Assisted living centers are often quite large and extensive in the services they provide. For senior citizens who merely require minor assistance in their day-to-day activities, an assisted living center is one solution to maintaining their independence—they may use it solely as their place of residence. For seniors who face some health challenges, assisted living provides the support they need to manage their condition.
With social events, meals, housekeeping, transportation, and laundry service provided for residents, in addition to services that support those who need help bathing, toileting, dressing, and taking their medication, there are so many moving parts to running a successful assisted living center. Like any well-run business, it can benefit greatly from the use of some additional organization.
This is where assisted living software comes into play.
What is assisted living software?
Assisted living software is technology that provides a range of functions to ensure that a living facility runs smoothly. It serves as a centralized portal for organizing and tracking daily operations, and often includes functions such as staff scheduling, storage for patient documentation, reporting, and much more.
Assisted living facilities require software solutions to manage the wellbeing, security, and satisfaction of their residents. It can be an extremely effective communication tool to improve the quality of life for residents, as well as to increase the quality of the services delivered. Assisted living software also helps senior care facilities with personnel scheduling, resource allocation optimization, and documentation of services. Moreover, a comprehensive software ensures compliance with health and safety regulations, and acts as a database through which electronic health and medical records may be stored and accessed.
Ultimately, a good assisted living software makes it possible for owners and managers to focus more on people instead of logistics, keeping the details in one convenient and accessible location for easy reference. It should also work to improve a resident’s satisfaction and properly manage their wellbeing in your assisted living community. A few of the ways a software can accomplish this is through:
- Streamlined operations in the assisted living facility;
- Managing maintenance in the facility;
- Managing daily tasks and to-do lists (or checklists);
- Improving communications between teams in the facility (i.e. caregivers, nurses, and management).
What makes a great assisted living software?
To begin the selection process, it will be helpful to consider which features are most important to you and to your senior care community. For example, do you need a solution that stores and provides electronic health or medical records, or are you primarily concerned with organization for internal operations? Are you interested in marketing options provided with the software, so you can continue to grow your business and fill your facility to capacity?
With your priorities in mind, here are a few essential functions of any good software to consider as you get started:
- Ability to assign and track tasks. Does the software in question give you the ability to make and manage tasks, to-do lists, and checklists? Along with this feature should be the ability to assign all these tasks to relevant staff. For instance, you might create and assign a checklist to an employee for overseeing care needs, and you might assign another to janitorial staff for cleaning and housekeeping tasks.
- Scheduling ability. Does the assisted living software have any scheduling features? Does it provide centralized access to a weekly or monthly calendar? This is an essential element of any organizational software, as clear scheduling capability will keep all staff on the same page and reduce any confusion about shifts.
- Approval functionality for shift swaps and requests. As an assisted living manager or owner, it’ll make life easier if you have the ability to approve shift swaps or requests with the touch of a button. Any feature that allows you to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth messages with employees is a major time-saver, and can reduce confusion about scheduling. A straightforward response may help avoid understaffing situations, which may prove to be life-or-death for at-risk residents.
- Mass announcement capability. It certainly would be less than ideal to have to notify each employee about major events, facility changes, or emergency alerts. Choose a software that enables mass distribution of such notifications, so all staff can remain in the loop when it comes to general announcements and emergency situations alike
- Ability to store important documentation. The last thing you need is an outdated file folder for trying to find and manage the necessary documents. Move your most important documentation to a software that allows for centralized storage, so you and your staff can easily save, search for, and access the forms you need when you need them
- Ease of use & accessibility. Is the software available on multiple platforms (i.e. desktop, tablet, mobile)? Is it easy to set up, use, and train others to use? These are two factors that will greatly serve to eliminate any wasted time as you adjust to a new system.
The 6 Best Assisted Living Software Options
1. Coast
Best software for streamlining operations and maintaining your facility.
Founded in 2018 to allow businesses to focus on their true purpose, Coast is a great assisted living software solution. This app aims to eliminate anxiety for owners and managers as they run their businesses by streamlining communication and organizational processes. Between document storage, mass communication tools, checklist creation, and more, Coast provides the tools you need for running an assisted living facility smoothly. It’s available for both mobile and desktop use, and offers a free basic plan.
Key Features:
- Team messaging—Keep your whole team on the same page by easily making announcements and organizing your staff by departments.
- Staff scheduling—Create your ideal schedule in minutes, and easily allow for shift swaps to reduce no-shows.
- Facility maintenance—Keep your assisted living facility in tip-top shape and in compliance by creating, tracking, and assigning work orders.
- Shared calendar—Share important events or anything you like with your team.
- Digital checklists—Turn all your paper checklists, from cleaning checklists to inspections, into digital checklists to improve team accountability.
Pros:
- Mobile app ensures team access from anywhere;
- Automatic reminders makes it possible for staff to view their schedules efficiently, and complete all assigned tasks;
- Easy to use, and quick set-up process;
- Acts as an all-in-one solution for communications, scheduling, tasks, and maintenance.
Cons:
- No work order request portal (must be submitted directly in the app);
- Job posting feature only allows you to post to Indeed;
- Limited integrations to payroll software.
What People Think About Managing Their Assisted Living Facility with Coast:
- Capterra – 5/5
- G2 – 5/5
- Google Play Store – 4.4/5
- Apple App Store – 4.8/5
Pricing:
Free Plan: Yes—includes unlimited messaging, scheduling, and task history, plus file storage up to 5 GB. Try Coast for free now to streamline your team communications!
Paid Plans: Several.
- The Starter plan is available for $4 a user per month.
- The Plus plan is available for $8 a user per month.
2. Smartlinx
Best intuitive software for long-term care facilities.
Smartlinx is designed for assisted living facilities that want to manage the ins and outs of their business from one centralized platform. Smartlinx strives to handle the details of running a senior living facility so that managers can spend more time taking care of residents. Available for mobile and desktop use to tackle a wide range of actions, Smartlinx takes the day-to-day stress out of running a senior care community.
Key Features:
- Schedule optimization—Quickly confirm that relevant staff are where they need to be, and create schedules in seconds with automated scheduling functionality;
- Instant team communication—Keep all staff in the loop from time clocks, mobile phones, and more;
- Applicant tracker—Create job postings in minutes and automatically pre-screen ideal candidates;
- Time clock customization—Make employees feel valued with customized messages when they clock in and out (i.e. wish them a happy birthday, or request their response to a compliance survey);
- Reporting—Easily view which employees need to renew their certifications or licenses, and which need to undergo specific training.
Pros:
- Encourages communication with efficient messaging feature;
- Easy to learn and navigate UI;
- Available for a variety of platforms (mobile, computer, tablet);
- Video tutorials ensure that a facility gets the most out of Smartlinx.
Cons:
- Scheduling functionality could be further improved (i.e. occasionally glitchy);
- Some reporting features are not user-friendly;
- Some software features are not easy to configure with existing processes.
What People Think About Managing Their Assisted Living Facility with Smartlinx:
- Capterra – 4.5/5
- G2 – 3.3/5
- Google Play Store – 3.4/5
- Apple App Store – 3.5/5
Pricing:
Free Plan: No
Paid Plans: Pricing is not listed on the website.
3. Caremerge
Best interactive senior care software
Caremerge is a strong software choice for assisted living facilities and independent living communities alike. Providing crisis communication, family engagement, and chronic care management capabilities (to name just a few), Caremerge offers a wide variety of convenient functions for optimal senior care.
Key Features:
- Crisis communication—Multi-channel communication keeps the whole community in touch during crises (i.e. COVID-19 updates and more);
- Centralized calendar—Schedule, track, and report on your activities & programs with the Calendar Central feature;
- Community engagement—Encourage interaction among residents with a centralized communication portal, accessible from all devices;
- In-room TV channel—Provide residents with the content they want with over 80 apps on their personal TV ;
- Recruiting & training tools—Give your team the ability to quickly execute ADLs and medication passes, and improve documentation compliance with Caremerge’s Point of Care app.
Pros:
- Keeps an entire community—including staff and residents—constantly in touch and in the loop;
- Accessible from a variety of devices;
- Easily readable and navigable UI;
- Great for engagement and announcements.
Cons:
- Some features are not as customizable as they could be;
- Some messaging glitches/restrictions make it difficult to communicate;
- UI isn’t particularly modern or attractive.
What People Think About Managing Their Assisted Living Facility with Caremerge:
- Capterra – 4.6/5
- G2 – N/A
- Google Play Store – 3.8/5
- Apple App Store – 3.2/5
Pricing:
Free Plan: No
Paid Plans: Pricing is not listed on the website.
4. Al Advantage
Best in-depth software for caregivers.
Al Advantage is a program designed by caregivers for caregivers. Covering areas such as independent living, assisted living, and memory care, Al Advantage helps caregivers and managers optimize scheduling, assess residents’ health, remain in compliance with state guidelines, and more. The program is also free to try out for a one-month time frame, so you can gauge how well Al Advantage works for your facility.
Key Features:
- Real-time community analysis—displays key clinical care metrics, reports, and detailed data;
- Connect anywhere, anytime—easily manage an assisted living facility from any location;
- Special Care Needs Report—provides a summary of all your residents’ special needs at a glance;
- Bathing Report—allows you to see which days and shifts are scheduled for each resident’s hygienic needs;
- Track patient metrics—stay on top of each resident’s height, weight, blood pressure, oxygen, and more.
Pros:
- Free demo and free trial available;
- No set-up fees;
- Free online training;
- No binding or long-term contracts.
Cons:
- Limited integration with other software;
- Inability to edit or customize a care plan;
- UI is clunky and not particularly user-friendly.
What People Think About Managing Their Assisted Living Facility with Al Advantage:
- Capterra – 4.3/5
- G2 – 4.1/5
- Google Play Store – N/A
- Apple App Store – N/A
Pricing:
Free Plan: Yes—one month free-trial.
Paid Plans: Pricing is not listed on the website.
5. PointClickCare
Best software that supports a variety of businesses within the healthcare industry.
PointClickCare is a good software option for skilled nursing, senior living, home health care, and acute care. It is geared toward these niches to promote connection, communication, and accessibility, which work together to drive optimal business outcomes for senior care providers of all sizes and complexity. PointClickCare is available for desktop and mobile use.
Key Features:
- Emergency preparedness program—ensures that your business stays afloat in times of crisis, and that your residents, staff, and operations are adequately protected;
- ePrescribing capability—helps support accurate and complete documentation of resident and medication information;
- Syncable documentation & storage—ensures every billable service is stored and synced for maximum organization;
- Optimize your staffing model—assess your staffing needs at a global or individual level, and align staff skill needs with resident needs for each shift;
- Home Health Care platform—mobile-integrated care delivery management system connects your entire agency.
Pros:
- Easy to learn and use;
- Mobile and desktop-accessible;
- Provides quick access to patient medical history;
- Live demo available.
Cons:
- Some features (i.e. dashboard) are not as customizable as they could be;
- Data could provide more intuitive reporting (i.e. suggest treatment plans or dosages);
- No free trial available.
What People Think About Managing Their Assisted Living Facility with PointClickCare:
- Capterra – 5/5
- G2 – 4.3/5
- Google Play Store – N/A
- Apple App Store – N/A
Pricing:
Free Plan: No
Paid Plans: Pricing is not listed on the website.
6. Eldermark
Best senior care software for digital marketing capability.
Eldermark is a senior housing software that specializes in “connecting care from the front line to the bottom line.” The Eldermark team consists of software engineers and nursing professionals, and the result is an optimized product for senior care facilities. In October of 2020, Eldermark made their product available for mobile use, so professionals can access the information they need directly from their phone or tablet.
Key Features:
- Digital marketing—allows you to save money on agency collaboration by providing the tools you need for marketing;
- Medication management & pharmacy integration—EMAR (Electronic Medication Administration Record) permits real-time electronic communication between your clinical database and primary pharmacy;
- Mobile medical charting—ability to work on and offline, allowing staff to chart and record while out in the field of day-to-day operations;
- Cloud storage—eliminates the need to store paper documents and records, and makes essential information accessible to all authorized parties in your network;
- Billing & financial capability—manage the general ledger, budgeting processes, payments, and more.
Pros:
- Easy to set up;
- Convenient and accessible from any location;
- Billing process is smooth and more efficient than previous systems
Cons:
- Not as user-friendly or customizable as it could be;
- Ability to search for residents or clientele within the database is limited.
What People Think About Managing Their Assisted Living Facility with Eldermark:
- Capterra – 4.1/5
- G2 – 4/5
- Google Play Store – N/A
- Apple App Store – N/A
Pricing:
Free Plan: No
Paid Plans: Pricing is not listed on the website.
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