Why Traditions Senior Living Chose Sage—and Expanded the Partnership

To solve some of senior living's biggest challenges, operators need more than technology. They need partners who understand the realities of caregiving and can help them navigate increasingly complex resident needs, workforce challenges, and operational demands.

For Traditions Senior Living, that search led to Sage.

What began as an effort to improve documentation, communication, and visibility into care has grown into an expanding partnership that now includes additional communities across the Traditions portfolio.

Looking for More Than a Nurse Call System

Like many senior living operators, Traditions was facing familiar challenges. Caregivers were documenting in multiple places, community leaders had limited visibility into real-time care delivery, and important operational insights often required significant manual effort to uncover.

"We needed a system that would eliminate double documentation, improve accuracy, and give us real-time visibility into what was happening in our buildings," said Rebecca Harness, Director of Clinical Services, Traditions Management. "Before Sage, caregivers documented in multiple places, response times were harder to track, and we lacked clear data to support level-of-care decisions."

As the team evaluated options, they weren't simply looking for a replacement for their existing nurse call solution. They wanted a platform that could connect care delivery, documentation, communication, and operational insights in a way that supported both caregivers and leadership teams.

"Sage stood out because it wasn't just a call-light system. It integrated directly with ALIS, improved efficiency, and provided clearer insight into the care we provide."
–Jamie Nell, Executive Director, Traditions at North Bend.

Creating Better Visibility for Caregivers and Leaders

One of the first areas where Traditions saw an impact was through Tasking.

Caregivers gained a more complete picture of resident needs throughout the day, making it easier to communicate unscheduled care needs and ensure important follow-up wasn't lost during shift handoffs.

"Tasking has transformed how our teams communicate and stay accountable. Caregivers can now see a full-day view instead of just their shift, pass along unscheduled tasks like showers or follow-ups, and ensure nothing gets lost between handoffs," says Jamie Nell.

As communication improved, documentation became more consistent as well. Within the first 60 days of implementing Tasking, documentation rates increased by 30 percent.

According to Traditions, the benefits of the partnership extend well beyond documentation and workflow improvements. Sage has helped communities become faster, safer, and more efficient while supporting Traditions' core values of service, choice, and focusing on what's truly important for residents.

Among the biggest changes:

• Faster response times: Fall-detection alerts have helped reduce response times to as little as two to three minutes, enabling quicker intervention when residents need assistance.
• A simpler experience for caregivers: Instead of juggling multiple devices, caregivers have access to communication tools, care plans, documentation, and alerts from a single phone. They can see when nurses are available, report concerns instantly, and access information at the bedside.
• More time for resident interactions: By reducing documentation burden and streamlining workflows, caregivers can spend less time on administrative tasks and more time with residents.
• Better visibility into changing resident needs: Teams can identify residents with increasing care needs, monitor utilization patterns, and capture PRN and additional care activities that may signal acute changes in condition.
• More informed care and level-of-care decisions: Objective data helps community leaders make better decisions about resident support needs and provides a clearer picture of how care is being delivered.
• Stronger family conversations: Care teams can use real care patterns and utilization data to support discussions with families, particularly when evaluating transitions between levels of care.
• Greater accountability and recognition: Leaders can identify top-performing caregivers, recognize strong performance, and provide coaching where additional support may be needed.

Traditions Continues to Expand the Relationship

Following its initial implementation, Traditions made the decision to expand Sage into additional communities, including Deerfield, Beaumont, Beavercreek, Brookside, and Reagan Park.

"The results spoke for themselves. After decades of using various systems across senior living and healthcare, we immediately recognized the clear operational and clinical benefits."
– Rebecca Harness, Director of Clinical Services, Traditions Management

When asked what has stood out most since going live, her answer was immediate: customer service.

"The Sage team is responsive, available on weekends, and deeply invested in our success," Jamie Nell said.

And if another senior living operator asked whether they would recommend Sage?

"Absolutely. One hundred percent, enthusiastically yes," said Jamie Nell. "Many of us have spent more than 20 years in senior living, hospitals, and long-term care, and we've never seen a system that brings together call-light data, fall detection, EMR integration, and ease of use the way Sage does."

For Traditions, the partnership has delivered more than new technology. It has created a foundation for improving communication, strengthening accountability, increasing visibility into care, and supporting caregivers—giving the organization the confidence to continue expanding the relationship across its communities.

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