Technology is playing an increasingly vital role in shaping the quality and effectiveness of care being provided. Among the most transformative advancements is the integration of AI-powered acoustic monitoring systems, which are revolutionising how care is delivered in care homes. These systems not only fill crucial gaps in the current care model but also help complete the care picture by providing a holistic understanding of each resident’s needs.
The importance of a holistic approach in resident care
When exploring the context of caring for the elderly, taking a holistic approach refers to considering all aspects of a resident’s well-being from physical, emotional, and psychological.
Traditional care models rely heavily on direct staff to resident interactions and observations, requiring carers to detect subtle changes and ask the right questions. However, this approach has inherent limitations,
Gaps in knowledge occur due to time constraints, high resident-to-staff ratios, residents’ privacy needs, and the complexity of individual needs. Research shows on average residents spend 48% of their time during the day in their rooms and 11 hours at night, a total of ~19 hours each day where residents are unobserved. Unsurprisingly care teams can easily miss critical insights when residents are alone, when staff are stretched, or when residents say “they are fine” but are omitting key things simply to not be a burden on the stretched care team. The detection of issues is then delayed and leaves unanswered questions about a resident’s behaviour / well-being.
The role of AI monitoring systems is crucial in addressing these gaps. By continuously observing residents when they are alone in their rooms we can glean vital insights that might otherwise go unnoticed or communicated.
These systems can reveal underlying issues, such as increased coughing, restless sleep, movement, agitation, or signs of pain, distress or discomfort which can be indicative of unrecorded incidents or emerging health problems.
These insights enable care teams to respond more quickly to residents’ needs, providing timely support when residents are distressed or moving unsupervised. They can also flag health changes, like a developing chest infection, and offer valuable context for unexplained issues, such as daytime sleep or weight loss.
How AI monitoring works
AI-powered resident monitoring systems like Ally are designed to monitor residents effectively by mimicking the human senses of sight and hearing. Typically, these systems monitor just movement, using infa red / thermal, pressure matts and more recently cameras.
But the most powerful systems combine movement and sound with advanced AI algorithms to analyse the data collected ensuring even the subtlest signs of distress or discomfort are detected.
- Movement sensors: These sensors track the physical activity of residents, such as getting in and out of bed, moving around the room, or lack of movement for extended periods. This data can help caregivers understand the resident’s mobility and identify any sudden changes in activity levels, which may indicate potential health issues.
- Acoustic sensors: These sensors detect and capture sounds even when residents are not moving or out of sight from the movement sensors, such as coughing, crying, or calling for help. For example, if a resident is in the corner of their room not moving but audibly in pain, the system can alert staff to provide immediate assistance.Similarly, if a resident is coughing more frequently, it may indicate respiratory issues that need to be addressed.
- AI algorithms. These are the driving force behind these systems, analysing data from both movement and sound sensors. Since each resident’s activity, movement, and sounds are unique and complex, AI learns their individual patterns, refining alerts to highlight only abnormal behaviour.
Over time, the AI becomes more adept at distinguishing between normal and unusual actions, resulting in more accurate, personalised alerts tailored to each resident’s specific needs.
When you combine these elements, the AI monitoring system is able to offer a more comprehensive view of a resident’s health and well-being, which allows carers to provide more targeted and effective care.
Evaluating the impact of AI monitoring on care
The integration of AI monitoring systems into care homes has far-reaching implications for both residents and care teams. Here’s how this technology is transforming the care landscape:
1. Enhanced resident safety
One of the most significant benefits of AI monitoring is enhanced resident safety. The system’s ability to detect when residents need assistance,especially when they are alone,or calling for help, to being in pain or moving and are at risk of falling. Alerting staff can prevent incidents from escalating into serious health emergencies. So, for example, if a resident falls or has a medical emergency in their room, the system can quickly alert staff, allowing them to respond quickly and potentially save lives.
“We’ve managed to improve resident outcomes as we’ve seen significantly less injuries and fewer hospital transfers, plus we’ve been able to detect early signs of acute infections immediately as the Ally system triggers an alert when a resident’s behaviour is altered.” Jay Trondillo, Regional Director, Maria Mallaband Care Group
“I think for the residents, it’s safety for them, safety and security. So they’re going to get the medical attention, the reassurance they need. They’re not going to feel scared and lonely laying on the floor wondering what’s happening. The staff can respond a lot quicker. It just gives everybody confidence that residents are a lot more safer when they’re in their rooms.” Kerri Trudgill, Deputy Manager, Elcombe House, St Andrew’s Care Homes
2. Improved sleep quality
Sleep disturbance is a common issue among elderly residents. This is often exacerbated by care teams executing regular night-time checks. With current nurse call systems and pressure matt systems missing when residents need assistance, these checks are important to reduce the risk that residents don’t wait a long time to get assistance. However, these checks can also disrupt sleep patterns, keeping residents awake and consequently increasing the risk of falls and subsequent health issues.
AI monitoring systems offer care homes the security that residents’ needs won’t be missed. This empowers care homes to reduce the regularity of physical room checks, reducing disturbances and improving residents privacy and rest, which ultimately leads to a healthier sleep cycle and better overall wellbeing.
It’s estimated that over 50% of people aged 55 and older experience sleep disturbances*. Poor sleep is linked to a range of negative health outcomes, including:
- Reduced energy levels: Chronic sleep deprivation leads to persistent fatigue, reducing energy levels needed to participate in daily activities.
- Cognitive decline: Sleep is essential for brain function, including memory consolidation and cognitive processing. If your sleep is poor, it can accelerate cognitive decline and contribute to conditions like dementia. Studies have shown that people with poor sleep are up to 33% more likely to develop dementia**
- Appetite and nutrition: Sleep deprivation can disrupt hunger hormones, leading to poor appetite or overeating.
- Emotional well-being: Lack of sleep is strongly linked to mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
- Increased risk of falls: Sleep deprivation impairs balance and coordination, significantly increasing the risk of falls.
Having an AI monitoring system can help mitigate these risks, contributing to better health outcomes and improved sleep quality for residents.
Research we’ve conducted with NHS Digital and ICBs shows care homes using Ally have improved residents’ sleep time by 50% as a result of less night-time disturbances.
“We’ve seen firsthand that the majority of residents now have a more peaceful night than before which gives them more energy in the day and we have learned that this has also helped to improve their nutrition and energy levels as well” Jay Trondillo, Regional Director, Maria Mallaband Care Group
“We’ve noticed a remarkable improvement in how alert our residents’ are during the day due to fewer night-time disturbances. Those who used to be very tired and low on energy are now awake and lively. It has genuinely enhanced their quality of life.” – Gemma Jones, Home Manager, Meifod and Vicarage Court
3. Personalised care plans
Because AI monitoring systems can provide care teams with a wealth of data, using this can create more personalised care plans. Through the insights available, care teams can better understand each resident’s unique pattern of behaviour and health needs so they can take a more tailored approach to their care.
For instance, if a resident is consistently restless at night, the care team might adjust their bedtime routine or explore potential underlying issues, such as pain or anxiety.
“When we see what’s going on in the night, we can then re-look at the care plan for the night-time and we can write that as person-centred as we can because Ally will allow us to see what is going on in the night, what is normal for somebody, and then what is something that’s occurring that we have to look at.” – Nicola Ray, Registered Manager, Oaklands Care Home
4. Integration with digital care records:
The real power of AI monitoring systems is the data when combined with digital care records. The AI systems provide the data on the unobserved care needs whilst the digital care record data is the observed care needs and the combination completes the care picture. As a result, care teams can easily track changes in a resident’s condition over time, identify trends, and then make adjustments to care plans accordingly. Ultimately this more proactive approach to care helps to identify potential issues and ensure these are addressed before they become serious problems.
“With Ally, we’ve been able to optimise the care plan for every resident, leading to transformative improvements in their lives—something we couldn’t achieve with care plan data alone.” Julie Burton, Head of Operations, Twinglobe Care Ltd
5. Increased staff efficiency
One of the challenges I see in care homes is the high demand placed on carers, who often manage multiple residents simultaneously. AI monitoring systems help alleviate some of this pressure by reducing the need for constant physical checks and allowing staff to focus on more meaningful interactions with residents.
With the system taking care of routine monitoring, carers have more time to spend with residents who need it most. This not only improves the quality of care but also enhances job satisfaction for staff, as they can focus on providing the compassionate, personalised care when and where it is needed the most.
Also by reducing the need for frequent night-time checks and responding only to the most critical alerts, AI monitoring systems help reduce the workload on carers leading to lower stress levels, reduced burnout, and ultimately improve staff retention if they feel happier.
“The staff team reported that they found the system really intuitive and also the fact that the system has given them more time to do the more important things that they need to do on a day-to-day basis, especially during the night shift.” Jay Trondillo, Regional Director, Maria Mallaband Care Group
“The system has released staff time during the night, allowing carers to allocate more time to personalised care and engagement with residents within the home.” Melanie Dawson, Home Manager at The Lawns
6. Promoting resident independence
In my view, one of the key goals when caring for residents is to promote as much independence as possible. Allowing residents to maintain their dignity and autonomy is key to their overall well-being and AI monitoring systems support this goal because residents are reassured that help is available if needed.
There is a balance between maintaining safety and supporting independence. While traditional care models may involve frequent checks that can feel intrusive to a resident, AI monitoring offers a more subtle approach. Residents can enjoy greater privacy and freedom in their rooms, knowing that the system is unobtrusively watching over them which feeds into the quality of life they enjoy in the care home.
My mum as I say is very old and frail, but she’s very lucid, but she is very confident because if she was unwell that there would be a response. And the impact on me is that she knows that and I know that so I don’t worry at night that she’s unattended. A visual check is fine, hourly or two hourly, but I don’t know, anything can happen after that, but in this system if she calls out it’s a double whammy for her really, she can’t lose on it.” Christine Herbert, daughter of a resident at Oaklands Care Home
The ethical considerations of AI monitoring
As with any technology that involves monitoring individuals, there are ethical considerations to be mindful of. The biggest issues relate to privacy and consent but there’s also the potential for over-reliance on technology.
1. Privacy by design
When implementing an AI monitoring system, two key factors must be considered: the benefits it provides and its impact on residents’ and staff’s privacy.
One major advantage of continuous monitoring is the ability to reduce the need for regular safety checks, enhancing residents’ privacy. However, this comes with the trade-off of continuous data collection, as residents’ activity is monitored whenever they are alone in their rooms, which can sometimes feel intrusive.
When choosing a system, it’s crucial to evaluate what data is collected, how it’s used, who has access to it, and what benefits it provides
Obtaining informed consent from residents (or their legal representatives) is essential before implementing any monitoring system. Residents should fully understand the system’s functionality, the data being collected, its purpose, who can access it, and how it benefits them. Transparency is key to building trust and ensuring residents feel comfortable with the technology.
Another critical aspect of privacy is data security. Care homes are responsible for ensuring that all collected data is stored securely and that access is limited to the appropriate individuals. Also, having robust cybersecurity measures in place is important to protect against any potential data breaches or unauthorised access.
2. Balancing human and AI interaction
While AI monitoring systems provide invaluable support, they should not replace human interaction. Care is, at its core a human-centred practice, so the technology should be seen as a tool to enhance, not replace, the work of the carers.
Maintaining human interaction is so important. AI systems can take care of routine monitoring, but the human touch is still necessary for emotional support, meaningful conversations, and delivering personalised care. Care homes that understand that this technology complements rather than replaces human interaction are the ones achieving the better care outcomes. The technology enables carers to spend more time caring and less time on other activities, such as room checks.
What does the future hold for AI in resident care?
For me, integrating AI monitoring systems within care homes is fundamental to a bigger future.
Firstly the sophistication of the algorithms and predictive analytics in monitoring systems is likely go further into helping anticipate issues before they arise or providing more insight to inform care decisions. For example, an increase in a resident’s coughing could signal a potential chest infection. Right now health professionals will also make informed decisions based on how the cough sounds. AI has the potential to assist with this analysis, leading to earlier detection of chest infections and alleviating some of the diagnostic workload.
Secondly a key future development is the intelligent integration of AI monitoring systems data with other care data. I don’t just mean passing the data between the two systems, but actually the software starting to join the dots between the data.
To start, datasets from care records, eMar, and vital signs systems must be fully integrated as by combining this data, it enables smarter workflows and earlier, more accurate prompts suggesting causes and actions.
For example, if a prompt shows a resident is more agitated, currently staff have to determine what may have caused this and then look into the other data such was there a medication change> Any new visitors, or is there an infection developing? This process is time-consuming but be streamlined with AI-powered workflows to allow care teams to act faster and spend less time investigating.
The future will bring smarter AI powered workflows for care teams, reducing their time spent analysing data and instead increasing their time spent making positive changes to care plans.
But, and there is a but, this system is only as good as the data that’s inputted. At Ally we’ve seen first hand that having a complete care picture—from observed and unobserved care to vital signs and medication—is essential for success.
Conclusion: Completing the care picture with AI
It’s clear to see that AI monitoring systems signify a major step forward in completing the care picture for residents. The provision of unobtrusive monitoring fills critical gaps in traditional care models, and using AI technology enhances safety, improves residents’ sleep quality whilst maintaining independence.
That said, it’s important to remember when integrating this kind of technology that privacy must be respected, and the human element of care must be preserved. When implemented thoughtfully, I have seen how AI monitoring systems have completely transformed residents’ lives.
I look forward to seeing how the technology will advance but the future of resident care looks increasingly promising, with AI playing a central role in ensuring that every resident receives the care they need to live a healthy, fulfilling life.