The decision to move a loved one into a senior housing facility is never easy, and relocating to an unfamiliar place without the comforts of your own home can be a difficult transition. To reassure families that their elderly relatives are getting the best care while feeling comfortable in their new environment, it’s essential for senior care facilities and nursing homes to keep up with current demands and expectations.

As technology continues to evolve and influence our lifestyles, the expectations of senior housing facilities continue to shift, as well. Construction of nursing homes and assisted living communities continues to increase due to higher demand for these properties. Therefore, it’s critical that owners and key decision makers offer amenities and facilities that set them apart from the rest.

Not only are technologically-advanced amenities the preference and expectation of many residents and their families, but these solutions also create safer and more efficient facilities. For example, implementing an electronic access control system – like Schlage Control™ Smart Locks – in an assisted living community allows residents to use one credential to enter their unit, giving facility managers the ability to easily grant or revoke access and ensure that access is limited to those who are permitted. Even better, these locks seamlessly integrate with Allegion’s Software Alliance members and offer innovative solutions to increase the security and efficiency of the facility. Knowing that only authorized people can enter the property, residents will feel safer, and property managers will have one less thing to worry about.

An electronic access control system also increases operational efficiency as property managers will no longer need to worry about mechanical key management. Instead, they can quickly update the credentials for new residents, decreasing duplication concerns. Similarly, should a resident lose their credential, the property manager can easily revoke the key’s authorization, mitigating concerns if it should fall into the wrong hands.

Beyond the electronic locks applied to individual resident units, installing a broader electronic access control system, like the Schlage NDE Series wireless lock, gives users the ability to see and manage who has access to areas where and when. This allows senior care facilities to better control areas of the building where residents and staff are able to enter, increasing safety and patient confidentiality.

In addition, senior care facilities should consider solutions that impact the building as a whole and common areas throughout. However, giving residents the freedom to move about the building and their living environment in a senior home can be challenging. Installing a delayed egress door hardware system, such as the Von Duprin CHEXIT, allows building managers to control access to certain areas of the building. This particular product reduces patient elopement by keeping the door secure for up to 15 seconds while alerting staff of the unauthorized exit attempt. The device can also easily be integrated with access control systems, working in conjunction with a fire detection system to immediately allow residents to exit in the case of an emergency.

With advanced design strategies, innovative hardware and careful system design, senior care facilities can better control the security of the residents, protect medical information and create a safe environment that fosters improved resident care.