In senior living, communicating with residents’ family members is important, but a lot of it can lead to burnout for long-term caregivers, according to healthcare engagement platform Intelichart.
Intelichart is partnering with Senior Care Support Services to help streamline and simplify the process of engaging with family members. The companies recently announced their collaboration as a way to help improve communication.
“Combining Family Portal with SCSS’s services will help facilities better manage workflows that are traditionally labor-intensive and impact work-life balance for staff,” InteliChart CEO Gary Hamilton said in a statement. “It presents a solution for organizations that want to avoid tasks that lead to worker burnout so staff can focus on care.”
Through InteliChart’s Family Portal, LTC residents’ loved ones can message staff effectively, without playing phone tag or worrying about having to repeat inquiries.
The companies indicated that by using the portal, caregivers in a facility can devote more time and energy to clinical and interpersonal interaction with residents. SCSS’ services include assisting with new resident opportunities, in addition to ongoing family interaction, the company said.
The pandemic era highlighted the importance of family connection, both for seniors and caregivers, in order to better manage care regimens and also to feel like a resident isn’t cut off from the rest of the world, studies have shown.
Trying to figure out an effective and meaningful way to include families in the care process is especially important for dementia and memory care, according to the most recent version of Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures.
Hamilton also noted the importance of providing documentation, such as summaries of family-facility dialogue, as a way to both address compliance issues and bolster a facility’s reputation, in a recent guest column he co-wrote for McKnight’s.
