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Answering the Call at Senior Care Facility
If employees do not respond to the call within five minutes, a second page is sent, this time including the charge nurse, and then once more, including the unit manager. If no one responds within 20 minutes, Baker says, he receives a phone call himself.
The assisted-living facility now has 38 residents, though that number is expected to grow to approximately 75. Residents utilize a pendant instead of the pull-cord device used by nursing patients, because assisted-living residents are more mobile.
In both cases, the SARA system not only ensures that every call receives a response, it also records how long that response took. Once the pendant or pull-cord device is reset, the system records the response time, as well as who responded. Management can then use those records to determine how well the staff responds to calls, and track a specific problem if one is reported after the fact.
One example of the system in action illustrates the numerous ways in which it can be used, Baker says. Several weeks ago, he spoke with a resident who indicated the staff had taken too long responding to her calls the previous night. Baker was able to check the SARA records, determine when the calls were placed and which staff member was on call, and speak with that employee. However, he adds, he was also able to surmise that the resident was experiencing high levels of anxiety at the time, pressing the call button approximately 30 times a day for a variety of needs. With that knowledge, he says, the staff was then better able to understand the patient's problems and address them.
In another case, Baker says, family members of a resident indicated she reported not getting responses to her calls. However, the system determined the number of calls she had placed during the night, along with the average response time (for example, 10 calls with an average response of 2 minutes 32 seconds).
In the future, Baker says, the facility intends to install SARA locators, which identify each pendant's location when the call button is pressed. In that way, if a resident requires assistance but is not in his room, the system can identify in which floor and wing he is located. That, he says, will require installing 12 locators at the assisted-living, facility—one each in the north, south, east and west wings of every floor.
Baker says he was initially concerned that employees would resist switching to the SARA system. However, he says, they appreciate seeing just how long their own response times are, and different departments have competed to achieve the quickest response times.
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The assisted-living facility now has 38 residents, though that number is expected to grow to approximately 75. Residents utilize a pendant instead of the pull-cord device used by nursing patients, because assisted-living residents are more mobile.
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| Less mobile patients can use an RFID-enabled pull-cord. |
One example of the system in action illustrates the numerous ways in which it can be used, Baker says. Several weeks ago, he spoke with a resident who indicated the staff had taken too long responding to her calls the previous night. Baker was able to check the SARA records, determine when the calls were placed and which staff member was on call, and speak with that employee. However, he adds, he was also able to surmise that the resident was experiencing high levels of anxiety at the time, pressing the call button approximately 30 times a day for a variety of needs. With that knowledge, he says, the staff was then better able to understand the patient's problems and address them.
In another case, Baker says, family members of a resident indicated she reported not getting responses to her calls. However, the system determined the number of calls she had placed during the night, along with the average response time (for example, 10 calls with an average response of 2 minutes 32 seconds).
In the future, Baker says, the facility intends to install SARA locators, which identify each pendant's location when the call button is pressed. In that way, if a resident requires assistance but is not in his room, the system can identify in which floor and wing he is located. That, he says, will require installing 12 locators at the assisted-living, facility—one each in the north, south, east and west wings of every floor.
