Senior living centers and communities are unique environments. Not only do they provide a place for seniors to live, socialize, and entertain themselves, but senior living centers also deliver healthcare and medical support services. Healthcare support takes place in a group of residential communities, making the necessary communication between caregivers and residents challenging.
Like most healthcare organizations, senior living centers are increasingly using electronic health records (EHRs) and other forms of technology to deliver care. Increasing healthcare access through remote care makes sense within the senior living community setting.
That’s where mobile communications and health solutions come in. When senior living centers use mobility solutions, they can revolutionize their approach to remote care by supporting connectivity and communications between caregivers and residents.
Senior Living Care Challenges
Unlike at a hospital or medical center, at senior living centers, caregivers and residents may not be near each other. Caregivers need ways to track the health status of residents who live throughout the community and locate them in real-time as they move freely from place to place, participating in activities and visiting with other residents.
Having an accurate and real-time view of resident health metrics may be key to developing and carrying out treatment plans or intervening in the event of a health emergency. Caregivers also need ways of easily accessing resident medical histories, medication information, and test results that are stored in EHRs.
Benefits of Mobile Communications Solutions for Remote Care
Mobility solutions for senior living care deliver many benefits by overcoming the challenges of keeping residents in touch with their caregivers, family, and friends.
When senior living residents have access to mobile devices, they experience an enhanced quality of life. Residents can use mobile devices to talk to family members and friends whenever they like, not just during on-site visits.
Mobile devices also promote entertainment and social engagement. Residents can use these mobile devices to communicate with each other, engage on social media platforms, and access entertainment, such as streaming services.
Mobile communications and health solutions improve caregiver efficiency by allowing them to reach residents no matter where they are in the community. Mobile devices, such as wearables, can be used for remote health monitoring and tracking. Health metrics, including blood pressure, blood sugar level, and heart rate, can be monitored and transmitted to caregivers so they can be alerted of a medical event and intervene in a timely manner for better outcomes.
With mobile health solutions, caregivers at senior living centers can manage resident medications. Mobile devices can be used to access medication records, order prescriptions, and adjust dosages.
Mobility Solutions for Senior Living
A variety of mobile communications and health solutions are available for use in senior living communities, including devices, applications, and platforms.
Wearable devices, such as smart watches, monitor health metrics for residents. Through mobile connectivity, caregivers can access these metrics and track them to understand health trends and predict potential health risks in residents.
Mobile applications can be used by residents and caregivers to manage medications, schedule appointments, and handle billing. Caregivers may use applications to manage medical testing and reporting of results.
Telehealth platforms allow residents to conduct remote healthcare visits with doctors and senior center caregivers. Video visits approximate a face-to-face doctor’s appointment without the need to travel to the office and give residents access to specialized care that may not be available in their area.
Transforming Senior Living
Mobile communications solutions transform senior living centers by enhancing both the quality of residential life and the level of care provided. With mobility solutions, caregivers in senior living communities can provide proactive, around-the-clock healthcare. Caregivers can stay in touch with residents wherever they are without being intrusive.
DVD Networks has a strong track record of providing managed IT services to senior living centers. Recently, we helped a senior living community revamp its entire communications system as part of our ongoing relationship.
DVD specializes in managed IT services for networking and communications that support mobility solutions for remote communications. For senior living centers, we provide resident and staff phone solutions, Wi-Fi networks, full IT network infrastructure management, and more.
