While summer is often a welcome change of season it can also bring with it a host of unique challenges for senior care organizations. The CDC reminds us that older adults are especially vulnerable to heat-related health problems. And as the mercury rises so do weather related emergencies and changes to event plans. Having a streamlined communication platform can facilitate quick access to your staff, residents, and families for urgent health matters and emergencies.

As seniors age, they often need in-home support for taking care of basic needs, recovering from injuries or procedures, and receiving in-home therapies. According to reports from Medicare data, there are approximately 3.3 million people that utilized home health services in the United States. While the goal of this type of support is to help seniors who may need assistance maintain independence, there is often resistance and apprehension among those in need of home health support.  

Being busy is part of doing business and as a senior care administrator you are often on the go. But even when you’re away from your physical office it’s important to stay connected with not only your staff, but also community members, and their families. With the help of modern technology streamlining and simplifying things, it’s becoming increasingly easier for people to complete tasks independent of their physical location. And your communication tasks are among the many things that technology can allow you to complete anytime, anywhere. Let’s be honest: Being able to communicate with community members and staff from anywhere makes your job—and your life—easier. 

It’s an exciting day for the VoiceFriend family—and for the entire senior care  industry. Today we announced that VoiceFriend has acquired Caremerge’s resident and family engagement platform, and will be rebranding to Icon in the upcoming months.

Everyone has embraced technology, including seniors. Recent research shows that 44% of people over 50 years are now more comfortable with technology than they were before the pandemic. 

Keeping the lines of communication open is an integral part of good staff management. Streamlining communications can go a long way to help your staff feel good about their work. In doing so, you can boost morale and the overall mood of employees at your senior living organization.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), readmission disrupts patients’ daily routines and exposes them to hospitalization-related infections and complications. And during hospitalization, patients are more likely to develop hospitalization-associated disability and confusion. 

Very few senior care facilities report having a full staff due to issues like being unable to find enough interested candidates and provide competitive pay and benefits packages. The consequences of this are significant, even leading some facilities to have to turn away potential residents due to severe staff shortages. Because of this, senior living administrators are having to come up with new staff retention strategies to retain the nursing, administrative, and other staff members they have. 

Communication technologies are creating new ways to check in, ask questions, express concerns, and give updates, resulting in resident-friendly and staff-friendly solutions to some of the challenges faced by senior care organizations. With the help of automated communications, staff can go about their day, tending to their routines without the extra worry of having to make redundant calls or send extra emails when issues arise. According to a study from the University of California San Francisco, “Rapidly emerging technological advances hold great potential for older people and their caregivers in navigating the social, cognitive, and physical changes associated with aging.”