Choosing the Right Family Engagement Platform for Senior Living: A Complete Guide

Novemeber 15 | Varsha Chaugai

In today's senior living landscape, selecting the right family engagement platform is crucial for maintaining strong relationships with families while streamlining communication workflows for your care team. With numerous options available, understanding the strengths and limitations of each family engagement platform can help you make an informed decision that truly supports both your residents' families and your nursing staff.

The demand for transparent, real-time communication between senior living communities and families has never been higher. A robust family engagement platform not only improves family satisfaction but also reduces the administrative burden on nursing staff, allowing them to focus on what they do best – providing exceptional care.

However, not all family engagement platforms are created equal. Some are designed primarily for activities teams, while others focus on clinical communication. Understanding these differences is essential for choosing a platform that truly serves your entire care team.

1. Activity Pro

Activity Pro offers a family engagement platform specifically designed around recreational programming and activity documentation. The portal allows families to view their loved one's activity schedule, share comments and pictures, and track participation in recreational activities.

Strengths:

• Detailed activity tracking and reporting capabilities
• Photo and comment sharing features
• Strong recreational therapy documentation
• Useful data compilation for care conferences

Limitations:

• Limited to recreation teams and activity departments
• Not designed for nursing communication or day-to-day updates
• Doesn’t offer secure messaging
• Narrow focus on activities rather than comprehensive care communication
• Requires separate Activity Pro software implementation

Best for: Recreation departments wanting to showcase activity participation to families, but not suitable for nursing or clinical communication.

2. Carefeed

Carefeed positions itself as a comprehensive family engagement platform that centralizes communication across multiple touchpoints. The platform enables communities to share updates such as photos, activity calendars, and menus, deliver care communications, and even manage payments.

Strengths:

• Comprehensive communication features beyond just activities
• Real-time updates and notification capabilities
• Integrated payment processing functionality
• Survey and feedback collection tools
• Staff training and admission process capabilities

Limitations:

• It can be complex to implement fully across all departments
• May require significant staff training to utilize all features effectively
• A feature-rich nature may overwhelm smaller communities

Best for: Larger communities with dedicated IT support looking for a comprehensive communication solution

3. Cliniconex

Cliniconex offers its Automated Care Platform (ACP) as a family engagement solution for healthcare providers. The platform focuses heavily on automated communication through their Automated Care Messaging (ACM) system, which sends targeted messages through voice, text, or email channels.

Strengths:

• EHR/EMR integration for pulling existing patient and family contact information
• Multi-channel communication (voice, SMS, email) from a single interface
• Automatic record creation in EHR/EMR for message tracking
• HIPAA and PHIPA-compliant messaging capabilities

Limitations:

• Heavy reliance on robocalls and automated messaging, which can feel impersonal to families
• One-way communication only
• Not designed for day-to-day updates

Best for: Healthcare systems prioritizing efficiency through automated one-way mass messaging.

4. Engage⁺ by Evoke Health

Engage⁺  is a family engagement platform designed specifically for senior living communities, positioning itself as an EHR-integrated resident and family portal that enhances the care experience while boosting efficiency and compliance.

Strengths:

• Senior living specialization: Explicitly built for senior living rather than adapted from general healthcare
• EHR integration: Works directly with PointClickCare and other major EHR systems without replacing existing workflows
• Comprehensive customization: Can be tailored for different community types (long-term care, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care)
• Automatic compliance logging: Ensures compliance with the Cures Act, CMS, state, and Provincial regulations with built-in documentation
• Nursing workflow integration: Designed to support nursing staff rather than just recreation teams
• Balanced automation: Combines efficiency with a personal touch, avoiding over-reliance on robocalls
• Quick implementation: Integration rather than replacement approach reduces implementation complexity
• Dual functionality: Serves both clinical communication and family engagement needs

Limitations:

• Newer market presence: Less established than some competitors with a longer market history
• PointClickCare Integration dependency: Maximum effectiveness requires integration with PointClickCare. While their team is open to other EHRs, they are limited to just PCC

Best for: Senior living communities seeking a comprehensive family engagement platform that integrates with existing nursing workflows while providing extensive customization options.

5. InteliChart

InteliChart offers a family engagement platform modeled after their award-winning patient portal, specifically adapted for long-term care and senior living. The platform emphasizes HIPAA-compliant secure messaging and professional-grade communication tools.

Strengths:

• Robust HIPAA-compliant messaging capabilities
• Reduces staff interruptions from phone calls and in-person inquiries
• Professional healthcare-grade platform design
• Strong integration capabilities with major EHR systems
• Proven track record in healthcare communication

Limitations:

• It may be overly complex for communities seeking simple family communication
• Requires technical expertise for optimal setup and customization
• Can overwhelm staff and families who want straightforward communication
• Implementation complexity may delay deployment

Best for: Technology-forward communities with IT resources seeking enterprise-level family communication tools.

6. PointClickCare Family Portal (Connected Care Center)

PointClickCare offers its Connected Care Center as an integrated family engagement platform within its widely-used EHR system. This platform allows family members and caregivers to securely access their loved ones' healthcare information online with no additional software needed, and is free to existing users.

Strengths:

• Seamlessly integrated with the most popular senior living EHR
• No additional cost for existing PointClickCare users
• Secure access to clinical information

Limitations:

• Limited customization options for community-specific needs
• An all-or-nothing approach may create more work for nursing staff, as they will have more information to explain
• Primarily focused on clinical data rather than comprehensive family engagement
• Implementation success depends heavily on existing PointClickCare workflows
• May not provide the warm, engaging communication families seek

Best for: Communities already using PointClickCare who need basic family access to clinical information.

7. Welbi

Welbi's family engagement platform focuses heavily on life enrichment and activities. The platform provides families with updates on their loved one's daily activities and events, offering what they describe as "a live window into the resident's day-to-day experiences."

Strengths:

• Activity tracking and engagement features
• Family administrator functionality for managing multiple family members
• Strong integration with Welbi's broader engagement ecosystem

Limitations:

• Primarily designed for recreation teams, not nursing staff
• Doesn’t offer secure messaging
• Limited clinical communication capabilities
• Requires adoption of Welbi's broader platform for maximum effectiveness
• May not address comprehensive family communication needs beyond activities

Best for: Communities with strong activity programs looking to showcase life enrichment efforts, primarily used by recreation departments.

After a comprehensive evaluation of the family engagement platform market, Engage⁺ stands out for most senior living communities. While each platform in our comparison has its merits, Engage⁺ addresses the key limitations found in other solutions while maximizing strengths that matter most to senior living operations.

Beyond Recreation-Only Solutions:Unlike Activity Pro and Welbi, which serve recreation teams well but leave nursing staff without adequate family communication tools, Engage⁺ was built to support the entire care team, with particular strength in nursing workflow integration.

Avoiding Over-Automation: While Cliniconex's heavy reliance on robocalls may work for basic appointment reminders, senior living families expect and deserve more personalized communication during critical care moments. Engage⁺ provides intelligent automation that enhances rather than replaces human connection.

Simplifying Complex Enterprise Solutions:InteliChart and Carefeed offer robust features but can overwhelm smaller communities with complexity and extensive implementation requirements. Engage⁺  delivers enterprise-level capabilities through an intuitive, easy-to-implement platform.

Improving Upon EHR-Native Solutions:While PointClickCare's integrated portal provides basic family access, it lacks the engagement features and customization that modern families expect. Engage⁺  builds on EHR integration while adding the communication richness that dedicated family-engagement platforms provide.

Unlike generic healthcare communication platforms or recreation-focused solutions, Engage⁺ was built from the ground up specifically for senior living communities. This specialized focus means the platform understands the unique communication needs, regulatory requirements, and workflow challenges that senior living faces daily.

The platform addresses the specific pain points that other family engagement platforms miss:

• Complex family dynamics with multiple decision-makers
• Regulatory compliance requirements specific to senior living
• Integration with senior living-specific EHR systems like PointClickCare
• Communication needs that span clinical, social, and administrative domains

Unlike other family engagement platforms that offer one-size-fits-all solutions, Engage⁺ can be tailored for every type of community. Whether you're operating long-term care and skilled nursing facilities or assisted living and memory care communities, the platform adapts to your specific needs and workflows.

This customization extends beyond basic branding to include:

• Community-specific communication workflows and templates
• Customized notification types, timing, and escalation procedures
• Tailored compliance reporting for different state and provincial requirements
• Flexible user permissions and roles for different staff positions
• Branded family portal that reflects your community's identity and values

While platforms like Carefeed and InteliChart can require months of planning and extensive system overhauls, Engage⁺ is designed for seamless integration. The family engagement platform automatically integrates with existing EHR systems, including PointClickCare, without disrupting workflows

Key implementation advantages include:

• No workflow disruption:Staff continue using familiar systems while gaining enhanced communication capabilities
• Automatic data population:Clinical information flows naturally from existing documentation into family communications
• Gradual rollout capability:Communities can implement features progressively without operational interruption
• Minimal training requirements:Intuitive design means staff can begin using the platform immediately
• Quick time to value:Communities typically see improved family satisfaction within the first month

Engage⁺ strikes the perfect balance between comprehensive functionality and intuitive design. Unlike Activity Pro and Welbi's recreation-focused approaches, Cliniconex's reliance on robocalls, or InteliChart's enterprise complexity, this family engagement platform provides nursing staff with tools they can use immediately without extensive training.

For Staff

• Intuitive interface that mirrors familiar communication tools
• Simple workflows that integrate naturally with nursing documentation
• One-click family notifications that pull from existing clinical notes
• Mobile-responsive design perfect for busy nursing staff on the go

For Families

• Clean, straightforward family portal that requires no training or technical support
• Personalized dashboards showing only relevant information for their loved one
• Multiple communication preferences (email, SMS, portal notifications) they can be controlled
• Easy access to care team contact information and appointment scheduling

Engage⁺ automatically handles the most important aspects of family communication that nursing staff need, without the robotic feel of automated platforms like Cliniconex:

• Intelligent family notificationsthat automatically alert families to status changes while allowing staff to add personal touches
• Streamlined care conference schedulingwith automatic calendar integration and reminder systems
• Digital consent managementthat reduces paperwork while maintaining a personal connection
• Proactive compliance documentationfor the Cures Act, CMS, and state regulations with audit trails
• Complete communication logging in residents' charts for continuity of care
• Crisis communication toolsfor urgent situations that require immediate family contact

Unlike Activity Pro and Welbi's recreation-focused family portals, or Cliniconex's automated robocall approach, Engage⁺ is built specifically to support nursing workflows while maintaining the human element that families value. The family engagement platform understands that nurses are often the primary point of contact for families regarding clinical concerns and provides tools that enhance rather than complicate their communication responsibilities.

Clinical Integration Features:

• Seamless integration with nursing assessment documentation
• Automatic care plan updates that generate appropriate family communications
• Medication change notifications that include context and education
• Fall and incident reporting with built-in family notification workflows

Human-Centered Approach:

• Staff can personalize automated messages before sending
• Easy escalation to phone calls when situations require personal conversation
• Integration with existing staff communication preferences
• Support for both proactive updates and responsive family inquiries

Communities using EEngage⁺ report significant improvements in both operational efficiency and family satisfaction:

• Reduced phone call volume by up to 60% through proactive communication
• Improved family satisfaction scores due to timely, relevant updatesn
• Decreased staff overtimefrom reduced administrative communication tasks
• Enhanced compliance documentation with automatic audit trails
• Faster responses timeto family concerns and questions

Unlike platforms that treat senior living as a secondary market, Engage⁺ by Evoke Health focuses exclusively on this industry, ensuring:

• Continuous feature development based on senior living feedback
• Dedicated support team familiar with senior living operations
• Regular training and best practice sharing
• Proactive compliance updates as regulations evolve
• Integration support with new EHR features and updates

When evaluating family engagement platforms, consider these critical factors:

1. For Nursing-Focused Communication:
• Choose platforms designed for clinical teams, not just recreation departments
• Look for integration with nursing documentation workflows
• Prioritize automatic population of clinical data
• Ensure compliance features are built-in, not add-ons
2. For Implementation Success:
• Avoid platforms that require complete workflow overhauls
• Choose solutions that integrate with existing EHR systems
• Look for vendors with proven senior living implementation experience
• Prioritize platforms with strong ongoing support
3. For Family Satisfaction:
• Select user-friendly interfaces that don't require family training
• Ensure real-time notification capabilities
• Look for platforms that reduce response time to family inquiries
• Choose solutions that provide comprehensive care communication, not just activities

While the family engagement platform market offers various options, most fall into two categories: recreation-focused solutions that don't serve nursing needs, or complex enterprise systems that overwhelm smaller communities.

Engage⁺ represents a different approach: a family engagement platform specifically designed to enhance nursing communication while providing families with the transparent, real-time updates they desire. By focusing on seamless EHR integration, intuitive design, and nursing workflow support, Engage⁺ delivers the benefits of comprehensive family engagement without the implementation complexity that often derails technology initiatives in senior living.

For communities seeking a family engagement platform that truly supports both nursing efficiency and family satisfaction, Engage⁺ offers the optimal combination of functionality, ease of use, and implementation simplicity that makes it the clear choice in today's competitive senior living market.

Ready to see how the right family engagement platform can transform your community's family communication? Learn more about Engage⁺ and discover why it's becoming the preferred choice for senior living communities nationwide at Book a demo, and we can walk you through.