Tech support for assisted living residents

Assisted living residents bring more technology than ever: smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, streaming apps, email, patient portals and video calls with family. Most communities have no one whose job is to help with it, so the questions land on the front desk, the activities team, or a busy family member three states away.

This page covers the common options and where an AI phone line like Ellis fits.

Give your residents one patient number to call for tech help, and give your sales team a resident amenity to talk about on every tour. Ellis is $499 a month per community, with a 30 day pilot and month to month after that.

Start for $499 a month Talk to us by email Hear Ellis yourself: (928) 272-0355

Ellis is an AI assistant, not a person, and says so at the start of every call. Calling the number from any phone gets the first 5 minutes free, so you can test it with a real device problem before you decide.

What residents actually need help with

Joining a video call when a grandchild sends a link.
Email that stopped working after a password change or an update.
Storage full warnings, stuck updates and settings that changed on their own.
Connecting a new device to the community Wi-Fi.
Smart TV and streaming sign ins.
Popups, calls and texts that might be scams.

Your options

Option	Good at	Limits
Staff help (front desk, activities)	Personal, in the building	Pulls staff off their real job, only during shifts, depends on who knows tech
Volunteers and tech classes	Social, builds confidence	Scheduled, does not help at 8 PM when the tablet breaks
Family members	Know the resident	Remote, busy, often frustrated on both sides
Human remote tech services	Screen sharing, deep fixes	Usually per call or per hour, often booked ahead
Ellis, an AI phone line	Answers when they call, patient, one step at a time, flat monthly price	An AI, voice only, tech help only, no on-site work

How Ellis works for an assisted living community

You register up to 25 phone numbers: resident cell phones, a lobby or activities phone, and staff phones.
Residents call (928) 272-0355. Ellis tells them it is an AI, then asks what is on the screen.
It gives one step, waits, and checks before the next. Residents can ask it to repeat or slow down as often as they want.
If the fix needs a person in the room, Ellis tells them to ask your front desk. Your team stays in charge.
Each month you get a short summary of what residents called about.

Getting residents to use it

Do the first call together in an activities session, on a speakerphone.
Put the number on the phone itself with a label, and in the move-in packet.
Tell residents plainly that it is an AI helper and that it will never ask for passwords, codes or card numbers.

Limits

Ellis is an AI assistant, not a person. It says so at the start of every call, and it can make mistakes.
It is for tech help only. It is not a HIPAA covered service and we do not sign business associate agreements, so callers are told not to share health details, Social Security numbers or card numbers.
It does not dispatch anyone or work on site. When a problem needs hands on help, Ellis tells the caller to ask your front desk or activities team, and your staff stay the escalation point.
It is not an emergency line. For anything urgent or medical, residents use your staff or call 911.
Calls are recorded and transcribed, and Ellis says so. A caller can press 2 or ask it not to save the call.

Questions operators ask

Can residents call at night?

Yes. Ellis answers at any hour. Calls from registered numbers can run up to about an hour with no pay prompts.

What if a resident has a hearing aid or speaks slowly?

Ellis waits for the caller, and residents can ask it to speak more slowly or repeat a step. We suggest trying it with your own residents during the 30 day pilot.

What does it cost?

$499 a month per community, up to 150 calls a month, with a 30 day pilot and then month to month.