Friend Matching

Before using Friend Matching:

• Ensure the Friend Matching feature is enabled for your community.
• Make sure resident profiles, assessments, and attendance records are updated regularly to improve recommendation quality.
• Staff should remember that Friend Matcher is a recommendation tool and does not replace staff judgment.

Common uses:

• Helping new residents make connections after move-in
• Re-engaging residents who are socially isolated or returning from hospital
• Planning dining seating and program groupings
• Keeping track of friendships and residents who shouldn't be paired, even as staff change
• Showing families that their loved one is building relationships, including in memory care
• Briefing resident ambassadors before they welcome a new resident

1. Open a resident’s profile.
2. Click the Friends tab.

The Friends tab includes:

• Suggested friend recommendations
• Community Connections table
• Manual connection management
• Friendship status tracking

Friend Matching automatically generates a ranked list of residents who may be socially compatible.

Each suggestion card includes:

• Resident name and profile photo
• Age
• Gender
• Room number
• Level of care or home area
• A plain-language explanation describing why the residents may connect well

The explanation may include:

• Shared interests or hobbies
• Similar participation preferences
• Complementary personalities or routines
• Suggested ways to introduce the residents through programs or activities

Tip: introduce residents around the suggested activity — for example, invite both to movie night — rather than introducing them cold. 

1. Open the resident’s Friends tab.
2. Review the suggested match.
3. Click Add as Friends if the residents have formed a connection.

Once added, the relationship will appear in the Community Connections panel.

Staff can track different relationship outcomes directly in Friend Matcher.

Available statuses include:

• Introduction Made — staff introduced the residents
• Friend — residents are now friends
• Close Friend — stronger friendship confirmed later
• Incompatible — residents should not be paired again
• Dismissed — temporarily removes the suggestion from recommendations

The Community Connections panel allows staff to monitor relationships over time.

From this panel, staff can:

• View friendship statuses
• See room numbers
• Review last updated dates
• View shared activity suggestions
• Add manual connections
• Filter inactive residents

Friend Matcher analyzes resident information to identify possible social connections within the same community.

Welbi reviews information from:

• Resident profiles
• Assessments
• Attendance history

The system looks for patterns such as:

• Shared interests
• Similar routines
• Common backgrounds or experiences
• Personality similarities
• Participation preferences

If your community uses conversational assessments, Friend Matcher may also use information gathered during those conversations to improve recommendations.

To improve recommendation quality:

• Keep resident profiles updated
• Complete assessments thoroughly
• Record attendance consistently
• Review recommendations regularly
• Use staff judgment before facilitating introductions

Friend Matcher works best when communities maintain detailed resident information.

• Friend Matcher only creates recommendations within the same community.
• The feature is designed for friendship-building, not romantic matching.
• Staff remain responsible for deciding whether introductions are appropriate.
• Residents marked as incompatible or already connected will not continue appearing as suggestions.
• Match explanations refresh periodically and may not update immediately after profile changes.

After using Friend Matcher, staff will be able to:

• Identify potential resident connections faster
• Track introductions and friendship outcomes
• Support resident belonging and engagement
• Reduce manual matching work across teams

Recommendation quality may be affected by incomplete resident information.

To improve results:

• Update resident profiles
• Complete assessments
• Ensure attendance is being tracked regularly

Residents may not appear if:

• They are already marked as a friend or incompatible
• Their profile lacks enough information
• The suggestion was previously dismissed

 Need more help? Contact your Customer Success Team  by email at  support@welbi.co.