Garden Spot Communities, a continuing care retirement facility in New Holland, Penn., has grown a comprehensive video security solution over nearly 20 years that maintains the facility’s open-door philosophy while ensuring resident safety. The community operates public restaurants and welcomes neighbors across its 230-acre campus while securing 1,100 residents using Milestone Systems XProtect video management software (VMS).

Garden Spot Communities, along with their Lancaster-based integrator partner App-Techs, have continually expanded their Milestone XProtect VMS to cover the needs of their nearly 1.4 million square foot facility, which accommodates diverse camera brands and technologies. The system includes wireless links extending coverage to perimeter areas up to 300 meters from main buildings, supporting the facility’s philosophy of openness rather than barriers.

“Having a comprehensive video system is key to our operating such a large enterprise,” said Steve Muller, chief operating officer, Garden Spot Communities. “Garden Spot’s core philosophy from the very beginning is that what we don’t spend on fences and gates, we can spend on cameras. We need to have eyes on what’s happening across campus, and with a system like Milestone, we can do exactly that.”

The video system serves as an integral operational tool, enabling staff to respond quickly to emergencies and maintain situational awareness across the campus. Staff access video feeds from security workstations, office desktops, and mobile phones.

When a resident is missing from their normal routine, staff turn to video as their first investigative step. In one case, cameras enabled rapid response to locate a gentleman with dementia who had left campus. Beyond security, the system supports operational needs, including weather monitoring and remote monitoring of the facility's aeroponic greenhouse.

The system operates across multiple Dell servers with centralized management. App-Techs’ Health Utility Monitor software provides telemetry data every five minutes. The partnership with App-Techs extends beyond installation to ongoing system health monitoring.