Senior Lifestyle is one of the nation's leading senior housing operators, serving seniors and their families for over 40 years. We provide independent and assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing. With communities spread throughout the United States, Senior Lifestyle manages a diverse portfolio of senior living properties providing all levels of care. The company's guiding philosophy, "your life, your style," shapes everything from resident programming, hospitality, restaurant style dining, to the technology that connects its communities.

Jessie Martinez, IT Support Services Manager, oversees technology operations for approximately over 60 communities, managing a team of five IT specialists who handle everything from laptops and mobile devices to printers, TVs, and digital signage. With 20 years of IT experience and a passion for accessible technology solutions, Martinez and his team have been the driving force behind modernizing how Senior Lifestyle deploys and manages technology at scale.

The challenge: fragmented hardware, no remote visibility

Digital signage had been in use at Senior Lifestyle communities for years—but the setup that greeted Jessie when he joined the company was a challenge. The legacy solution required constant troubleshooting and offered no remote ability to confirm the technology was working as desired. "Sometimes the main thing was as simple as, is the screen even on? Is it displaying the right content?'" Jessie recalled. "There was no real way to remotely manage or diagnose issues."

The hardware situation compounded the problem. The digital signage was powered by a mix of standard Amazon Fire TV Sticks, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4Ks, Roku devices, and even full desktop computers mounted behind TV panels. "It was definitely a different mix of items," Martinez explained. "It wasn't just 'Hey, my TV's not working.' It's 'My TV's working, there are lots of cables, and all these devices that are not working too.”

He evaluated alternatives, including Samsung MagicINFO, and felt these required complex multi-device configurations that added even more steps to an already cumbersome setup. Cost was another barrier across many solutions considered.

The goal was straightforward—simplify, standardize, and cut the time it takes to get technology working in a community.

The solution: purpose-built digital signage with Amazon Signage Stick and AbleSign

When Jessie discovered the Amazon Signage Stick—a purpose-built device designed specifically for digital signage deployments—he said, "It became more of a light bulb at that point," he said. "We found many long-term care communities were already familiar with it, and thought this could be our answer."

Jessie ordered two Amazon Signage Sticks to test, then worked through a shortlist of compatible content management system (CMS) applications before landing on AbleSign. The results of that first evaluation week were decisive. "Every time I kept deploying it to another TV, it just kept working—it was just instant," he said. "I thought we might have issues as we scaled to more locations, but the Amazon Signage Stick kept working great."

Within a week, Jessie had a working demo to present to the marketing team—complete with live content updates, orientation control, and screen lockdown. That last capability was critical. With displays used in public-facing community spaces, ensuring that screens only show approved Senior Lifestyle content—never drifting to consumer apps—was non-negotiable. "Our screens are an extension of the Senior Lifestyle brand, so they can only show the content our marketing team develops. The Amazon Signage Stick was built specifically for that—it lets us deliver a branded experience we can count on every time," Jessie said. 

Unlike consumer streaming devices, the Amazon Signage Stick boots directly into assigned digital signage content with no consumer app interference, no accidental navigation, and no on-site intervention required. 

Deployment at scale: central provisioning and plug-and-play delivery

After gaining approval, Senior Lifestyle began rolling out the Amazon Signage Stick across its communities. The deployment model Jessie and his team built keeps things simple for the communities receiving the hardware.

"We pre-configure all the Amazon Signage Sticks before we send them out," Jessie explained. His support team loads each device with the destination community's Wi-Fi credentials and syncs it to the AbleSign account, so that when a community receives a device, the setup is plug-and-play. "For them, it's just plugging the device into the TV and then they're ready to go," he said. "It's just one of those instant magic moments."

Bulk provisioning via the Amazon Signage mobile app proved to be a major time-saver as volumes grew. "The Bluetooth bulk provisioning feature changed how we deploy. Setting up 10 to 15 devices at once instead of one at a time meant my team could roll out to more communities, faster—without the extra hours," Jessie said. 

How signage works across a Senior Lifestyle community

Senior Lifestyle’s goal is to keep team members informed, connected, and engaged through digital signage displayed in break rooms across all communities. This communication platform, known as SLCTV, provides a consistent and accessible way to share important information with team members throughout the organization.

SLCTV content is updated weekly and features important company-wide announcements, helping ensure team members across Senior Lifestyle have access to timely and relevant information. It also serves as an important platform for celebrating what makes communities and team members special—from recognizing team member anniversaries and milestones to highlighting the company's Signature Experiences, sharing company initiatives, and much more.

Content is created by the marketing team in Chicago using tools like Canva, incorporating photo and video submissions from individual communities. The result is a mix of branded static images, animated content, and full video—all pushed centrally and updated in real time without anyone touching a device on-site. Senior Lifestyle is about to deploy its largest single rollout yet, launching the updated display process for over 50 communities, all running Amazon Signage Sticks on AbleSign.

Measurable results

• One device, every community: A fragmented mix of Amazon Fire TV Sticks, Rokus, and desktop PCs consolidated into a single standardized device—the  Amazon Signage Stick—across all 60+ communities‍
• Manage every screen from anywhere:  IT can confirm device status, push content updates, and lock down screens remotely—eliminating on-site support dispatches
• Always on-brand, never off-script: Devices boot directly into branded signage content with no accidental switches to Netflix or consumer apps—purpose-built reliability by design
• Plug-and-play on arrival: Devices ship pre-configured from the Chicago office with community Wi-Fi credentials and content—no setup required at the community
• Faster rollouts at scale: Bluetooth-enabled bulk provisioning configures multiple devices at once, accelerating deployment as volumes grow
• Content control across the organization: Multiple AbleSign users now manage screens and content company-wide, up from a single-admin deployment

Looking ahead

Senior Lifestyle's largest signage rollout is already underway. A 60+ display community deployment represents a significant step in the company's effort to standardize the signage experience across its entire portfolio—and Jessie sees no reason to slow down.

As Senior Lifestyle has renewed their commitment to their brand promise after 40 years in the industry, the ability to control what appears on every screen in every community—and to update it instantly from Chicago without a service call—is no small thing. "What we're really trying to do is make every community feel unmistakably Senior Lifestyle. Digital signage gives us a consistent way to welcome residents, celebrate their stories, and keep everyone connected—so the experience is great and dependable no matter which community you walk into," Jessie said. 

The Amazon Signage Stick and AbleSign has become the solution that makes that promise consistent, from the welcome display at the front desk to the break room screen in the back of the building.

Learn more about the Amazon Signage Stick in healthcare.

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