What are the IT departments like in assisted living? Do they help the residents who are challenged with tech?

In my mom's Memory Care Assisted Living facility, as well as the one I work in, the Activities Director is setting up the video calls with the residents. There are no "IT" departments, per se, in such facilities as there is no real need. The Activities Director will set up the appointment, take the tablet or phone over to your mom and let her see and speak with you. There should be no set up involved for your mother. Speak with the Exec Director of the ALF to see if such a thing can be accommodated where she's at.

Good luck!

My Mom was in a small AL, 39 rooms. They had a maintenance guy but no IT people. Anything in Moms room was set up by family. If you wanted cable or Dish, that was your responsibility to have it hooked up and pay for it. Landlines too.

An AL is like an apartment complex. The difference is you have someone to Assist you when you need help with AdLs. And you pay for that. Your personal needs are paid by you. Toiletries, extra food and drink, Depends if needed.

Like said, her or you will need to pay someone to set her up. Or find a family member near by or a friend who can do it.

IT departments at an AL? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I think that some of the staff may be savvy enough to do this, dependent, but they would be doing it on their own time, and should be paid for it as you would pay anyone else to do this for you. You might ask the people in management if this is possible. If someone either in management or staff would be capable of doing this, and what the charge would be. Some facilities are now doing this themselves, so that residents can come to a room and hook up to their families, but by no means all, and surely this is a work in progress. Right now the meetings at the facilities are focused on survival, figurative and LITERAL of their residents, of their supply chains, of safety and training measures. No one outside of health care can imagine how intensive this is for the. They are in charge of the survival of their residents, doing all they can, so we will have to cut them as much slack as we are able. Try to put yourself in their places.

If there’s an IT department in an AL, it’s going to be for the staff not the residents....

Yes, I'm also sure no AL has an IT dept. Even if one of the aides or other employees had tech knowledge, they can't take time away from their care duties to help. Perhaps when this crisis ends & visitors are once again allowed, you can help her.

Helper5, IT departments in Assisted Living? I doubt that even exists.

My Dad lived in a nationwide senior facility, and each resident was responsible for their own computer type device hookups. There was a maintenance department who did have responsibility for the TV hook-up and remotes, which kept them pretty busy through out the day reprogramming remotes.

Our video set up has been in place for a little over a week, but you impression is that the physical care of the residents is a pressing priority.
I am in a very dangerous area, and I’m sure it’s close to impossible to manage getting coverage for all the caregivers.

You are definitely right, keeping up patient morale IS CRITICAL, but meeting basic physical needs may, depending upon conditions where you are, may be a more pressing concern.

Hope your mother-in-law does as well as possible considering the circumstances.