Non‑Discrimination Policy
State provides funding for nurse call system
Posted May 30, 2017
Thanks to a Grant in Aid from the State of Hawaii the residents at Hale Makua Wailuku and Care Homes by Hale Makua have a new, state of the art nurse call system. The call system replaces a 20 year old nurse call system that would only illuminate a light at the resident’s room and beep until the call was acknowledged. The frequent buzzing was unpleasant and disturbed residents, especially when sleeping. Plus, staff weren’t able to differentiate between urgent and non-urgent resident requests, so call lights were always responded to as if they were urgent.
Now the new nurse call system tells staff exactly which resident is calling and gives residents the ability to speak directly with a nurse, so staff know exactly where to go, what is needed, and can advise the resident of the approximate time they may need to wait for assistance if it is a non-urgent request.
In addition, the system has reduced unnecessary noise and increased staff efficiency. It feels a bit more like a home and less like a hospital with a decrease in beeping. Staff members are now able to silence alarms when they are en route to the resident and staff are able to spend more time providing care and less time going between the nursing station and resident rooms. For example, if a resident is thirsty and would like a cup of water, the nurse can bring the resident water. It used to be, the nurse would answer the call and then have to go back to get a cup of water.