TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE


can feel very vulnerable aſter a fall or fear that they will go into hospital. But if they can be safely supported up from a fall quickly, the chances of hospital admission are significantly reduced.”


While the risk of a long lie if you live alone is high, those living in care environments are sadly not immune.


THE CARE HOME CHALLENGE


Care home residents are three times more likely to fall than those in the community. With 40% of all care homes hospital admissions linked to falls, and around one in three residents who fall will do so again within a year.


While technology such as CCTV systems recording in common areas help to increase visibility of falls and reduce the risk of potential long lies. The biggest challenge is ensuring residents can be monitored effectively behind closed doors without them feeling their privacy is being invaded.


“Over the years we’ve seen some really smart technology created to discreetly monitor people, but so oſten with the gain there was also loss,” adds Claire. “For example, pressure pad mats that track when a person gets out of bed can create a trip hazard. And wearables that sense when a person is on the ground can be so sensitive that they raise multiple false alarms, which can lead to the person losing faith in the technology and ceasing to wear it.


“It’s impossible to have eyes everywhere. We need technology to provide fall detection support, but it’s unhelpful if it raises false alarms or becomes so frustrating or cumbersome that people decide not to trust the alarms, or even wear them.”


Thankfully, innovation in fall detection technology has evolved at pace. Especially when it comes to harnessing 4D imaging to better monitor falls.


AN INVISIBLE LAYER OF FALL PROTECTION


Early in 2024 the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced funding to power the widespread use of 4D imaging technology, aſter a pilot held across care homes resulted in a 66% reduction in falls and a 97.5% reduction in ambulance call-outs.


https://www.gov.uk/government/news/4d-tech-to-prevent-falls-to-be-rolled-out-in-social-care-settings


Claire concludes: “A fall is bad enough, but a long lie can be catastrophic. People can’t be watched every minute of the day – and neither do they want to be - but technology can help bridge the gap to make sure that when a fall happens, every second counts.”


www.vayyar.com


The technology works via high-resolution sensors which use radio frequency waves to monitor movement. The motion data collected is subsequently fed into systems that can not only raise the alarm quickly when a fall has been detected, but also provide vital insights into the potential reasons a fall may have occurred.


Part of the Digitising Social Care programme, which is jointly delivered by the DHSC and NHS England, invited ICS, care providers, local authorities and technology suppliers to submit expressions of interest to apply for funding to roll out technology.


Claire, now the Head of Client Development for Alcove, adds: “Passive technology that can detect a fall and raise the alarm automatically is a gamechanger when it comes to reducing the risk of long lies.”


POWERING A FALL IN LONG LIES


People who stay on the floor aſter a fall can suffer a wide range of complications, such as dehydration, pressure injuries, muscle and tissue damage, hypothermia and psychological harm.


“What follows after a fall can become a vicious cycle,” says Claire. “I’ve seen first-hand people who were on the floor for a long time, sometimes days, and although they’ve received no serious injuries from the fall itself, they sadly were unable to recover from the impact and never returned home aſter being admitted into hospital.


“For people with conditions such as dementia, understanding just how long they’ve been on the floor can be challenging, unless there’s monitoring technology that can be referred to.”


Technology has evolved to provide the deep level of fall detection now needed to help power a reduction in long lies. But more than that, it’s also providing data rich insights that in the future may also be capable of preventing a fall altogether.


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www.tomorrowscare.co.uk


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