Why Senior Living Digital Signage is a Must-Have for Modern Facilities
July 8, 2024
This article will highlight the essential role of digital signage in modern senior living facilities, emphasizing its benefits in enhancing communication, engagement, and overall resident experience.
Senior living facilities have evolved over the last several decades with many facilities today offering complete communities for their residents. These communities are equipped with modern technology, tools, talent, and features. One of those tools is the use of digital signage to enhance the quality of life for residents. This article will focus on the essential nature of digital signage in senior living facilities.
The role of digital signage in modern senior living facilities
So, what role does digital signage play in modern Senior Living facilities?
#1. Enhancing Communication
Firstly, it enhances communication.
Internal Communication
Senior living facilities can capitalize on the use of digital displays for internal communication. Internal communication might be a timesheet of which daily tasks are assigned to which people, when they were completed, or what remains to be done. It can also be used to share real-time updates on health, medication restrictions, or dietary issues for residents.
Announcements and Updates
External information can provide announcements and updates that residents or employees might need.
Emergency Alerts
Relatedly, emergency alerts need to be disseminated in a fast and efficient process and using digital display screens to do so ensures that real time updates can be made for any emergency.
#2. Promoting Social Engagement
Secondly, it promotes social engagement.
Event Promotion
Modern senior living facilities have several events on a regular basis including things like water aerobics, senior yoga, or guest performers. In order to encourage social engagement and, by extension, improve the mental and physical well-being of residents, digital displays can provide event promotion material.
Community Building
These displays can also be used to build a community. A new resident might have quick facts about them shared on a display so that everyone can get to know someone who is new in an expedient fashion. There might be similar displays that rotate on a weekly basis, highlighting different residents no matter how long they've lived there.
#3. Improving Wayfinding
Thirdly, it improves wayfinding.
Navigational Assistance
Navigational assistance can be essential in a senior living facility, especially for any residents who might struggle with dementia or similar neurodegenerative issues and can use wayfinding assistance to make their way back to their room or to another room for an upcoming event.
Accessibility
Digital displays for senior living facilities can be made very accessible with alterations to the display that include things like captions and sound as well as different heights for the television display screen to accommodate people with disabilities.
#4. Enhancing Resident Experience
Senior living digital signage is also a way to enhance the resident experience.
Entertainment
These also provide a valuable source of entertainment. Digital displays can be incorporated into larger seating areas, lobbies, and other rooms where residents like to congregate and, from there, display entertainment like movies.
Educational Content
Educational content can also be displayed when movies are not. This educational content can extend to things like key facts for older individuals about nutrition, exercise, or health.
#5. Streamlining Operations
When used internally, digital signage in your living facilities can streamline operations.
Staff Coordination
For example, internal displays can help streamline staff coordination so that staff members know who is on call at any time, which individuals are working at which parts of the facility, and whether there are specific pieces of information about individual residents that they need to know.
Resource Management
Similarly, digital displays can be used by senior living facilities as a way of resource management, providing vital information without having to fund additional personnel.
Maintenance Alerts
Internally, digital displays are a great way to manage maintenance alerts, ensuring that real-time updates are pushed for any maintenance needs, whether cleaning, medication, or other assistance.
#6. Fostering Family Connections
The use of digital signage provides a way to foster family connections as well for the residents who reside in senior living facilities.
Visitor Information
One of the primary ways that this is done is through improved visitor information. families who come to visit a loved one can see the digital signage for senior living and find things like wayfinding information so they know not only what the layout of the facility is, but what activities are happening in different locations.
Family Engagement
Senior living digital signage now offers an opportunity to improve family engagement, letting family members see things like facility highlights, announcements and updates, as well as educational content.
Remote Communication
The use of senior living digital signage provides a chance for remote communication, somewhat akin to other screens for communication but used in a broader way, such as broadcasting a senior living play in which a family member is a star.
#7. Boosting Marketing and Outreach
It also works well in boosting marketing and outreach.
Facility Highlights
The right type of digital display for senior living can promote highlights about the facility, services they offer, events that they host, and more.
Testimonials
This is a great place to show off testimonials from other residents and their family members who have had positive experiences at this facility.
Virtual Tours
For those who are interested in tours, digital signage can provide virtual tours, giving people the option of looking at different rooms, digitally moving through the facility to get a feel for the layout, and better familiarizing themselves with what each of the rooms looks like without having to interrupt whatever activity is going on in those rooms.
Conclusion
Overall, there are several key benefits of digital signage in senior living facilities, including increased marketing and outreach, better family engagement, improved wayfinding, and enhanced residential experiences. As a senior living facility it is important to consider the adoption of digital signage to enhance communication, engagement, and overall resident satisfaction. As a facility manager, invest in digital signage solutions to modernize your operations and improve resident well-being today.