Senior living and healthcare facilities invest significantly in nurse call infrastructure, and for good reason. These systems are central to how care is delivered and how residents and patients get help when they need it. The challenge is that as communication technology has evolved, the gap between what older nurse call systems were designed to do and what today’s care environments need them to do has widened.
Replacing an entire nurse call system is rarely the right first move. But leaving one in place without addressing that gap isn’t right either.
THE FOUNDATION
TekTone is a nurse call system manufacturer serving senior living, assisted living, and healthcare environments. Their systems manage call activity, track alerts, and provide the core infrastructure for resident-to-staff communication in care settings. TekTone systems are in place across a wide range of facilities, from smaller assisted living communities to larger skilled nursing environments.
For facilities running TekTone, the system is already embedded in daily operations. The staff knows it, the residents use it, and the workflows are built around it. The question is how to extend what it can do without starting over.
THE CONNECTION
TekTone nurse call systems integrate with the ONE Platform® using POCSAG and TAP interfaces. Through these protocols, the ONE Platform® receives nurse call data from TekTone and routes it through ONE Platform® workflows and notification channels.
This integration allows TekTone call events to be broadcast over staff radios, displayed on scrolling marquee signs, shown on corridor lights and dashboard alerts, and delivered to mobile devices, all simultaneously and immediately when a call is made. The TekTone system continues to operate as it always has. The ONE Platform® adds a notification and response layer that extends the reach of every call.
Configuration happens at the ONE Platform® level, which means facilities can customize how different types of calls are handled, who gets notified, through which channels, and in what sequence, without touching the TekTone system itself.
THE IMPACT
For care staff, the practical benefit is that they no longer have to be near a call panel to know a call has come in. A resident pressing a call button in their room generates a radio alert that reaches whoever is on shift, wherever they are in the facility. Response times go down because the delay between a call and staff awareness is removed.
For residents, the result is more consistent and faster responses to their calls. That consistency matters for trust, especially for residents who may feel vulnerable or anxious when they need help. Knowing that pressing the button reliably results in someone coming is meaningful.
For facility administrators, routing calls through the ONE Platform® adds a reporting layer that the TekTone system alone may not provide in the same depth. Response times, call frequency, staff acknowledgment patterns: all of this becomes trackable data that can inform staffing and care quality conversations.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY
TekTone provides the nurse call foundation that care facilities depend on. The ONE Platform® ensures that every call that comes through that foundation reaches the right staff members immediately, through the communication channels that are most effective in a modern care environment. It’s a combination that extends the life and the value of an existing investment while meaningfully improving what that investment delivers.