How to Know You’ve Outgrown a Nurse Call System

Welcome to the Reality of Senior Care Facilities

Senior care facilities continue to experience high employee turnover, lowering reimbursement, and a growing senior population that needs help. Adding to that are vital nurse call systems who’s providers dramatically increase the cost of ownership through massive increases in annual fees, reduction in service quality, and aging technology that is not keeping up with today's challenging environment.

Most senior care facilities are looking for ways to improve care, reduce turnover, and control spiraling costs. Technology should serve care providers and reduce workload, not create more work and raise operating costs. It should also be flexible to change as needs develop.

Cost of Ownership has Skyrocketed

The senior living industry is at a turning point in history. Never before has an industry seen such demands and so many limitations. Resident safety and care simply can’t be sacrificed, and it seems lately that some technology providers are exploiting the need.

Aside from the initial investment on a nurse call system, senior living facilities also have to consider maintenance fees, system upgrades and support, and other hidden costs.

So why does this matter? Providers should be focused on supporting their customers’ needs, not looking to hold them hostage under a contract. However, we are still seeing other nurse call system providers drastically raise their prices, leaving customers in constant price climbs with old systems and little to no benefits.

Nurse Call System and Equipment is Breaking

Notice that pagers, radios, and smartphones in your senior living facility are acting up? Or maybe call lights are going out and residents are feeling ignored. It’s probably time to start rejuvenating your senior living facility’s nurse call system or communication devices.

Your facility will first need to evaluate communication needs and budgets. If there’s a generous budget available, a complete system overhaul is likely to be the best option. If a quick fix and cost conscious approach is more your style, it’s best to spend the budget by purchasing two-way radios - which we will talk about more later on.

Your Nurse Call System Isn’t Improving Communication

If pagers are being ignored, what’s the point of having them? Strong communication among staff is so important and should never be compromised because of outdated technology. Residents and their families are relying on your team to care for them and maintain their quality of life, that’s why they are in a senior living facility afterall. 

So if your senior living staff can’t communicate effectively with the use of pagers, maybe they need to test out smart phones or two-way radios that will grab their attention with audible alerts.

We’ve Got Just the Fix

Like most service industries, senior care facilities are looking for ways to improve care, reduce employee turnover, and control spiraling costs. 

Resident care can’t be sacrificed, so technology providers need to be 100% focused on the reality of the environment they service and deliver the innovation and support to a vital service industry – that’s where Advanced Wireless Communications comes in.

The ODIN Care Platform

Nurse call systems are not always a one-size-fits-all solution. Advanced Wireless Communications primarily focuses on senior living facilities (not hospitals) because the patient experience is so different. AWC’s nurse call system consolidates numerous systems into one unified communication platform.

The ODIN Care platform was made specifically with nursing homes and senior living facilities in mind. Its dependable technology receives a variety of alerts from call lights, fall detection systems, fire alarms, wander and access controls, and environmental systems. Pair that with two-way radios, smart phones, and other devices so staff can respond quickly to residents while remaining connected. It can be used as a stand alone system or integrated into existing call systems, extending the life of legacy systems without the high cost of completely replacing them.

ODIN Care also offers powerful visual dashboards, which can be accessed from any web browser, to show daily activity, alarms, and system performance as it happens. The reporting feature can be custom tailored to each users’ preferences with automation that allows reports to be generated and sent directly to an inbox, making it even easier to stay updated on what is happening at a facility.

Utilize Your Current Nurse Call System

Technology should leverage current investments to give them more life, without sacrificing capabilities. You can ditch the pagers and keep your legacy call system. ODIN Page 2 Talk will integrate with a current call system and convert paging messages into audible announcements. Your staff can receive the audible announcements with two-way radios or a smart device. This capability eliminates the confusion of pages and improves team productivity through real-time staff-to-staff communication. We like to call it a win-win situation.

Technology and Communication Work Together

Senior living communities need innovative technology now more than ever. AWC provides innovative solutions that just work. AWC empowers senior living communities with robust, cost effective solutions that their residents and staff can count on.

The ODIN Care platform will help senior living facilities deliver better outcomes, address frustrations of staff, manage ownership costs, and provide a platform that will leverage current investments and evolve as the industry demands continue to change.

About AWC

Advanced Wireless Communications is a leader in the design and integration of wireless communications solutions. Headquartered in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area, we have been creating onsite wireless systems that help businesses communicate effectively since 1992. AWC has the expertise and experience to create the best solutions to meet your one-of-a-kind needs.

Dedicated to providing best-in-class customer service and satisfaction for all our customers; AWC offers onsite installations, radio and system repair, and a dedicated support team. You have our personal commitment that we will be there for you to answer questions, update or replace your system to handle new challenges and support your specific needs whenever they may arise.

Contact us at [email protected] or visit our website advancedwireless.com.