The population of people over the age of 65 is growing, and all of these individuals need specialised care that might include home care. That’s why the domiciliary industry is expected to grow in the coming years, as many seniors require assistance with everyday tasks and medical assistance in their homes.
However, many home care agencies are still living in the past. There are so many fantastic types of software out there specifically designed to help home care agencies and workers with time management, administration needs, and scheduling. Many agencies in 2021 are still using pen and paper to manage these needs. This can make it significantly more difficult to manage a home care agency and the clients cared for.
In this guide, we’ll break down all of the benefits to using home care software and how platforms like Nursebuddy can revolutionise the way home care businesses operate. You just might be shocked at how much simple software can change an agency that is still stuck in the past with obsolete scheduling and time management practises.
How the right technology can radically improve your home care agency
There are so many ways that thorough scheduling technology such as Nursebuddy can significantly improve your business in the home care industry.
1. The right software can handle your scheduling needs
Scheduling software that is specifically designed for nurses and home care agencies can completely change the way professionals manage their scheduling needs. A good scheduling platform will solve any and all at-home medical care scheduling needs by adding elements of certainty, improved efficiency, and accuracy. Many home care agencies manage dozens if not hundreds of senior clients and nursing professionals that care for them. The goal of scheduling practises in a home care agency is to ensure that no client is looked over and all scheduling needs are in order.
Software can help improve one’s scheduling practises in a number of ways. To start, it is often multi-platform. This means that home care scheduling software can be installed easily on the basic devices used on-premise with the agency. In addition to this, the software can also be applied to mobile devices which can be used by nursing personnel while they are on the go and serving their clients. Very good scheduling software like Nursebuddy will allow you to store as many nurses, caregivers, and administration staff on your account as needed for no extra cost.
On a basic level, scheduling software takes the typical pen-and-paper scheduling chart and applies it to a digital dashboard. This dashboard can be accessed by anybody within the agency, particularly administration and those that decide scheduling practises. Agencies can also print schedules directly from Nursebuddy as well when needed.
2. The right software can help you gain control over your agency
The main purpose of technology in the home care industry is to help business owners and administration take better control over their business. We’ve found that administration and carers save tens hours less per month handling invoices and schedules with the Nursebuddy app. This puts more time back into the hands of workers who need to take care of their clients. Just as well, a more organised agency benefits the actual clients as well.
In the home care industry, it is vital to ensure that all medical and care information about each individual client is organised and kept safe. This not always possible with traditional paper bookkeeping. With home care software, one can easily upload documents to the platform and keep them protected and easy to access as needed for carers. Simply navigate to the Attachments section of the platform under your nurse or client of choice’s profile to upload a scanned paper document. You can easily photograph documents with the mobile application as well, making document management a breeze.
Nursebuddy also makes it incredibly easy to integrate with other systems. If you need to export scheduling information to send to your payroll or human resources department, doing so is very simple.
3. The right software can put time back into the hands of your staff and clients
Time management can be a difficult thing to tackle in the home care industry. It’s time-consuming enough working with the actual clients, but there are many factors that can eat into the time spent by carers preparing to care for their clients. These factors include issues like travel time, scheduling practises, paperwork organisation, bookkeeping, etc.
This is where home care software really shines. It gives better control to administration and staff. With our platform, one can easily look at patient care schedules with a simple search and make changes in real-time. This mimics the pen-and-paper method of scheduling and patient management, except it speeds up the process.
4. The right software can benefit clients and family
Unlike traditional pen-and-paper scheduling and bookkeeping, an actual platform can be accessed by clients and their families or guardians. Families and clients can access the app with ease and use a private login area to access real-time updates on care, live statuses on care, and more. Guardians and clients can easily make scheduling changes as needed through the app, as well as notes and care feedback.
This is truly revolutionary. In the past, home care was a very one-sided thing. Many families and guardians could not access information about the ongoing status of the care given to their loved ones without direct contact with carers. With platforms like Nursebuddy, everyone can be involved. This creates more trust between agencies and the people they serve, as well as creates a log of care that could be needed in the event of a compliance or legal issue.
5. The right software can benefit care professionals
Scheduling is stressful. Bookkeeping is stressful. Both of these things are even more stressful if your agency does not employ the right policies and practises, and have not moved on to home care software. Nursebuddy removes this stress by making it easier for carers and nurses to clock in and clock out of the shifts. Good home care software also creates a space for carers to communicate with one another and their clients as well.
In particular, Nursebuddy offers carers a number of benefits. These include access to real-time rosters and care plans directly from their mobile devices, easy-to-use clock-in systems, risk assessments to keep carers and nurses safe, and completely paperless reporting tools.
6. The right software can benefit care managers
Managers and administrators also struggle with obsolete scheduling and document management practises. With home care software, home care managers can take control of their scheduling practises by providing them access to a wealth of on-board programmes that are customised for their specific needs. No two home care businesses are identical– that’s why Nursebuddy offers a more personalised approach to home care software.
With Nursebuddy, managers and administrators can enjoy any and all of the home care management tools needs to keep schedules, documents, clients, and carers in order. Just as well, our platform makes rostering, building care plans, editing timesheets, eMAR, and report generation an absolute breeze.
For agencies that have never implemented software into their businesses before, getting past the learning curve may be a bit difficult. That’s why platforms like Nursebuddy offer excellent in-app support as well as full training resources at no extra cost. Your agency will be on its way to better operations and happier clients in no time!
Book a demo to find out how can Nursebuddy revolutionise your home care agency.
