New technology hekps prevent falls

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Anyone have anything similar? Cutting edge technology helping prevent falls at nursing homes | Health Link | Seattle News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | KING5.com

Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and non-fatal injuries. Now there's a cutting edge prevention system in Louisiana that's helping nursing home residents avoid falls. State of the art technology is changing the way nursing homes operate.

Inside one Louisiana Alzheimer's facility, each room is equipped with a fall prevention system.

"We have a 'smart' system, which is a computer system that will learn, actually learn patient movement and activity," said Neal Rider, Guardian House CEO.

Each resident has an individual profile that determines their risk for potential falls. If they are categorized as a "fall risk," the computer and motion sensor devices will monitor their every move in bed and alert the staff if anything is abnormal.

"The unauthorized bed exit is coming in and you can see an individual getting out of the bed. It identifies where the person is in the building and where other individuals and staff members are located throughout the building," said Rider.

Falls account for the highest number of injuries in nursing homes. Most occur when residents are in their rooms, unattended by staff. This system takes the first of its kind approach in alerting staff before a fall happens.

"Our residents each have one of these that they wear on their wrists, when they do a bed exit, the computer has programmed that that's an unauthorized move, it will alert us," said Kathy Richards, Guardian House.

Then a nurse will immediately speak to the resident through the room television. Often times, a simple reminder to stay in bed is all it takes.

While not all falls can be prevented, the system can dramatically reduce the occurrence falls from patients getting out of bed.

"Over the past six months of testing, we have actually eliminated 60 percent of those incidents that would have resulted in a fall," said Rider.

Another aspect to the system is its ability to prevent abuse in nursing homes. The company has recently announced plans to go nationwide