Niuz Bites
- Two long-term care homes replaced outdated communication systems with Niuz—and saw measurable improvements in connection and culture.
- 96% of staff at one home said Niuz improved communication and would recommend it to others.
- Another home saved 174% in communication costs while improving engagement among staff and volunteers.
The Communication Problem in Long-Term Care
For most long-term and senior care organizations, internal communication remains one of the biggest operational challenges.
Printed memos, bulletin boards, and mass emails are still the default methods for sharing updates, but they often fail to reach everyone. Shift workers miss announcements. Part-time staff are left out of the loop. Volunteers and casual employees may not even have access to email.
The result is predictable: frustration, confusion, and a growing sense of disconnect between leadership and frontline teams.
This communication gap isn’t just inconvenient, it directly impacts staff satisfaction and retention. When employees feel uninformed or unseen, engagement drops. And when engagement drops, turnover rises.
That’s why two Canadian long-term care homes – Rosedale Home for Special Needs in Nova Scotia and McCormick Care Group in Ontario – decided to look for a better way.
Introducing Niuz: A Modern Way to Connect Staff
Niuz is a mobile app designed by senior care experts to help homes communicate faster, recognize staff more often, and create a culture of inclusion across every shift and department.
It replaces outdated tools like email and bulletin boards with an all-in-one digital space that’s easy for everyone to access—on personal devices, shared workstations, or mobile kiosks.
With Niuz, leadership teams can:
- Post announcements and updates in seconds
- Share recognition publicly across the organization
- Run quick surveys to check morale or gather input
- Store and update policies and resources in one central place
- Track read receipts for compliance and accountability
Both Rosedale and McCormick implemented Niuz as part of an evaluation project with the LTC Innovation and Scaling Network, running from May to August 2025. The findings were clear: better communication leads to stronger teams and happier workplaces.
Case Study #1: Rosedale Home for Special Needs
Rosedale is a 39-bed non-profit home with 82 employees, serving a rural community in Nova Scotia. Before Niuz, their team relied on printed memos and posters to share updates. Later, they experimented with staff email—but it didn’t work. Staff weren’t checking their inboxes, and maintaining the system was costly and inefficient.
When Rosedale learned about Niuz from another LTC administrator, they decided to try it. Within weeks, they rolled out the app across their staff, using staff meetings, posters, and union collaboration to drive awareness.
These aren’t fancy initiatives, they’re ongoing behaviours. They require channels that reach across silos, tools that make recognition simple, and leadership that values daily connection rather than quarterly events.
The Results:
- 80% staff adoption: 70 of 87 staff became active users.
- 2,027 daily activities: likes, comments, and clicks showing engagement.
- 96% said they like using Niuz.
- 89% said Niuz improved staff communication.
- 96% would recommend Niuz to other LTC homes.
These numbers tell a powerful story – but what’s behind them is even more meaningful.
“I love this app – it’s been amazing for us in a million ways,” said one staff member.
Rosedale’s CEO, Jennifer Jesso, believes Niuz has been essential to building engagement and alignment across her team.
“I’ve worked in long-term care for 14 years. I know what it feels like to not have the information you need to work. Niuz has been hugely positive for our staff engagement and our mission.”
Rosedale also solved one of the most common concerns in senior care: staff reluctance to install a work app on personal devices. Their solution was simple: install Niuz on shared nursing station computers so everyone could participate. That small step helped eliminate resistance and ensured full inclusivity.
Case Study #2: McCormick Care Group
McCormick Care Group operates a 160-bed home and adult day program with 300 employees and 115 volunteers in London, Ontario. Their challenge was similar: too many disconnected systems and outdated methods for sharing updates and policies.
They had considered building an intranet but found it too expensive. Niuz provided a complete alternative—with 174% cost savings compared to their intranet quote.
Beyond cost, McCormick wanted a tool that would help them strengthen connection across a large, diverse workforce, including volunteers.
“There’s so much more positive coming out of using Niuz as a tool—it really is elevating the work that we’re able to do to support the staff on the floor,” said Karen Johnson, CEO, McCormick Care Group.
With Niuz, McCormick was able to:
- Replace bulletin boards and internal emails with instant digital updates
- Share recognition across all departments
- Communicate operational notices quickly, such as water shutoffs or renovation updates
- Include volunteers in the same communication stream as staff
- Conduct surveys and track key performance indicators
The organization now uses Niuz as part of its onboarding process for new hires, ensuring everyone gets connected from day one.
Staff feedback:
- 88% find Niuz easy to use.
- 77% like using Niuz.
- 68% say Niuz improved staff communication.
- 70% would recommend Niuz to others.
One staff member summed it up perfectly:
“As a casual employee, I appreciate being able to know what’s going on when I’m not on shift.”
For volunteers often overlooked in communication loops, Niuz became a lifeline.
“They love, love, love Niuz. It’s inclusive of everyone,” said Johnson
What These Results Mean for the Sector
Both Rosedale and McCormick proved that communication technology doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive to make a difference.
In both cases, Niuz became the central space where culture lives—where recognition, updates, and information flow freely.
The outcomes point to three major takeaways for other long-term care organizations:
- Communication drives engagement—and engagement drives retention.
When staff feel informed and recognized, they stay longer. The data shows that consistent communication leads to stronger morale and lower turnover risk. - Inclusivity matters.
Many LTC homes struggle to engage casual or part-time employees and volunteers. Niuz gives every member of the team a place to belong—without requiring corporate email or complicated logins. - The cost of “doing nothing” is higher than adopting new tools.
McCormick’s experience highlights that traditional solutions like intranets or staff email systems can cost double or triple what Niuz does, without solving the core communication issue.
How Better Communication Builds Better Care
The ripple effect of improved staff communication goes beyond engagement metrics.
When staff know what’s happening, feel appreciated, and see leadership communicating transparently, care quality improves. Teams coordinate better. Residents and families notice the difference.
Both Rosedale and McCormick saw stronger collaboration between shifts and departments, better awareness of organizational updates, and faster response times to issues that affect care.
As Rosedale’s CEO put it:
“You’d never think we’d be using an app in long-term care like this. We’re putting ourselves ahead of other industries.”
That’s the future of senior care—where technology supports human connection instead of replacing it.
Takeaways for Long-Term Care Leaders
If you’re struggling to keep your staff informed and connected, take a cue from these two success stories.
Here’s where to start:
- Map your current communication process. Identify where messages get lost or delayed.
- Ask your staff what they need. Surveys and small focus groups can reveal gaps in clarity or recognition.
- Eliminate redundancy. Combine updates, policy distribution, and recognition into one platform.
- Pilot new tools with champions. Find advocates on each shift to model engagement and help others adopt.
- Track engagement. Use analytics to measure activity, feedback, and participation rates.
Even small improvements in communication can have a measurable impact on retention and satisfaction.
Tips for Rolling This Out Without Chaos
You don’t need a massive communications campaign. Start with practical steps:
- Start small but visible: Choose one feed (e.g., “Kudos across sites”) and invite all shifts
- Include every role: Night, weekend, support staff – everyone
- Make it mobile-first: Staff should access via phone or tablet during shift
- Use leadership to set tone weekly: A short message from a site-leader helps visibility
- Track engagement: Set simple metrics (feed posts, recognition shares, survey completions)
- Repeat often: Culture isn’t built once – it’s reinforced daily
Keep it consistent. It doesn’t have to be complicated—it has to be inclusive, visible, and daily.
Some Final Thoughts
The findings from Rosedale Home for Special Needs and McCormick Care Group prove what many care leaders already suspect: better communication changes everything.
By replacing fragmented tools with a single, intuitive app, these organizations improved connection, morale, and retention—while saving money.
Niuz helps long-term care and senior living teams build that same culture of connection. It’s communication that reaches everyone—instantly, consistently, and with purpose.
If your home is ready to move beyond bulletin boards and email, it might be time to see what Niuz can do for you.