monitoring in areas like vehicle ramps.

• Real-Time Response: If a person lingers in a restricted area, the system can trigger an alarm that alerts the monitoring team to take swift action. Agents can then verify the presence of an individual and dispatch first responders in an emergency. The cloud-managed platform also allows for immediate adjustment of alarm settings on the spot. 

• Additional Deterrence: To create a multi-layered approach to safety, clients can use a Wireless Relay to connect third-party strobes and signaling devices, as well as a Horn Speaker to talk to individuals.

Comparison with In-Person Security Guards

• Cost Effective: While in-person security guards are necessary for certain operations, they are also more costly, especially considering their need to cover long shifts. In contrast, Verkada Professional Monitoring can supplementally cover vast areas 24/7 without fatigue, providing cost-effective, round-the-clock video monitoring.

• Coverage and Efficiency: In-person security guards can only be in one place at a time, limiting their coverage and sometimes their effectiveness in preventing incidents. Verkada's cameras, supplemented with Professional Monitoring, offer extensive coverage that enables viewing multiple locations simultaneously, ensuring no area is left vulnerable.

• Proactive vs. Reactive Security: Traditional security guard setups tend to be reactive, responding to incidents after they occur. With Verkada, teams can analyze, detect, and stop potential issues before they escalate using actionable insights and proactive alerts.

See all the ways your organization can use Verkada with a personalized demo.