New Fall Prevention Program Could Help Prevent Nursing Home Falls
In nursing home environments, falls are one of the leadings causes of nursing home injuries, most of which occur in resident rooms. New, state-of-the-art technology has just been introduced that could help make falls a thing of the past, or at least greatly reduce them.
The Samarion Fall Prevention System was recently introduced to The Guardian House, an Alzheimer's facility located in Louisiana. The Guardian House is the only facility in the country utilizing this system. Each facility room has been equipped with the system, which is actually a computer system that learns patient movement and activity. Each resident has a profile that determines fall risk. If the computer determines the resident is a fall risk, the computer and motion sensing devices monitor every move in bed and will alert staff if any out of the ordinary movement occurs. An alert will come in via computer screen and staff will be able to see if the individual is climbing out of bed. The computer will identify where the resident is in the building and where staff members are located in the building. Once alerted, a nurse can immediately speak to the resident through the room television, reminding them to stay in bed. Recent testing revealed that 60% of all incidents that could have led to a fall were eliminated.
In addition to preventing falls, the Samarion system also has the ability to prevent nursing home abuse, as it can monitor interaction between residents, staff, and visitors.
