Room-Reader

Room-level care verification for assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes.
Offline-first. Secure. Staff-friendly. Legally defensible. No subscriptions.

Room-Reader uses NFC scan points placed throughout a resident’s room.
Staff tap their employee badge at each checkpoint.
The system records:

• entry
• bedside presence
• ADL support
• exit
• duration

All data is stored on a Raspberry Pi and synced to per-resident Google Sheets when internet returns.

The purpose: provide objective proof of care without cameras, surveillance, or monthly fees.

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Table of Contents

1. Overview by Audience
2. Why Facilities Use Room-Reader
3. Cost and Comparison
4. Technology Summary (NFC / HF RFID)
5. What Staff Carry
6. Why Manual Taps Beat BLE
7. Tap Workflow Diagrams
8. LED Feedback System
9. Legal and Regulatory Benefits
10. Hardware Architecture

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1. Overview by Audience

Administrators and Directors

Room-Reader provides objective, timestamped, room-level proof of care.
It helps answer:

• Did night checks occur?
• How long did staff stay at bedside?
• Are assignments realistic?
• Is memory care understaffed?
• Are agency staff completing tasks?
• Can I justify requesting additional staff?

It turns invisible care work into visible, defensible data.

Nursing and Care Staff

Room-Reader protects staff by proving the work they actually do.
Badge tapping already matches existing workflows (med carts, supply rooms, time clocks).
The system proves:

• entry occurred
• bedside presence occurred
• ADLs were performed
• time spent was reasonable

It reduces false accusations and protects workers during audits.

Families

Families receive a private, per-resident Google Sheet (synced when online).
They see:

• entry time
• bedside time
• ADLs
• exit time
• duration

No cameras. No audio. No surveillance.
Only clean, clear care logs.

Technical Staff

Room-Reader uses:

• ESP32 microcontrollers
• PN532 NFC readers
• NTAG213 NFC badges
• Raspberry Pi server with FastAPI + SQLite
• Offline-first synchronization model

No vendor lock-in.
No proprietary cloud.

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2. Why Facilities Use Room-Reader

Room-Reader provides:

• verified entry
• verified bedside presence
• verified ADL scans
• verified exit
• care duration
• offline-first storage
• objective audit trails
• family transparency
• staffing workload analytics

The system replaces guesswork with actual timelines.

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3. True Cost Per Room

Baseline installation (doorway + bedside + optional bathroom):

• $65–$85 per room (hardware)
• $0 per month (no subscription)
• $0.25–$3 per staff badge
• $60 Raspberry Pi powers entire facility

Even with upgrades (BLE presence, battery backup), rooms remain under $110.

Cost Comparison

• Room-Reader Install: $65–$85 per room (one-time)
• Agency CNA shift: $280–$520 per day
• Unwitnessed fall: $80,000–$300,000
• Pressure ulcer lawsuit: $200,000–$500,000
• Wrongful death claim: $500,000–$1.6M
• Documentation failure: $25,000–$75,000 fine

Room-Reader is not expensive.
Not having it is expensive.

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4. Technology: High-Frequency NFC (13.56 MHz)

Room-Reader uses HF NFC (NTAG213) because:

• very short range (intentional tap)
• secure and difficult to clone
• used in hospitals, corporate badges, banks
• staff are familiar with the motion
• perfect for documenting human-performed care tasks

Intentional physical action = legally defensible evidence.

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5. What Staff Carry

A standard employee ID badge containing:

• photo
• name
• role
• optional QR code
• NTAG213 NFC chip embedded inside

No charging.
No batteries.
No BLE.
No maintenance.

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6. Why Manual Taps Are Better Than BLE Presence

BLE suffers from:

• ghost detection
• wall penetration
• hallway detection
• signal bounce
• delayed disconnect
• high battery replacement burden

Manual taps ensure:

• real presence
• bedside proximity
• intentional action
• no guesswork
• clear documentation sequences

A badge tap cannot be faked or triggered from outside the room.

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7. Tap Workflow Diagrams

Basic Three-Point Workflow

[Doorway Reader] -> [Bedside Reader] -> [Exit Reader]

10:04:12 Entry scan
10:04:44 Bedside scan
10:08:03 Exit scan

Dwell time: ~4 minutes

ADL Workflow

Entry -> Bedside -> ADL -> Exit

Minimal Workflow (Doorway + Bedside)

Entry --> Bedside

Time between first and last tap = presence duration.

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8. LED Feedback System

Each scan point has a clear LED indicator for staff:

• Green: valid scan logged
• Red: invalid scan or wrong badge
• Yellow: syncing to Pi
• Blue: offline local mode

This reduces staff uncertainty and prevents missed scans during night checks.

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9. Legal and Regulatory Benefits

Room-Reader strengthens:

• CMS compliance
• night rounds documentation
• ADL logs
• q2h repositioning documentation
• toileting logs
• wound care logs
• fall investigations
• family trust
• surveyor satisfaction

Quote suitable for court or audit:

"Each scan point provides immediate LED confirmation that the staff member's visit was successfully logged."

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10. Hardware Architecture

Overall Architecture

[ESP32 Reader] ––
[ESP32 Reader] —– >  Wi-Fi  ––> [Raspberry Pi Server]
[ESP32 Reader] ––                    |
                                     |
                                 [SQLite DB]
                                     |
                                Optional Sync
                                      |
                                [Google Sheets]

In-Room Device Structure

|                              |
|  PN532 NFC Reader            |
|                              |
|        ESP32 DevKit          |
| Green LED Red LED  White LED |
|  USB Power Out Bottom        |

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Final Note

Facilities get sued for being unable to prove that care was provided.
Room-Reader solves that problem for under $100 per room, with zero recurring costs, and protects staff, residents, and administrative leadership simultaneously.