Majestic Care

THE CHALLENGE

To streamline the process of visitor and staff screenings, including sign-ins, temperature checks, and questionnaires, in compliance with COVID-19 requirements.

THE OUTCOME

Accushield’s tablet-based kiosk enabled Majestic Care to integrate touchless temperature scanning and health screening functions within all of its buildings.

THE IMPACT

Residents and team members feel more secure with updated and efficient safety and security protocols.

Soon after the onset of the pandemic, Majestic Care began searching for a way to streamline its sign-in and screening process for individuals who enter their buildings. Not unlike many skilled nursing and senior living providers contending with requirements such as screening questionnaires, temperature checks, and contact tracing data, the company needed something that would accommodate its 21 communities in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.

“We were staffing the front desks and trying to take temperatures, despite a shortage of thermometers, and we were making sure everyone was signing in correctly,” says Bernie McGuiness, CEO, and founder of Majestic Care. “So we were looking at solutions to streamline the testing and screening process and for the eventuality of when we could allow visitors back in. We also wanted to have an accurate record for contacting tracing, as well as records of the screenings (and no lost paperwork). It was really about facilitating how we looked at the process for visitor and staff check ins and being able to have a better record of who is in and out of our buildings.”

Building Defenses

When searching for solutions, McGuinness says he looked for systems that addressed the entire response to the pandemic, something that would “ensure the safety and security of our team members and families.” This search led to the development of the Majestic Care Defense program, which encompasses “a scientific approach, using rigorous measures and our industry’s best products, while closely monitoring recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.”

Among the components of this program were plexiglass shields at the reception and nurses’ stations, recycled air ionizers that neutralize harmful pollutants, electronic sprayers that effectively disinfect surfaces, and personal protective equipment for all team members. “Accushield is a large part of this solution,” McGuinness says, adding that it gives families, residents, and staff the peace of mind in knowing that people coming into the buildings are accurately screened and free of infection.

“Accushield has enabled us to take accurate temperatures, record them easily and legibly, and have an accurate log of it all. In addition, it has helped us control the flow of visitors and care team members into our facilities. Family members feel a heightened sense of safety and security,” McGuinness asserts.

Ease of Use Boosts Confidence

Prior to the implementation of Accushield, Majestic Care used paper visitor logs that had to be managed manually, which meant extra hands were needed at the front desks
to ensure that people were signing in appropriately.

McGuinness notes that when the pandemic hit and screening requirements were needed, Accushield solved these issues. “Things are no longer getting lost, temperatures are taken properly, and we are able to integrate necessary announcements into the process easily,” he says. “We are able to ensure that no one with an active infection enters the building, and we are protecting our residents to the best of our abilities.”

McGuinness was surprised at how easy it was to install the Accushield kiosks. “I was at a building recently, and a member of our nursing team was installing a new kiosk in the lobby in preparation for opening up for visitation,” he said. “We had it up and running with the printer and the stand and connected it to the internet, and the whole process took no more than half an hour.” He says he was surprised at how easy it is to use and how care team members found it easy to implement.

McGuinness has nothing but praise for Accushield during the implementation process. “The team we worked with was outstanding at meeting our needs and communicating with us,” he says.

A Vital Component of Disaster Preparedness

McGuinness notes that adding to Accushield’s value is the ability to integrate the visitor and staff data into the buildings’ operating plans. “If, God forbid, there is a disaster, we will have an accurate census so we can follow policies, and Accushield is a vital part of our emergency operating plan,” he says.

Having multiple Accushield kiosks in all 20 of its buildings, Majestic Care now makes the systems part of its implementation plan. “When we order a new time clock, we order a new kiosk or multiple kiosks for our new acquisitions,” McGuinness reports. “Our investment into Accushield contributed to our care teams members’ ability to meet the needs of our residents during the pandemic.”

McGuinness notes that he recently spoke with a family member who had visited for the first time since the pandemic. “She loved the fact we had the kiosk, and it made her feel safe knowing that everyone had to sign in,” he says. “Accushield adds a layer of security to our buildings and enhances the comfort level of our residents, visitors, and care team members.”