Worn, not fixed
The call button is very lightweight. A resident can wear it on a lanyard, so it is with them in the garden, the lounge, and everywhere they go, not only at the bedside.
Healthcare solutions
Nurse call systems for retirement homes and care facilities
Residents in a retirement home are usually not confined to a bed. They move between the bedroom, bathroom, lounge and garden — so the call button has to travel with them, and it has to survive a shower.
Help needs to reach residents wherever they are
Residents move between bedrooms, bathrooms, lounges and gardens. A call point left at the bedside is not always within reach, and staff on rounds may be away from the nurses' station when someone needs assistance.
The resident needs a clear way to ask for help, while the care team needs to know where that call came from. Without both, the person waiting and the staff responding are left with uncertainty.
The configuration most care homes use
Most facilities run a combination. A display panel at the nurses' station shows which room is calling and keeps a queue. Wristwatches go to the staff on rounds. LED lights suit corridors and individual cottages where a light and a continuous beep are all that is needed. The approved display options are the B-99G and B-901.
The B-650 wristwatch gives staff a mobile audible and vibrating alert. The B-700 LED receiver flashes red and can give a continuous beep in corridors. Compare the healthcare receiver specifications.
Why it suits a retirement setting
Covers the risky rooms
Because the buttons are 100% waterproof, you can mount call points in toilets, bathrooms and showers — where most incidents happen.
Easy to press
A soft rubber press surface with a slight indent, so it can be used with limited hand mobility but is not set off by accident.
No rewiring the building
Older buildings are difficult and expensive to cable. The buttons are wireless and battery-powered; only the receivers need a plug point.
Scales to a village
The B-99G handles up to 256 call and cancel buttons, while the B-901 and W900 software support larger multi-area configurations.
Records for families
Response-time records give management and families a factual answer instead of a recollection if any incidents occur.
Your BellMe setup in three steps
- 01
Tell us where help is needed
Share the number of call points, the rooms or areas to cover and how your staff or caregivers work.
- 02
Choose your configuration
BellMe helps you choose buttons and receivers and prepares a quotation. Where coverage needs checking, an on-site inspection and test confirms the repeater requirement.
- 03
Put the system to work
Position the call points and receivers for your setting, and make sure the people responding know where each call comes from and how to clear it.
South African installations
Watch and read what South African care homes and retirement centres say about the system.
Issy Geshen Lamont Home for the Aged
“We'd like to thank BellMe for giving us this bell. It's going to help our residents prevent those incidents that happen while nurses can't see — the resident will press the bell then we'll see what's happening.”
Serene Park Retirement Centre
“When it rings you can see the letters very well, they are big and clear, and the sound is very clear. Even if you are far, you can hear it and it rings until you come and stop it and then you can go to the resident and help them.”
Villa Sunfield
“It has saved a lot of lives. For every nursing home they should have this. It's definitely a life saver. They rely on this bell so much that they don't want to part with it.”
The main components - Button Options
Call points are wireless and run on an A23 battery. Each one is waterproof, so it can be mounted where the patient or resident needs it.
Single key call button
B-A1-WL
A 60 × 60 mm call button with a soft, indented press surface and a unique programmable code.
- Waterproof
- 100% waterproof, wearable on a lanyard or mountable
- Warranty
- 5 years
- Battery
- 1 × A23
- Transmission distance
- 100–150 m depending on the surroundings
Single key cancel button
B-A1-BC
Clears one call or can be configured as a shared cancel button for some solutions.
- Waterproof
- 100% waterproof, mounted
- Warranty
- 5 years
- Battery
- 1 × A23
- Transmission distance
- 100–150 m depending on the surroundings
Call and cancel wall unit
B-SW2
An 85 × 85 × 15 mm wall unit with a large call button and integrated illuminated cancel button.
- Waterproof
- Waterproof, mounted
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Battery
- 1 × A23
- Transmission distance
- 100–150 m depending on the surroundings
Call and cancel wall unit with cord
B-SW-G33
Includes a 60 cm coiled cord that extends to 1.5 m for a bedside call point within easy reach.
- Waterproof
- Waterproof, mounted
- Warranty
- 2 years
- Battery
- 1 × A23
- Transmission distance
- 100–150 m depending on the surroundings
Choose the right receiver
The receiver decides how the alert reaches your staff. Each one has real limits, so pick the one that matches how your facility works.
Display panel
B-99G
Wall-mounted panel for a nurses' station, with a rolling display, adjustable volume and six ringtone options.
- Capacity
- Up to 256 buttons. These can be a combination of call and cancel buttons, or just call buttons.
- Best for
- Clinics, retirement homes and individual hospital wards.
- Limitations
- Shows short numerical or letter-and-number call codes. 3 digits only, where the 1st digit can be an alphabet letter between "A" - "F"
Large display panel
B-901
Large display for multiple wards or areas, showing up to 16 characters and connecting to W900 software through a smart gateway.
- Capacity
- Unlimited buttons when configured through W900 software.
- Best for
- Hospitals, clinics and retirement homes with multiple areas or wards.
- Limitations
- Requires the display, smart gateway, router, internet connection and a PC running the software, linked by LAN cables.
Wristwatch receiver
B-650
Worn on the wrist or a lanyard, it gives an audible and vibrating alert and displays the calling code.
- Capacity
- Up to 200 buttons.
- Best for
- Mobile caregivers and nurses moving between rooms.
- Limitations
- The alert is not loud enough to wake a caregiver while sleeping.
LED light receiver
B-700
A receiver that flashes bright red and can beep continuously until the call is cleared.
- Capacity
- Up to 99 buttons, including at least one cancel button
- Best for
- A continuous alert that will wake a caregiver who may be sleeping.
- Limitations
- Requires constant 12 V power and a cancel button; it does not show a calling code, it only flashes and makes an alert noise.
Response-time reporting
The optional BellMe reporting software records every call: which button was pressed, when it was pressed, and how long a nurse or caregiver took to respond. The call records and statistics give management a factual history for review.
The W900 software runs on a PC or laptop and works with the smart gateway. These need to be connected via LAN Cable to the Internet.
What the system does not do
Please read this before ordering, so the system matches what you need.
- The system alerts nurses, caregivers or staff through the configured on-site receiver. It does not contact emergency services or an off-site response provider.
- It does not detect falls automatically — the patient or resident must press a call button to activate the alert.
- The BellMe nurse call system does not do mobile-phone, SMS or app notifications.
- The nurse call system range is a calling and alert system; it does not include two-way voice communication.
- Coverage depends on the building and surroundings. Repeater placement and quantity can be estimated but can only be confirmed on site.
Questions care facilities ask
How far can a call button transmit?
The range is between 100–150 metres depending on the surroundings. Walls, steel and the building layout affect the signal, and an on-site test determines whether B-Q4 signal repeaters are needed. An estimation can be given based on the information provided.
Can healthcare call buttons be used in bathrooms and showers?
Yes. The BellMe nurse call system includes waterproof call-point options for bedsides, bathrooms, toilets and showers. The B-A1-WL can also be worn on a lanyard.
Which receivers can alert healthcare staff?
A facility can use a B-99G or B-901 display panel, B-650 wristwatch receiver, B-700 LED light receiver, or a suitable combination of these products.
What warranty is stated in the nurse call catalogue?
The warranty varies from product to product with a five-year warranty for the B-A1-WL single-key call button.
Quote a retirement home or care facility
Tell us how many residents and bathrooms you need to cover and whether staff will use panels, wristwatches or LED lights. The system is completely customizable to your requirements and quantities.
“Our primary reason for buying this system was for use by frail-care residents to alert nursing staff. We are very happy with the reliability, range of signal and ease of use. It's definitely a good product and an excellent way to alert staff to any arising situation. We were very happy with BellMe's excellent sales and after sales service received.”
“BellMe is a wonderful product. Having parents in their late 80s or 90s is scary for any child. My father recently broke his shoulder and without the use of his right arm he found himself stuck in a couple of situations and was calling for help for over 30 minutes. Thank goodness I came across the BellMe website. I was quickly able to purchase a device for my 89 year old mother and 92 year old father. I can rest easy knowing that all they need to do is press the button on their device and their care giver is instantly notified that they need help. The good news is that BellMe is very reasonably priced though I would gladly have paid more for the peace of mind that having my parents equipped with a BellMe device has brought me.”