For many seniors and people with special needs, the caregiver is one of the most important people in their lives. A caregiver is a person that provides care for the elderly, the injured, and those with special needs, and the care they offer include assistance in accomplishing common tasks like walking, going up or down the stairs, and bathing, as well as doing various chores like cooking, cleaning different rooms, and tending the garden.
While the caregiver is there to assist the elderly or the person in need of assistance most of the time, there will be particular situations where the caregiver will not be near their patient due to doing other tasks or chores in another room or area. During these situations, it is important for the patient to have a tool or device that can help him or her call the caregiver for assistance or emergencies.
One of the best devices to have for calling the caregiver is the emergency nurse call system. What is this system? How does it work? And what are its benefits? Let us find out as we take a look at the different aspects of the emergency nurse call system and how to select the best one for caregivers.
What is an Emergency Nurse Call System?
The emergency nurse call system is a set of devices that are specifically used to provide patients with a simple and effective way to call the attention of a caregiver or nurse. [1] Here is a list of devices or tools that are usually included in an emergency nurse call system
- Call button
- Wrist pager
- Alarm console
- Time and date display
The call button can be installed on the wall or on a door frame, although there are some call buttons that are battery-powered and can be used wirelessly. Then, the call button would usually have one button, which is used to send a signal on the alarm console or wrist page and activate the alarm. But there are call buttons that have two to three buttons, and these other buttons would send a different signal or alarm to the console or pager.
The alarm console is typically found in the room of the caregiver or in rooms or areas where the caregiver would do various chores, like the kitchen and the living room. An emergency nurse call system commonly has two or more alarm consoles included, so you can install or place different alarms in specific rooms in the house or nursing facility.
The time and date display is the device that shows the time and date to the caregiver and the patient, although the caregiver is the one that benefits the most from the display since it will tell him or her when it is time to give specific medicines or treatments to the patient with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or special needs.
On the other hand, the wrist pager also shows the time and date, but the difference is that the pager can also produce an alarm sound whenever the patient presses the call button. The wrist pager looks like an ordinary digital watch at first glance, but it is actually connected to the emergency nurse call system wirelessly. A lot of modern nurse call systems today have a wrist pager along with a few alarm consoles that can be installed around the house or facility.
What are the Benefits of an Emergency Nurse Call System?
Besides patients being able to call their caregivers for assistance or during emergencies, there are also a few other benefits of using the emergency nurse call system. To know more, here are descriptions of each major benefit of an emergency nurse call system for both the caregiver and the patient with special needs or Alzheimer’s.
Can Be Installed Anywhere at Home
The emergency nurse call system, as we have mentioned previously, can be installed in different rooms in the house or nursing facility so long that the system includes multiple alarm consoles or devices. So, the alarm sounds that the system produces can be heard almost anywhere if the alarm devices are installed in separate rooms and areas. So, the caregiver will be able to hear the call of his or her patient easily through the use of an emergency nurse call system.
Provides Caregivers with a Peace of Mind
Caregivers will be able to have peace of mind when they have an emergency nurse call system in the facility or nursing home. [2] Through the nurse call system, caregivers will always be sure that their patient is safe and comfortable even if they aren’t in the patient’s room, as the patient would likely not press the call button most of the time. But, if the patient does need assistance, the caregiver will also be able to respond faster compared to checking up on the patient every now and then.
Reduces Fatigue for the Caregiver
Checking up on the patient almost every minute or hour can be quite exhausting or tiring for the caregiver. So, in order to eliminate the need for the caregiver to go to the patient’s room every now and then, there should be an emergency nurse call system installed in the facility or house.
With the nurse call system, you can just check on the patient whenever he or she needs help instead of going to his or her room, although you will still need to monitor the patient’s well-being at least every 30 minutes or 1 hour. Fortunately, there are now camera monitors or security cameras that are now used for monitoring dementia or Alzheimer’s patients even if the caregiver is not inside the patient’s room or in another area.
Picking the Best Emergency Nurse Call System
There are dozens of different emergency nurse call systems that caregivers can buy today, but only a few are considered to be the best in providing convenience, safety, and efficiency for patients and caregivers. To know which ones are the best, here are some tips for picking emergency nurse call systems.
Choose a Call System that Suits Your Budget
Emergency nurse call systems have different price points, and if you have a budget, you should find the system that suits your budget so that you won’t overspend. [3] There are a lot of nurse call systems that are very affordable, although you should keep in mind that these systems are usually simple or barebones, which means that they usually have only a few alarm devices and one call button.
So, if you don’t want a call system that is more complex or has more devices connected to it, you should raise your budget higher. It is okay to settle with the simpler call systems, but if you have the capabilities to make your budget bigger, then you should already go for the pricier systems that have more features and devices.
Identify the Devices You Want to Have on the System
For you to have the best experience in using an emergency nurse call system, you should choose the one that has all the devices you and your patient need. Besides the alarm devices and the call buttons, you may want to have a wrist pager so that you will be able to hear the alarm sound wherever you go, as long as the signal of the call button still reaches the pager.
You may also want to get a nurse call system that allows the patient to actually make a call on the call button so that the caregiver will know exactly what the patient wants or needs. There are a lot of nurse call systems right now that have great features that come in various devices, so choose the system that will have every device you need to have better communication for assisting or helping the patient.
Pick the System that is the Easiest to Use for the Patient
With so many complex nurse call systems available today, it should still be the priority of caregivers to provide the simplest methods for their patients to call them for assistance. So, the complexity of an emergency nurse call system should only be found in the features that will be used by the caregiver, while the features that the patient will use should be very simple.
For example, while the caregiver will have the wrist pager that shows previous and current calls, as well as the time and date of the day, the patient will only have a call button that has one or more buttons that they can press to send an alarm to the caregiver. Pick the system that is the easiest to use for the patient while still having plenty of features that can be beneficial for the caregiver.
Check Reviews
One of the best ways for you to know which emergency nurse call systems are considered reliable is to read or watch reviews written or created by customers or people that have used different nurse call systems. These reviews will not only give you every detail of the system but also its pros and cons. Find emergency nurse call systems that have pros that far outweigh their cons, as they are more reliable and consistent in providing services and features for caregivers and patients.
Here are a few emergency nurse call systems that have good reviews online:
- Smart Caregiver 433-SYS – a simple but versatile nurse call system that consists of a central monitoring unit, a pager, and three nurse call buttons. The pager is compact and can be stored in the caregiver’s pocket, while the central monitoring unit can be placed in any area where it can relay the signal of the call buttons to the pager.
- LIOTOIN Wireless Caregiver Pager Call Button – another simple nurse call system that has three pagers and three call buttons, with one having a touch screen button. So, this system doesn’t have a central unit, and the call buttons send signals directly to the pagers. The downside to this system is that the pagers need to be connected to a power outlet in order for them to work.
- EverNary Caregiver Pager Wireless Call Button System – if you want a pager that doesn’t connect to a central unit but can work without connecting to a power outlet, then you should get this call button system from EveryNary. This system features only one call button that has a lanyard and one receiver or pager that has 52 different ringtones and adjustable volume control.
- SanJie Wireless Caregiver Call System – this caregiver call system features six wireless call buttons and one pager that needs to be plugged into a power outlet to work. What’s interesting about the call buttons is that they are assigned to specific numbers shown on the pager. So, when a button is pressed, its assigned number will flash on the pager. This feature can be utilized to know where the patient is calling for help from, as one call button can be assigned to the living room while the other buttons will be in the other rooms.
- SYNLETT Wireless Calling System – another wireless nurse calling system that consists of a central unit that also acts as the pager for the system, as well as ten call buttons that can be held by a lanyard strap, screwed onto a wall, or placed on a doorframe or any area of the house using adhesive patches.
The emergency nurse call system is very useful for caregivers and their patients. We hope that this guide helped you in knowing more about the emergency nurse call system and finding which specific system is the most reliable when it comes to helping seniors and people with special needs get assistance or help from their caregivers as quickly as possible.
References
[1] Kaleiv. (2021, July 3). What is a Nurse Call System? FORBIX SEMICON. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.forbixindia.com/electronics/what-is-nurse-call-system/
[2] City-Com Communications. (2020, April 20). Healthcare Solutions: What Is A Nurse Call System? City-Com Communications. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://citycomgt.com/blog/nurse-call-system/
[3] Aidbell. (2021, January 4). What You Should Consider When Choosing a Nurse Call System. Aidbell. Retrieved January 3, 2023, from https://www.aidbell.com/what-you-should-consider-when-choosing-a-nurse-call-system/