When I was a freshman in high school, the fall musical was The King & I. I was thrilled to get a role as the eldest son of the king, Prince Chululongkorn. (Try saying that five times fast.) My first scene was with Anna as she taught me and all my elementary-school-aged brothers and sisters the classic “Getting to Know You.” Lines like, “getting to like you, getting to hope you like me” rang especially true to my 14-year old ears as I navigated my way through the first couple weeks at a new school with a much larger student population. And the message has stuck with me as I’ve approached challenges in my adult life.
Let’s face it: The prospect of getting to know someone can be scary. The same can be said for getting to know your call system. Perhaps you’re a new administrator at an established building, where everyone but you knows how your call system works. Or maybe you’ve had your system for years and are ready to really examine if it’s time to move on. Or maybe you’re building a new facility and want to find the best fit for your new senior living community. In any case, you want to quickly learn the functions of your existing or potential call system inside and out.
At PalatiumCare, we go into hundreds of unfamiliar facilities every year, and we’ve learned how to quickly and thoroughly understand the benefits, and sometimes shortcomings, of existing e-call systems. If you’re looking for a new system, or just looking at an old system with new eyes, here are a few questions to keep in mind:
· How does this call system notify staff members that a resident needs assistance? Call lights? Audible alerts? Annunciator panel? Phone? Pager?
· Does this system notify just the caregivers, or are other residents aware when someone calls for assistance?
· Do alerts go away on their own, or does a staff member have to reset the alarm when he/she arrives to aid the resident? (Another way to ask this question is, How easy would it be to ignore a resident calling for assistance?)
· Can the resident call for assistance from anywhere in the facility? Or just in his/her room?
· How durable are the call devices for this system? Do they break easily? Do any parts of the device wear away quickly from regular use? Are they water proof? If they use batteries, can they be easily replaced or does the device need to be serviced or replaced when a battery dies?
· Does this system keep track of resident calls and how quickly caregivers respond? And if it does, how is this information delivered? Do I have to keep these records on a computer or in a file?
· If I want computer access to my system in more than one place, do I have to purchase additional monitoring stations?
· Will there be any annual licensing fees or future cost when I want to update my call system software?
· How does my system add and remove residents as they come and go? Can I do it myself? Or does it require training or assistance from a technician?
As you get to know your e-call system, take notes about the things that surprise or disappoint you. If you can’t discover the answer just by observing your system in action, don’t hesitate to call a representative for your system to find out.
An e-call system should be reliable, easy to use and affordable. If you’re finding you have to compromise on any of these points, or are dissatisfied with the answers to any of the above questions, then keep looking. This is not a time to compromise. Your staff shouldn’t have to spend time “getting to like” your current or new call system. It should make a great first impression right away, every time.
I think you’ll find that getting to know your e-call system isn’t so scary if you know what questions to ask. When you can rest assured that your e-call system is reliable and the best fit for your building, then you can spend your time getting to know the most important aspect of any senior living community: the residents.
Kirt Graves
Sales Representative
kgraves@palatiumcare.com
Kirt Graves
Sales Representative
kgraves@palatiumcare.com
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