SMS Communication for elderly

Using SMS in geriatric nursing homes and day centers brings a whole host of benefits.

Technology develops which humans are in need of something. When faced with a problem, technology often proposes an ingenious solution to make life more comfortable.

Nursing homes and day centers help many families and their elderly relatives. It’s very important to maintain constant contact, particularly in the case of an emergency. With life expectancy higher than ever before and increasing, these centers carry out necessary work for the development and adhesion of society.

Today, caring for the elderly is paramount. We are paying increasingly more attention to the elderly (as we should be!) and valuing them as a central pillar of the family. Nowadays, many elderly people are fit and healthy and can live alone at home, but loneliness and special requirements often means they have to attend day centers.

In this post we’re going to take a look at the benefits of incorporating SMS messaging into elderly care services. SMS messaging can help to double the control over the care of patients and communication with their families.

The benefits of an SMS platform for a nursing home or day center

   1 Internal communication

Internal communication in any company or institution is key for staff development. It’s very important to have channels available for staff to stay in constant communication, so they are able to do their job efficiently and foresee any problems. In hospitals, nursing homes and other medical centers, email is not a good option. Why? Staff in these types of centers don’t use a computer as their only piece of technology at work, they are always on the move attending to different people and can’t often sit down to read their emails. For this reason SMS is a great method by which they can communicate. The message is direct, can be opened instantaneously and staff are able to respond to emergencies a lot faster.

2 Communication with families and loved ones

SMS works as a communication tool for the elderly with their relatives. With SMS messages, elderly people can communicate with their family, who can find out how they are without having to spend money on telephone calls.

Moreover, even if family members are at work they can quietly read a message, whereas if it was a phone call many people wouldn’t be able to call back in an instant.

SMS serve to keep loved ones informed – to know that your elderly relatives are ok is very comforting. In case of emergency, it’s also good to send a message so that the family can travel to where they need to be immediately – all this information needed can be sent in writing.

3 Check in and check out

Both for staff organisation and for the peace of mind of family members, having a check in and check out register is key for any home of residence. In some cases, elderly people suffer from mental health problems, so confirming check in and check out via SMS means that families can feel safe in the knowledge that their elderly relatives are being cared for.

4 Medical treatment reminders and medication

This resource can save lives and help to mechanize treatment, avoid human error and guarantee the health of elderly people.

Smartphones are not very popular among elderly people, so SMS is the perfect tool to communicate with them. Having an automated service which reminds them which medication to take at what time and remind them about visits to the doctor, can help them a lot in their day-to-day lives. At this age people tend to forget the little everyday things. Just an SMS can help them significantly with their treatment.

5 Emergencies

There are 3 ways in which SMS can help in an emergency. Firstly family members can be warned immediately so they are able to come to the hospital as soon as possible. Secondly, staff can be advised at the center – if staff are notified immediately many problems can be avoided. Thirdly, a channel of communication with hospitals can be established to notify hospital staff directly of a crisis, so that they can have an ambulance ready as quickly as possible.

A simple SMS can make the process so much faster and help to avoid mishaps.

6 Systematization with apps

There are a number of mobile applications that work with SMS in cases of emergency. The way it works is simple and easy. For example, with application Panic Button, you can register three emergency contact telephone numbers. Once registered, every time the panic button is pressed, the app will notify these three contact numbers immediately with an SMS.

This simple platform is perfect for elderly people. When they don’t feel well, or are immobilized due to a health crisis, they can press the button for doctors at the nursing home, their family, or an ambulance to come to their aid. The mobile app has several other functions which are of a great help:

• Geo-location system: The app provides the contacts of the person in distress with their location, with an exact map utilizing GPS.
• Fast and discreet: The alert is immediate, as it uses SMS the mobile doesn’t need access to 3G or WiFi to activate the button. The app can also be programmed to send off the alert when one of the external buttons on the phone is pressed, so the phone doesn’t need to be removed from a pocket first.
• Data protection: If it’s not an emergency, to access the app requires a PIN number so that nobody else is able to view your information.
• Security advice: The mobile application provides advice to ensure the system has been programmed properly and to check it’s working as it should.

The app is available for both iPhone and Android.

SMS Communication for elderly

In these sectors SMS messaging is very useful. It’s easy to use, fast, and can be read in an instant, which is key in urgent situations. LabsMobile has experience in the medical sector where SMS messaging is used for reminders to attend appointments and take medication correctly, helping users to save money on a daily basis. It facilitates management and allows for more people to have access to better medical services.

In response to these needs, LabsMobile have adapted their platform to make it easy to use, organizing the functions in the clearest way possible. The WebSMS application has a number of different services which can be integrated into the day-to-day management of day centers and nursing homes:

• Send messages: You can program SMS, for example, to remind users to take their medication
• Create templates: So you don’t have to write each SMS message again, you can create templates with a base text to make the task faster.
• Easy and convenient: SMS messages don’t have to be written on a mobile phone. Using this application you can write all the messages on the computer, which can be sent directly to users.

The cost, when you consider the rate of opening and the functions of SMS, is very low. Efficiency is guaranteed and the problems that can be solved only serves to increase the profitability.

LabsMobile Platform

Simple and intuitive software, the LabsMobile tools are designed with the user in mind. All the services are available using the WebSMS, accesible from any computer with internet. You don’t need to download or install any software. All you have to do is sign up with LabsMobile on the website and in just a few seconds you’ll start benefiting from SMS communication with LabsMobile.