Who is Helping Senior Living Residents with Their Technology?

I had the pleasure of presenting to a group of senior living executives from Leading Age Pennsylvania on the topic of “Smart Support: Building a High-Impact Resident Technology Program”. Participants learned how senior living organizations can design and sustain effective resident technology support and training programs. 

During the webinar, we polled attendees and some interesting trends emerged from participants sharing information about what they are currently doing to support residents’ technology needs.

Over 70% of respondents say that their in house IT person helps residents, but 36% say that they don’t have a specific program in place, which means that they may be taking time away from important enterprise projects and supporting staff.

Almost 29% say front desk staff and maintenance staff take the time to help and 14% say their dining staff are being asked to help. Is your staff spending their valuable time supporting residents IT needs? Oftentimes, staff go above and beyond to try and help residents, at the expense of spending the time they need to spend on their jobs and very often without any kind of formal training.

Who Helps Residents with their Tech Support Questions?

What Kind of Resident IT Support do Communities Have?

About 36% of respondents say they have no resident tech support program in place. Almost 43% are relying on in house IT staff, who are also responsible for supporting staff and managing IT projects. 21% are relying on volunteers, who may not be trained to provide support to residents and are usually not as reliable.

What kind of Resident Support Program do you have in place?

There’s not a one size fits all answer to providing resident tech support. But, it’s important to get feedback from staff about how much time they are spending addressing residents’ questions and if they feel that they have the adequate training and tools to handle these requests. And, it’s also important to hear from residents about what their needs and expectations are.

If you would like to learn more about the pros and cons of various options, you can request more information at partners@candootech.com.