TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE EVERY SECOND COUNTS
James Webb from Vayyar Care, explores the link between ‘long lies’ following a fall with health decline, and how 4D imaging technology is helping to improve the speed of the response.
In today’s fast-evolving care environment, digital and assistive technologies are becoming essential tools for improving the quality of care a When a person falls and remains grounded for an extended period of time – commonly known as a ‘long lie’ – their chances for recovery shorten and the need for prolonged care increases.
Around 20% of people over 65 who have been admitted to hospital due to a fall have been on the ground for more than an hour. Tragically, it’s estimated that half of these people will die within six months. Even if they were uninjured by the fall.
Speed of response following a fall is critical, but without effective technology that’s oſten not possible.
ALARM DELAYS AND HESITANCY
An estimated two million people over the age of 75 now live alone. But as more than half of all falls happen in the home, living independently can increase the risk of a long lie if a person is unable to raise an alarm for themselves.
Claire Aldridge an Occupational Therapist with a special interest in falls, who aſter years of working for NHS now works within the health and social care technology sector, says: “Experience shows that falls in the home oſten happen when people are transferring from one thing to another, for example, getting out of bed to go to the bathroom, getting out of the bath.”
Studies shows that the bathroom is the most common location for falls and subsequent long lies.
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“Technology has evolved to provide the deep level of fall detection now needed to help power a reduction in long lies.”
But it’s not just the inability to raise the alarm that can result in a long lie.
“I can’t tell you how many people aſter a fall say they didn’t want to make a fuss by raising the alarm for help”, says Claire. “People
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Claire adds: “Rooms like a bathroom typically don’t provide easy access to a phone. Even if the person has a wearable such as a pendant emergency button, we know that it will oſten be leſt on the bedside table if someone is getting up to go to the bathroom at night.
“That’s one of the biggest flaws wearable technologies that require self-activation have – they need to be worn. People can also just forget to wear them or if they suffer with cognitive issues, forget to use them.
“The technology that really helps prevent long lies works through sensors and isn’t reliant on a human raising an alarm – it just does it.”
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