WinnPrairie Revamps Team Communications and Senior Living Care

WinnPrairie Assisted Living & Memory Care, located in Freeport, Illinois, is known for its individualized care, exceptional service, friendly staff, and luxury accommodations. In addition to its 30-unit Memory Care, the facility has 31 traditional assisted living two-bedroom apartments with balconies, full kitchens, and laundry rooms, giving residents their own blend of independence and assistance.

Connectivity and Range Issues with Walkie-Talkies

Between lost signals, staff talking over one another, and external radio chatter from a nearby farm, communications were feeling a bit hectic for the assisted living facility. “We’re kind of on the outskirts of town, so during planting season our walkie-talkies would pick up the farmers talking,” said Janet Breed, the Executive Director at WinnPrairie. The walkie-talkies also had pretty significant range issues. Janet shares, “If you were at one end of the building, some people were getting your message, but not everyone”. Because the walkie-talkies kept malfunctioning and commonly stopped working, over time the team ended up using about six different versions of the walkie-talkies, likely making issues worse and adding up cost-wise. 

When Janet mentioned the facility’s connectivity and range issues to WinnPrairie’s management company, one member suggested looking into Relay. Some of the hotels that the group managed had adopted Relay and things were going well.

Relay: The Right Solution for WinnPrairie

WinnPrairie first implemented Relay in 2023, starting with its nursing staff since that’s where the bulk of its communication lies. “When we got the first half of our fleet of Relays, they worked really well except the rest of the building was still using walkie-talkies,” said Janet. In early 2024, the rest of the building switched over to Relay. 

“We did look at another device that the local hospital uses, but it was almost too advanced for us. We didn’t need all of that, we just needed a way to communicate quickly, so Relay is perfect for our environment.” 

– Janet Breed, Executive Director at WinnPrairie Assisted Living & Memory Care

Knowing that battery life was an issue with the walkie-talkies, WinnPrairie purchased enough Relay devices to keep staff ready 24-hours a day. “We run 12-hour shifts so we have one set for the day shift and one set for the night shift,” shared Janet. “So when the day shift leaves, they plug theirs in and the night shift grabs theirs. By the time that shift comes back the next day, the Relay is charged.” Janet shared that Relay has been a great product for the facility as the team and number of residents grows. 

“We’ve not had any Relays run out of battery. They’ve lasted the whole 12 hour shift no problem. So that’s been another great thing.” 

– Janet Breed, Executive Director at WinnPrairie Assisted Living & Memory Care

Being able to track devices on Relay’s dashboard has also been helpful in identifying who has forgotten to leave their Relay at work, making sure it returns with them from home the next morning. While Janet does use the dashboard if she’s sitting at her desk, she prefers to keep a device in hand so staff can easily get in touch with her as she walks around the facility. 

Ease of Use Keeps the Team Connected and Confident

Recently, the facility experienced some severe weather late in the evening. Janet, at home with her Relay, was still able to communicate with her staff when the phones went down. “I was able to communicate with the building which was really nice because our power went out which meant the phone system went out. I made sure everybody was doing okay over my Relay. It was so nice for me even because I didn’t have to really get involved but I could hear what was going on so I could jump in if they needed me.”

Staying connected off-property is also a huge perk for the activity staff, who often takes residents on planned trips. Now, they can communicate when the bus is almost back so staff know to come out and assist. This is a huge change from their walkie-talkie days, where they experienced an emergency and were delayed in getting ahold of someone back at the facility. A resident had fallen during the time off-property where walkie-talkies didn’t reach. While staff’s cell phones were called, many don’t use or carry them during work hours. Being able to stay connected during weather events and incidents like this has made the staff feel more at ease.

The team at WinnPrairie has really enjoyed their new devices. They prefer to clip them to the top of their uniforms so that messages can be quietly heard without residents overhearing. Janet shared, “They’re not as timid to communicate over a Relay as they were over a walkie-talkie.” She believed Relay’s ease of use and 1:1 calling feature to play a big part in why the team is now communicating better.