Care home digital signage that keeps residents, families and staff connected

Display activity schedules, dining menus, welcome messages and daily updates on any screen across your care home. Give residents something to look forward to. Give families peace of mind. Give your team one less thing to worry about. Set up in minutes.

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Residents do not know what is happening today and families cannot see what you do

Every care home runs a full programme of activities, meals, events and daily routines. Chair yoga at 10am. Art group after lunch. Fish and chips on Friday. The singer coming in on Thursday afternoon. A birthday celebration for Margaret at 3pm.

Right now, that information lives on a paper schedule printed at the start of the week and pinned to the noticeboard next to the dining room. The printed schedule has not been updated since Tuesday, and it is now Friday. The art session was moved to the afternoon because the room was needed for a GP visit. The singer cancelled and nobody took the poster down. Three residents are sitting in the lounge waiting for an activity that is not happening, and nobody told them.

Meanwhile, a family member visits on Saturday and asks what their mum has been doing all week. The answer — a brilliant week of music, baking, gardening and a trip to the garden centre — is true but invisible. There is no record on display, no photos on screen, no evidence of the life and warmth that your team creates every single day.

For a care home that pours its heart into enriching residents' lives, this gap between what you do and what people see is the most frustrating problem of all.

The real cost of invisible activities and outdated information

Paper schedules and whiteboards do not just look tired. They actively undermine the work your team does every day — and they make life harder for the people who matter most.

Residents lose their sense of the day

For an older person — especially someone living with dementia — knowing what comes next provides comfort, structure and something to look forward to. A clear, visible schedule on a screen in the lounge is not a nice-to-have. It is part of their wellbeing. A screen showing "Chair yoga at 10:30am — in the Garden Room" gives them agency. They know where to go. That small piece of independence matters enormously.

Families visit and see no evidence of enrichment

A daughter drives an hour to visit her father on a Sunday afternoon. The lounge is quiet. The noticeboard shows a schedule from two weeks ago. She sees no photos from Wednesday's music session. Your team did wonderful work. The family just could not see it. This is the gap that leads to complaints and difficult conversations — not because the care is poor, but because the evidence is invisible.

CQC inspectors look for evidence of person-centred activity

A screen in the lounge showing today's schedule, this week's programme, and photos from recent events is instant, visible evidence that your home provides meaningful occupation. The care might be identical. The evidence is not.

Activity coordinators spend too long on admin

Printing schedules. Updating whiteboards. Sticking posters to walls. Every minute your coordinator spends printing and pinning is a minute they are not spending with residents — and that is the job they actually came to do.

Care home digital signage that your activity coordinator can manage from their phone

NowBoard is care home digital signage software built for activity schedules, menus, welcome boards and daily information — not advertising and video walls. Plug a NowBoard Player into any TV in your care home and start displaying warm, clear, up-to-date information within minutes.

No AV contractor. No enterprise software. No training manual. Your activity coordinator, home manager, or receptionist can update every screen in the home from their phone, laptop or tablet — between activities, during a break, or while sitting with residents.

How it works

  1. Plug in a NowBoard Player — a small device (about the size of a phone charger) that connects to any TV via HDMI. Uses your existing care home wifi. Costs around £139.
  2. Add your content — activity schedules, menus, welcome messages, resident updates. Use NowBoard's templates or build your own layout with your care home's colours and branding.
  3. Screens update instantly — change an activity time, swap a menu item, or add a photo from this morning's session. Every connected screen refreshes automatically. No USB sticks. No walking around the building with a laptop.

That is the entire setup. If your team can use a smartphone, they can run NowBoard.

Seven ways care homes use NowBoard every day

1. Activity schedule boards

The screen that gives residents something to look forward to

A NowBoard activity display in the lounge or dining room shows today's activities at a glance: morning exercise, craft group, visiting entertainer, afternoon film, evening quiz. Each activity shows the time, location and a simple description. Residents can see what is happening now, what is coming next, and what they might want to join later.

Activity coordinators update the schedule from their phone. When the visiting musician cancels and is replaced with a film afternoon, the screen changes in seconds. No reprinting. No walking around the building with a marker pen.

A 40-bed residential home in Dorset displays the daily activity schedule on a NowBoard screen in the main lounge. When the activity coordinator moves afternoon bingo to the conservatory, she updates the display from her phone while setting up chairs. Residents see the correct room without needing to ask.

2. Dining menu displays

Every resident and carer knows what is for lunch — and the information is actually correct

NowBoard displays today's menu on a screen in the dining room, outside the kitchen, or in the lounge — wherever residents gather before meals. Show the main course, the alternative, the dessert, and any dietary notes. When the kitchen makes a last-minute change, the screen updates immediately.

A nursing home in Somerset displays the daily menu on a screen outside the dining room. The cook updates it each morning after checking deliveries. When the planned fish pie switches to battered cod, she updates the screen from the kitchen iPad before the carers do their morning rounds. Every carer gives residents the correct information at the first time of asking.

3. Reception welcome displays

The first screen visitors see when they walk through the door

A NowBoard reception display shows a warm welcome, today's activities, recent photos from events, the home's values, and practical information like visiting hours and the home manager's name. For prospective residents and their families — making one of the most important decisions of their lives — the reception screen is part of the story.

A care home in Cheshire displays a welcome message, today's activities, and a rotating selection of recent activity photos on the reception screen. When hosting an open afternoon, the receptionist switches to a welcome layout showing the tour schedule — all updated from her phone. Three families comment on how warm and professional the home feels before they have even met a member of care staff.

4. Dementia-friendly displays

Clear, calm, reassuring information designed for residents living with dementia

NowBoard lets you create dementia-friendly layouts with large fonts, clear backgrounds, and minimal elements on screen. Show the day of the week, the date, the current time, the weather, and one or two pieces of simple information. No scrolling text. No animations. No busy designs that create confusion or anxiety.

A specialist dementia care unit in Warwickshire uses NowBoard screens in the communal area showing the day, date, time, and the next activity — in large text on a soft cream background. Staff report that residents ask "what day is it?" less frequently. One resident's daughter says the screen helps her mum feel less anxious about what is happening next.

5. Family communication boards

Show families the life their loved one is living, not just the care they are receiving

NowBoard lets your activity coordinator add photos from the day's sessions directly to a display — reception screen, lounge screen, or a dedicated family board near the entrance. Take a photo on your phone during the session. Add it to NowBoard. It appears on screen within seconds.

A care home in Devon adds photos to their reception NowBoard display after every activity session. A daughter who visits every Sunday sees photos from Friday's gardening club on the reception screen as she walks in. She sees her dad potting a tomato plant with a volunteer. Before she reaches his room, she already knows he has had a good week.

6. CQC evidence and inspection readiness

Visible evidence that your home provides meaningful, person-centred activity

A NowBoard screen showing today's activity schedule, this week's programme, and photos from recent sessions is immediate, tangible evidence for inspectors. It shows that activities are planned, communicated and happening. This is not about dressing up for an inspection — it is about the daily reality of how your home communicates.

A care home in Norfolk had their CQC inspection six months after installing NowBoard screens. The inspector noted the activity displays positively in their report, commenting on the clear communication of daily activities and the photographic evidence of recent sessions. The home manager says the screens were mentioned specifically as an example of good practice in the "Responsive" domain.

7. Multi-home management for care groups

Every home in your group, visible from one dashboard

Set your group branding, templates and standards centrally. Each home inherits the look and feel automatically but controls its own daily content. The regional manager sees every screen in every home from a single dashboard. Roll out to a new home in minutes — not weeks.

A care home group with 9 homes across the Midlands uses NowBoard across all sites. The operations director checks the dashboard every Monday and can see at a glance which homes have updated their activity schedules. She spots that one home has not updated their display since Thursday. A quick call reveals the activity coordinator has been on leave. She arranges temporary cover and the screen is updated the same afternoon.

Why care homes choose NowBoard over enterprise signage systems

Most digital signage solutions are built for retailers, airports and corporate offices. NowBoard is the alternative — built for care homes from the ground up.

Works on screens you already have

Plug a NowBoard Player into any TV's HDMI port. No new screens to buy. The player costs around £139 — less than a week of agency carer shifts.

Anyone on your team can use it

Activity coordinators, home managers, receptionists, kitchen staff. If they can send a text message, they can update a NowBoard screen.

Multi-site management

Running 3, 9, or 40 homes? Manage every screen across every home from a single dashboard. Set group-wide branding centrally.

Role-based access

The home manager gets full control. The activity coordinator manages activity displays. The cook updates the menu screen. Everyone sees only what they need.

Works offline

If the connection drops, NowBoard screens keep showing the last update. When the connection returns, they sync automatically. Residents never see a blank screen.

From £10 per Location per month

No setup fees. No annual contracts. No per-user charges. Add screens when you need them, remove them when you do not.

Get your first care home screen live in under 15 minutes

  1. Sign up for a free trial — no credit card, no commitment.
  2. Plug in a NowBoard Player — connect it to any TV in your care home via HDMI. Connect to your wifi. The player is about the size of a deck of cards.
  3. Add your content — choose a layout, add your care home branding, and start entering today's activities, menu, or welcome message.
  4. Go live — your screen starts displaying content immediately. Update it any time from any device.

Most care homes have their first screen running within 15 minutes of opening the box. No engineers. No support calls. No IT involvement.

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Common questions about care home digital signage

Do we need to buy new screens?

No. NowBoard works on any TV with an HDMI port. Use the TVs already in your lounge, dining room, reception, or staff room. The only hardware you need is a NowBoard Player (around £139), which plugs into the TV.

Can different staff members manage different screens?

Yes. NowBoard has role-based access. Your activity coordinator can manage the activity display without being able to change the reception screen. Your cook can update the menu display without seeing the staff noticeboard.

Is it suitable for residents living with dementia?

Yes. NowBoard lets you create dementia-friendly layouts with large text, high contrast, calm colours, and minimal visual clutter. You control exactly what appears on each screen — no scrolling text, no animations, no busy designs.

Can we add photos from activities?

Yes. Take a photo on your phone during a session and add it to a NowBoard display in seconds. Show families and visitors what residents have been doing. Build a visible record of the life and activity in your home.

What happens if our wifi goes down?

NowBoard screens keep displaying the last update. When the connection returns, they sync automatically. Residents never see a blank screen or an error message.

Will it help with CQC inspections?

NowBoard gives you visible, daily evidence of person-centred activity programming. Screens showing current schedules, activity photos and clear communication to residents provide tangible evidence that inspectors can see during a visit — without anyone preparing a special folder.

Is there a minimum contract?

No. NowBoard is month-to-month from £10 per Location. Add Locations when you need them, remove them when you do not. No setup fees, no annual lock-in.

Your residents deserve to know what is happening today

Your activity team does brilliant work. Music sessions, baking, gardening, reminiscence groups, visiting entertainers, birthday celebrations. NowBoard makes it visible — a screen in the lounge showing today's activities, a display in the dining room showing today's menu, a welcome board in reception showing families what kind of home this is. Clear, current, warm, and updated by your team in seconds.

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No credit card required. Cancel anytime. UK-based support. From £10/Location/month. Questions? Get in touch.