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Feature: Create Tasks or Routines
Feature: Create Tasks or Routines

Our new Tasks and Routines functionality is extremely powerful, and lets you set up automated functionality.

Adrian avatar
Written by Adrian
Updated over a week ago

Follow these simple steps to create tasks or routines for your senior(s) to ensure they stay on top of their daily activities.

Step 1: Accessing the Main Screen

  • Log In: Start by logging into your ONSCREEN account. You can log in from the Mobile app by clicking the "Set up Tasks & Routines" button, or by going to https://portal.onscreeninc.com.

  • Navigate: Once logged in, you’ll see the main screen titled with the senior's name you’re assisting, such as "Mary Greenwood".

  • Create: To begin creating a task or routine, click on the blue ‘CREATE TASK OR ROUTINE’ button.

Step 2: Scheduling a Task

Once you click on the ‘CREATE TASK OR ROUTINE’ button, you will be directed to the 'Schedule a Task' screen. Here, you can specify the nature of the task you wish to schedule.

  • Choose Task Type: Tap on ‘Choose type of task’ to reveal a dropdown menu with a variety of scheduled activities:

General Task Types

  • AI Companion Visit: Schedule a virtual check-in with our AI companion for social interaction and engagement.

  • Video Check-In: Set up a video recording at a specific time, allowing you to see how the senior is doing. You can specify the video prompt (the question that is asked to the senior) and the duration of the recording.

  • Join to Zoom: Organize a Zoom call for the senior to participate in a family gathering, a group activity, or a telehealth appointment.

  • Join to Synzi Telehealth: Arrange a telehealth visit with healthcare providers using the Synzi platform.

  • Join to Doxy.me Telehealth: Schedule a virtual medical consultation using the Doxy.me telehealth service.

  • Play YouTube Video/Playlist: Set up entertainment or educational content to be played from YouTube.

  • Show Text Message: Display a text message on the screen, useful for reminders or words of encouragement.

  • Show Image from URL: Have an image displayed on the screen, which could be family photos, artwork, or visual reminders.

  • Show Video from URL: Play a video from a specific URL, which can be used for personalized messages or selected content.

AI Companion Tasks

When selecting an AI Companion Task, you will be presented with another dropdown menu to choose the specific type of AI task:

  • Medication Reminder & Check: The AI companion reminds the senior to take their medication and confirms it's been done.

  • Morning Medication Check: A morning-specific reminder to verify that prescribed medication has been taken.

  • Afternoon Medication Check: An afternoon prompt for medication adherence.

  • Evening Medication Check: An evening check to ensure the senior takes their nighttime medication.

  • Pain and Happiness Check: The AI companion inquires about the senior's pain levels and overall happiness, providing a quick well-being assessment.

  • Eaten Last Meal: A check to confirm that the senior has eaten their most recent meal, helping to monitor their nutrition.

  • General Friendly Visit: A non-specific, casual check-in for companionship and to ensure everything is alright. Joy will have a friendly conversation with the senior, about their interests or whatever topics they'd like to chat about.

Each task type is designed to offer a range of support, from health and medication management to social interaction and entertainment. Select the task that best suits the needs of the senior at the chosen time.

Step 3: Setting Task Recurrence

After choosing the task type, you will decide how frequently this task should occur by selecting a 'Recurrence Type'. This determines whether the task is a one-off event or a repeating activity.

Recurrence Options

  • Daily: Choose this option if the task needs to be performed every day. This is ideal for daily medication reminders, regular check-ins, or any routine that is part of the senior's everyday schedule.

  • Weekly: Selecting weekly recurrence is suitable for tasks that need to happen on a specific day of the week. It’s perfect for weekly events like a family video call, a recurring social club meeting, or a weekly telehealth appointment. You can also select that an event should occur several days of the week, like "Monday, Wednesday, and Friday" or "Tuesday and Thursday", or "Saturday and Sunday." This provides great flexibility to create meaningful routines.

  • One-Time: Use this for tasks that are unique and don't need to be repeated, such as a reminder for a special event, a one-off medical consultation, or a birthday video call.

Considerations for Choosing a Recurrence Type

The choice of recurrence type should be based on the nature of the task and the senior's needs:

  • Consistency: For tasks that form the cornerstone of the senior's daily routine, such as taking medication or daily meals, the ‘Daily’ option helps maintain consistency.

  • Routine: The 'Weekly' option can help establish a regular but less frequent routine, which is less intrusive but still offers a reliable schedule for activities that don't need to happen every day.

  • Flexibility: ‘One-Time’ tasks allow for flexibility and are best used for non-recurring, schedule-specific events that are important but don't fit into a regular routine.

When setting up the recurrence, it's also important to consider the senior's preferences and lifestyle. Some seniors may appreciate the regularity of daily tasks, while others may prefer less frequent check-ins. Additionally, it's crucial to align the task frequency with the actual requirement—for example, medication that must be taken every day without fail should be set to a daily recurrence.

Important: Make sure that you review the routines you set up with your loved one, so that they're not bothed by your choices!

Step 4: Selecting Time

  • Time Selection: After setting the recurrence, click on the ‘Time’ field. A clock will appear for you to select the exact time for the task.

    • AM/PM: Make sure to set AM or PM correctly by tapping on the respective button.

    • Confirm Time: Use the clock interface to select the hour and minute, then click ‘OK’.

Step 5: Finalizing the Task

  • Review: Ensure all details are correct for the task you’ve scheduled.

  • Submit: If all information is accurate, press the ‘SUBMIT’ button to finalize the task.

  • Cancel: If you need to cancel the process, simply hit the ‘CANCEL’ button at any time to stop creating the task.

Once the task is set up, it will run at the scheduled date and time, based on the schedule you specified. You will be able to see the "Last Run Time" of each Task.

Managing Tasks and Task Status

Once you have scheduled tasks or routines, managing them is straightforward. On the main screen, each task will have options for modification and a clear indication of its current status.

Overview of Task Status

  • Task Status: This indicates the current state of the task. You can set this status when creating or editing a task. The options are:

    • Active: The task is currently active and will occur as scheduled. Choose this status for tasks that are ready to be executed without any interruption.

    • Paused: Select this status to temporarily disable the task without deleting it. This is useful when the task does not need to occur for a period, but you plan to resume it in the future.

    • Deleted: Mark a task as deleted if it no longer needs to be scheduled or considered. This removes the task from the active or paused list, but it is retrievable in case you need to restore it.

Editing a Task

To change the details of a task, such as time, recurrence, or status, click the ‘EDIT’ button next to the task. This will take you back to the task setup screens where you can make and save your changes.

Deleting a Task

If a task is no longer needed, you can remove it by clicking the ‘DELETE’ button. This action may prompt you to confirm that you wish to delete the task to prevent accidental removals.

Pausing a Task

If you want to stop a task from occurring without deleting it, you can change its status to 'Paused'. This is done through the editing process. While paused, the task will not trigger at the scheduled times but will remain in the system for future reactivation.

Reactivating a Task

  • Reactivate: To resume a paused task, edit the task and change its status back to 'Active'. This will reinstate the task into the active schedule.

Tips for Success

  • Double-Check for Errors: Always review the task details before submission to avoid scheduling errors.

  • Time Zones: Be aware of the time zone settings, especially if you’re managing tasks for someone in a different area. Thie times displayed are in YOUR local timezone, based on your mobile device, or your desktop browser time.

  • Review with your Loved One: As mentioned earlier, please make sure that your loved one is onboard with this schedule, and that they approve. You wouldn't want to impose or establinsh an annoying routine!

Getting Help

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please contact our customer support for assistance.

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