The Alzheimer Society of Ireland

Living with dementia can be challenging, not just for the person affected, but for families and carers as well. In Ireland, 55,000 people are currently diagnosed with dementia which can lead to issues with memory, language and problem-solving. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) provides a number of supports and services to people with dementia and their carers across Ireland, including 51-daycare centres and one respite care centre.

“We are a person-centered, rights-based and grassroots organisation with the voice of the person with dementia and their carer at its core. As the national leader in advocating for and providing dementia-specific supports and services, our vision is an Ireland where people on the journey of dementia are valued and supported,” David Shanahan, IT Manager, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

Maximising resources to deliver nearly one million hours of care every year

The ASI is mainly funded by the HSE (Health Service Executive), which usually amounts to around 65% of all income, with other income made up of fundraising, corporate fundraising, donations and legacies.

The ASI provides 68% of all community services for people with dementia throughout Ireland and has a service in every county, including an extensive branch and volunteer network.

“We provide nearly one million hours of care to people living with dementia every year, and the more efficiently we are working behind the scenes, the more resources we can dedicate to supporting patients, their families and carers. We spend more than 91% of all funds received on direct care provision such as day care, home care, respite, and Information and Advisory Services. The remainder is used for governance, advocacy, research, and fundraising costs,” David Shanahan, IT Manager, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

Streamlined and digitalised processes boost efficiency

The ASI has been using Salesforce since 2011 and has continuously enhanced its use of the system to the point where every single department in the charity uses it in some form. The platform has enabled the organisation to undergo a massive digital transformation which has eliminated paper trails and streamlined processes in every department.

As well as tracking the funds coming in, The ASI needs visibility of the money going out of the organisation. With Salesforce, The ASI has digitised its invoicing approval process. “We can now see our cash flow in real time and process invoices in 24 hours instead of up to four weeks,” said Shanahan.

“We are far more productive with Salesforce. For example, our team of just six fundraisers brings in €3.5 million every year, which is 40% of our income. The source for every cent of that funding is tracked, along with contacts and campaign data, in Salesforce. This visibility enables the organisation to create more targeted fundraising campaigns based on donor journeys and personalised communications.” David Shanahan – IT Manager, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

Deeper insights improve safety for people with dementia

The ASI also logs all data relating to people with dementia who use its frontline services in Salesforce, including hours of attendance, any incidents, and audits of our services to name a few. This has helped to unlock new insights into the needs of the people who use the services, and drives ongoing improvements.

The ASI has put a huge focus on incident reporting and by analysing data from Salesforce, it can be proactive. “Slips and trips are unavoidable. By capturing accident reports in Salesforce, we can increase staff awareness about the potential risks and remind them to be extra vigilant,” explained Shanahan.

With health and safety of paramount importance, the team uses Salesforce to monitor employee training. “Managers can check if anyone’s qualifications are due to expire, and identify courses run by the charity or our partners that staff might benefit from. By custom designing an Employee Training Booking facility in Salesforce, course enrolment can be completed in just a few clicks.” David Shanahan – IT Manager, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

A quick response to Helpline calls and Internal IT requests

Logging requests is equally quick and easy. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s free and confidential Alzheimer National Helpline 1800 341 341 receives more than 5,000 calls a year. By getting volunteers to record the details of every call in Service Cloud, the charity can identify trends as well as peaks in demand to ensure it provides the required services and has the right resources available.

The IT team also use the solution to track internal IT help desk tickets and requests for new hardware. “With Service Cloud, we can make sure the right requests are directed to the right person, which ensures a prompt response,” said Shanahan.

New HR app simplifies reporting

Trailblazing IT Manager, David Shanahan hasn’t just transformed processes with Salesforce – he’s built an entire new system. “I want to leverage technology to help my colleagues work smarter,” he explained. With the Salesforce Platform, Shanahan was able design a new HR app that has improved data capture and eliminated spreadsheets.

“Our HR team needs to report to directors to update them on KPIs within the department and gathering that data took about four days in the past. With the app dashboards, they can generate reports in just three hours, which is a huge productivity gain. The Salesforce Authenticator App ensures that both employee and client data is secure with appropriate user access controls.” David Shanahan, IT Manager, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

Helping to create change for people with dementia and carers

The ASI’s advocacy department aims to create the change that is needed if Ireland is to be a country where people on the journey of dementia are valued and supported.

From change in political will and change in political leadership to change in national policy, The ASI works towards creating this change through political campaigning and by raising awareness in the media. The advocacy department uses Salesforce in a number of ways: to record interactions with elected representatives, to record lobbying activities, to run reports and campaigns such as the annual pre-budget submission.

“Our dynamic advocacy department also uses Salesforce to measure the charity’s interactions with other important external stakeholders such as the All-Party Oireachtas Group, to track which public representatives regularly attend dementia awareness sessions, and those who are submitting parliamentary questions. The ASI wants to be able to measure how effective our lobbying is and how it is improving over time. With the help of Salesforce this is becoming a reality.” David Shanahan, IT Manager, The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland.

The ASI has recently introduced Pardot to its Salesforce platform, a move which is hoped will revolutionise how campaigning and communications is conducted with donors and contacts. The organisation is looking to continually enhance Salesforce and moving to a fully integrated electronic communications tool was the next logical move. Pardot is expected to increase the effectiveness of communicating with contacts and decrease the effort involved in fundraising campaigning.

Harness the power of partnership

With 900 staff, 200 volunteers, and 60 sites across 26 counties, being able to access data and collaborate seamlessly is vital for ensuring quality of care. “Salesforce empowers the whole organisation with richer insights, smarter processes, and greater flexibility,” said Shanahan. “Our Operations Managers spend 80% of their time on the road. With the Salesforce Mobile App, they can approve invoices, check timesheets and respond to emails from their phone or laptop. Meanwhile for our Dementia Advisers, it means having up-to-the-minute case data in their pockets as they move between clients.”

The list of departments at The ASI looking to either further enhance their use of Salesforce or introduce it to their team for the first time continues to grow every day. “I foresee a huge transformation in the organisation over the next 12 to 18 months,” Shanahan said.

However, Salesforce is more than just technology, it’s a community of like-minded trailblazers working together to transform the nonprofit sector.