The Truckee, Calif-based High Fives Foundation recovery gymnasium for injured athletes recently received a makeover made possible by technology integration firm Epic AV Automation and powered by ELAN, part of Core Brands.
Aspiring professional skier Roy Tuscany established the High Fives Foundation, which provides grants for procedures and treatments not covered by insurance, after becoming paralyzed from the waist down after an accident.
“When I was paralyzed, I had to lean on my friends and family for donations. Thanks to them, I was able to focus entirely on walking again at the best rehab facility,” Tuscany explains, in a media release from ELAN and Core Brands. “Many injured athletes don’t have the same resources that I had. That’s why I created the High Fives Foundation.”
Tuscany consulted with Lake Tahoe-based technology integration firm Epic AV Automation to upgrade the recovery gymnasium’s outdated A/V system with new equipment and user-friendly automation.
Epic advised Tuscany to use the ELAN Entertainment & Control System to serve as the facility’s central control hub.
“With one ELAN Controller, both the staff and the athletes are able to control audio, video, lighting, security, and climate at the touch of a button. It personalizes the experience for everyone,” says Epic AV Automation President and CEO Scott Ruzich, in the release.
Tuscany had each employee install the ELAN app on their smartphone.
“It’s really helpful and convenient for the staff to be able to control the space remotely,” Tuscany explains. “Our on-site physical therapists can turn on the heat in their rooms an hour before they arrive for their first session. They can also turn on the lights in the morning from their cars.”
He also encouraged each recovering athlete to do the same.
“It’s awesome for athletes to be able to control the music or the video in the area that they’re working out in,” Tuscany adds.
Additional upgrades included: extension of the facility’s audio system into four separate zones: the recovery gym, juice bar, physical therapy rooms, and the office space; revamp, upgrade, and expansion of the gym’s video system with the installation of three additional flat-panel TVs with an Apple TV console, all controlled by ELAN; and the installation of several security cameras, integrated into the ELAN system.
The ELAN Entertainment & Control System was also installed within a handful of athlete’s homes to help improve their quality of life.
“Home automation provides accessibility that is taken away with a physically impairing injury,” Tuscany shares, per the release. “We want to bring this convenience into injured athletes’ homes, and allow them to complete daily tasks, like turning the lights on and off, on their own.”
Thus far, Epic AV Automation has donated more than $10,000 in labor and materials to the foundation—something that EpicAV Client Relations/ System Design Manager Russ Carlsen considers to be an honor.
“Home automation has become a crucial component of digital caregiving,” he notes. “ELAN helps to make the facility, and now their homes, more convenient for them. We will continue to do everything we can with technology to aid in their recovery process.”
[Sources: Epic AV Automation, ELAN, Core Brands]
