Westminster-Canterbury and TMM Groupe Launch “Birdsong Tablet”

Virginia Beach, VA/ Lyon, France: Built on awarding-winning research about

the impact of personalized computers upon the daily life of seniors and

adults with dementia, Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay in Virginia

Beach, Virginia is teaming with the French-based company TMM Groupe in the

launch of the Birdsong Tablet.

The new product is the result of the Birdsong Initiative, a research study in

2015 at Westminster-Canterbury which showed that simplified in-room digital

technology and curated content improves life and brain health for older

adults. The study was conducted among residents of Westminster-Canterbury’s

Hoy Nursing Care Center with Eastern Virginia Medical School and Virginia

Wesleyan College. The project received the 2016 Excellence in Research and

Education Award from LeadingAge, a Washington, D.C.-based association

representing 6,000 non-profit aging services organizations throughout the

U.S. From those findings the non-profit life plan community established a

partnership with TMM Groupe for the development of the Birdsong Tablet.

“The technology on the market was quite an expensive investment for our

community and for communities across the country to use,” said J. Benjamin

Unkle, Jr. Westminster-Canterbury CEO. “Our study showed when tablets are

in private rooms 24/7, they get used and amazing things happen. We decided

there had to be a way to bring it to the public and to the senior living

industry at a lower cost to end-users. After an international search for a

strong provider-partner, we chose to work with TMM Groupe to develop a lower

cost solution.”

The Birdsong Tablet is pre-loaded with hundreds of hours of music, videos,

games, travel and therapeutic content. The device also provides a

user-friendly family app that makes it easy for residents and their loved

ones to connect with video chat and messaging. Because research shows that

smaller screens are difficult for some seniors to see, the tablet is

available in 21, 18 or 10-inch screen sizes.

Established in 2009, TMM Groupe https://www.tmm-software.com/en/index.html

develops e-health software solutions for the healthcare industry, including

healthcare professionals and patients. The company unites its team with

complementary skills, including development engineers, project managers and

other expert personnel. The applications owe their success to their design

jointly constructed with healthcare professionals, starting with user

requirements and delivered as turnkey solutions through industrial

partnerships. The Birdsong Tablet is available in Europe and the partnership

with Westminster-Canterbury will mark its major debut in the U.S., with more

development in the works. The tablets are now available to consumers and

senior living communities across the U.S. and globally.

“Westminster-Canterbury is a great partner to collaborate with to bring our

technology solutions to the United States,” said Arnault Thouret, CEO of

TMM Groupe. “Together with Westminster-Canterbury’s expertise in senior

living and dementia care and our experience with in-room technology, we have

been able to create the most accessible and affordable product to enhance the

lives of seniors.”

The Birdsong Initiative study and now the new software and tablet are named

in honor of former Westminster-Canterbury Foundation board member Sue

Birdsong and her husband George, who funded the research.

Westminster-Canterbury resident Helen Henrich’s husband George is using the

new tablet: “The Birdsong Tablet opens a whole new world for him,”

Henrich said. “He’s able to keep up-to-date on news and current events as

well as research everything from travel to recipes. The preloaded software is

fun, but it is also like physical exercise for his brain. He especially likes

being able to watch his favorite old television shows and I’m really

excited that he’s one of the first people selected to try it in the United

States.”

For more information contact Scott McCaskey, 757-625-2518, ext. 3, or
scott@goldmanandassociates.com  . Visit Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake

Bay at: www.wcbay.com .