Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in America’s elderly population. New technology is now available to help prevent falls in nursing homes. Computers can now monitor “fall risk” patients and detect their every move in their beds and alert staff if anything is abnormal. If an unauthorized exit is coming in over the system then the staff can actually see the patient getting out of bed and staff on the floor can be alerted.
Falls account for the majority of the injuries in nursing homes. The smart system is designed to help prevent falls and if a patient does exit a bed when they should not be doing so then the patient can be reminded to stay in bed by a nurse through the room television. The new technology will not eliminate all falls but should greatly reduce them. The system can also be used to monitor nursing home abuse.
All long term facilities should have this type of smart system as our population is getting older and more people are relying on nursing homes and long term care facilities. If you have a love one in a nursing home or a long term care facility be sure to ask the administration if they have a system in place to help with fall prevention.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2011
