Why are we focussed on the word “service”? Let us illustrate some things that every senior living provider does:
- A resident calls the front desk and asks for a ride to their doctor’s appointment. (transportation service)
- A family member wants to know if their loved one got the medicine and treatment they were supposed to get that day. (medicine service, message service)
- Activities staff has booked a yoga instructor to visit the community and do a 45 minute session for residents that sign up ahead of time. (activity service)
- A resident has a leaky faucet and wants maintenance to come and fix it. (maintenance service)
- A resident with a cat needs their carpet cleaned. (cleaning service)
- Dining is serving dinner tonight. (food service)
Each one of these is a service being provided for your residents. They aren’t paying rent for an apartment, they are paying rent for an apartment in a community that provides them services.
Speak2 calls all events, products, care activities, and anything else done for residents and their families a “Service”. Even food can be viewed as a “service”. Don’t get hung up on the naming - we just needed to call the things you do something, so we call them “services”.
A community’s mission is to provide services to the residents. The ability to manage your services and track all of the key points, is critical to a smooth functioning community. Our services management feature allows you to create and manage services across your community, making them available to residents, staff and families.
Some attributes of our services management feature:
- Define all services, events, or any other item you can provide to your residents in the services screens.
- Assign categories, departments, costs, capacity, availability, and more.
- Use checkboxes to determine if services should be shown on signage, have announcements scheduled automatically, and any critical aspect of sharing.
- Create “Add Ons”, for instance, when creating a “Yoga” activity, you may have add ons such as water, yoga mats, blocks and towels. Identify all of the things needed, if they have costs, are they required - and should they notify other departments.
- Add details such as the EHR integration code, unique IDs or other identifiers that help make better use of the services you define.
By embracing the idea that everything you do is a service, you can start to see that your day-to-day is connected to everyone else in the community.
What is a service?
Did you know the word "service" can be a noun, verb or adjective. For the purposes of Speak2, we like this definition:
service (noun): the action of helping or doing work for someone. The organized system of employees for supplying some accommodation required by the public.
It's a very simple concept, but it is often overlooked in Senior Living that what we are all doing is providing services to people.
You are helping people with daily tasks that they find challenging to do themselves. Below is a list of the types of services provided by most communities. We share this to illustrate why we focus so much on our system managing "services".
- 24/7 Security and Emergency Response: On-site security and emergency response systems to ensure the safety of residents.
- Personal Care Assistance: Help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and grooming.
- Housekeeping and Laundry Services: Regular cleaning of living spaces and laundry services.
- Meal Services: Nutritious meals and snacks provided daily, often with special dietary options.
- Transportation Services: Scheduled transportation for medical appointments, shopping, and outings.
- Health and Wellness Programs: Access to fitness classes, wellness programs, and health education.
- Medication Management: Assistance with medication reminders and administration.
- Social and Recreational Activities: A variety of activities and events to encourage social interaction and engagement.
- Memory Care Services: Specialized care for residents with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia.
- Physical Therapy: On-site physical therapy services to help residents maintain mobility and strength.
- Occupational Therapy: Services to assist residents with regaining or maintaining independence in daily tasks.
- Nutritional Counseling: Guidance on healthy eating habits and personalized nutrition plans.
- On-Site Medical Services: Regular visits from healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, and specialists.
- Spiritual Services: Access to religious services, chaplain visits, and spiritual support.
- Beauty and Barber Services: On-site salon services for haircuts, styling, and other personal grooming.
- Maintenance Services: Regular maintenance and repairs for living spaces and community areas.
- Fitness Center: Access to fitness equipment and exercise facilities.
- Educational Programs: Opportunities for lifelong learning through classes, lectures, and workshops.
- Technology Assistance: Help with using computers, smartphones, and other technology.
- Respite Care: Short-term care services for residents when their regular caregivers are unavailable.