Commentary

Interactive kiosks in retirement homes: a handy guide

Adding interactive kiosks is a great way for seniors to get information they need, create a social space in retirement homes, and even play fun, interactive games.

A senior uses a touchscreen kiosk. Photo courtesy of The Parkway Center.

January 1, 2020

Ellie Coverdale is a marketing and career blogger at Academized.com.

By Ellie Coverdale

As the baby boomers age, more people will be moving to senior living homes. The management of these facilities typically want to make it as easy as possible for residents to conduct their daily activities. Hence, interactive kiosks have an important role to play in senior living facilities.

Digital signage is a useful tool to show key information. It can keep residents updated on what's going on in the home, from daily menus to weekly activities and group events. It's also a great way to welcome and introduce new guests.

The many uses of digital signage

With digital signage, the management team can create ads and text that are easy for all to read and put the screens in highly visible locations. Management can also schedule messages for certain days, set some to expire when they're no longer valid, and much more. It's the best way to share key notifications exactly when needed and to make life easier for both the management team and the residents.

Digital signage also allows management to display daily programs and activities, service times at the residence chapel, advertisements for on-premise services like the barber or salon, times for transportation and out-of-residence activities, the menu of the day, holiday greetings or other special occasions, and news and other key information.

This type of signage is a great way to communicate with residents by adding signs in the lobby, dining area, games rooms and other gathering spaces. You can be extremely flexible by incorporating different layouts like videos and images, and change the duration times so each screen stays up long enough. You can also find a cloud-based solution so the management team can regularly send information online to the digital screens.

Customize the kiosk

Start with customizable templates and then expand as you go. There are a lot of different software options available that work with digital screens, so it's important to research the options and find the ones that best work for a given location. It's also important to make sure all staff is trained on troubleshooting and updating the content on the screens.

Consider touchscreens

Another great digital signage option is to set up a touchscreen that residents can interact with. The reality is that some residents have difficulty understanding key health information, or they simply don't want to ask for help. Recent studies have shown that adding a touchscreen kiosk to gathering areas in retirement homes has greatly improved the experience and happiness of seniors.

Every touchscreen can be set at an appropriate height and a comfortable chair can be set up in a welcoming corner of the space. Staff can be trained to be ready to help in case a resident has any issues using it.

Consider puzzle kiosks

Kiosks can also have some options for interactive fun puzzles and brain teasers. These have been shown to boost cognitive function and are also a great activity for seniors. It is even possible to create multiplayer modes so that multiple seniors can play against each other. This creates a social space in the room which can be a great benefit to residents. These kiosks can also be used for residents to Skype their families and friends.

Don't forget health information

Kiosks can also offer e-tools through module formats on certain health conditions, including short videos, as well as tip sheets so patients can identify and recognize red flags and know when to reach out to a medical professional. This is helpful especially for those residents who are more self-sufficient and may not be comfortable speaking with staff about their issues.

Health kiosks can also be used by nurses and health workers to run hypertension screenings and risk assessments for falls. Health care practitioners can enter health results directly into the kiosk into a private, secured database of patients' electronic health records.

Adding interactive kiosks is a great way for seniors to get information they need, create a social space in retirement homes, and even play fun, interactive games.