3 Reasons Why Home Care Agencies Need A Mobile App

This blog is for home care agencies, startups, and entrepreneurs. Herein we have mentioned 3 reasons why home care agencies need a mobile app to survive in this competitive market. 

Gone are the days when the basic necessities for human beings to survive were just food, clothes and shelter. As technology is advancing, so is our lifestyle. We have kept upgrading ourselves to the latest technologies, starting from the television to home appliances to smartphones and tablets.

As human beings are becoming busier, there is more and more reliance on technology, specifically mobile applications. Mobile applications have taken over most of the aspects of our daily life as we are becoming more and more dependent on them for our needs.

With just a press of your thumb, you can order food online, book your air/train tickets and avoid standing in long queues, look for the nearest hospitals, restaurants, shops, check the weather of any city/town around the world, and get news on your fingertips. The list is unending and includes watching movies, listening to music, shopping online, booking cabs, beauty and other regular services.

While catering to individual and personal needs, mobile applications are of prime importance to corporates and even smaller organizations. Even the health care sector is increasingly using mobile applications to collect data, develop new treatments and to facilitate communication between care providers and patients.

With the rise in human mortality rates, in the field of home care too, technology is rapidly changing and making life easier for the agencies.

What is Home Care?

According to Forbes, about 55 million adults are looking after their old parents in the U.S. and about 2 million of them are caregivers. A survey also reveals that nearly 92% of adult patients prefer to live in the comfort of their own homes rather than a nursing home or hospital.

It is estimated that by 2030, there will be 61 million baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, or in the ages of between 66 and 84, while 9 million baby boomers will be older than that. According to Investopedia, close to 20% of the American population is composed of baby boomers.

A problem that is faced by many families is to dedicate a chunk of their time to take care of an elderly relative or a physically or mentally disabled member. It is a challenge to provide round-the-clock care while also earning a living. Hiring a qualified caregiver for people we love and care about is now what most families are looking for. Home care agencies come into the picture in such cases.

Home care comprises professional assistance services that help an elderly person or someone with a medical issue or a disability, live safely in their home. These people are provided with short-term or long-term services such as caretaking, nursing and therapy within the comfort of their home. Home care includes assisting an individual with their daily activities, helping them to manage tasks around their house, offering companionship, therapy and taking care of them for an illness.

3 Benefits of Mobile App for Home Care Agencies

1. Increase in Efficiency

   Most mobile apps are integrated with GPS that can show the location of the patient and help calculate the distance a caregiver can take to visit the patient by displaying shorter routes. The GPS tracking can also help the agency to check how much time is spent with each patient or when someone goes on a break.

   

   In addition, the apps can help the agencies plan the visits of the caregivers and also track their work hours. An app can also be used to document every visit of the caretaker and also store information on the previous visits.

2. Cost and Time-saving

   By offering a mobile app, the agencies can keep their clients updated 24/7 by providing access to schedules, route information, billing, and time tracking, thereby providing a good quality of services. If the app has any predefined checklists, it will help the caretaker to adhere to the set plans meant for the patient.  Using apps allow the caretakers to better schedule their travel plans on their smartphones/tablets thereby cut down on their traveling time.

3. Effective Communications

   To stay connected is what the apps aim for. Mobile apps aid agencies in streamlining communication between patients and their caregivers. The apps come with features that help with fast real-time communication to discuss care plans, progress and any issues faced by either party.

   

   The apps also let them ask questions, keeping both sides updated on any new development. For instance, the Elder 411 app comprises more than 500 points of advice for elder care distributed into 11 topics. It also gives solutions for routine issues faced in the caregiving industry.

Home Care Elevated with Technology

In the last five years, there has been a 104% surge in-home care agencies and the demand is increasing even further.  The on-demand world that we live in is also moving into home care. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hiring of home health and personal care helps is slated to rise 41% in 2026 from 2016.

With the booming home care industry and the increasing number of agencies, it is always a challenge to find a qualified caregiver and hand over the task of caring for the elderly with full trust. The use of technology in the homecare industry will empower the caregivers to give their best and create transparency for the families. Keeping abreast of technology is a necessity in this age and when it comes to providing in-home care for patients in a hassle-free manner, mobile apps can definitely be handy.

Some of the most popular home care apps include Honor, Hometeam, Carelike, AlayaCare, Attune, CareZone and Symple. As in most cases, discretion is required while choosing the best app for your family member.

The prime aim of good home care agencies is to make sure of the safety of their patients and therefore, they employ certified home health nurses or people who have experience in caregiving. While looking for a trustworthy agency, one must always work through a licensed agency with the required certification.

Being a home care agency, if you have decided to develop a mobile app and got an idea in mind, cross-verify it with us as we are a leading mobile app development company in Canada. With the experience of developing over 3500 mobile apps for varied industries, we are here to serve you.

In case, if you have any query like how much does it cost to develop an app for a home care agency, what are the main features of home care app development or app development timeline, just fill our contact us form and we will get back to you shortly.