As part of the Hereford and Worcestershire Falls Prevention Project, the Community Housing’s Technology Enabled Care Services (TECS) partnered with Ally to reduce falls and hospital stays at The Lawns in Worcester.
Like many other nursing homes, The Lawns faced the challenge of preventing falls among their residents, especially during the night when staff-to-resident ratios were typically lower. Although frequent checks were made by carers, this disrupted residents’ sleep and at times their independence.
Their goal was to explore how our acoustic monitoring solution could tackle this issue while also enhancing the overall quality of care.
Ally implemented its technology and the results delivered have been remarkable according to Melanie Dawson, Home Manager at The Lawns:
“This kind of technology has been marvellous in enabling our residents to live their very best possible life. It is apparent that these kinds of technologies most importantly improve quality of sleep and not only reduce falls but also decrease subsequent hospital visits.
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.”
A journey of adaptation and improvement
Melanie acknowledges that introducing new technology and practices into the care environment required patience and adaptability. She explains,
“It took a few weeks to settle down as the technology learns how someone sleeps. In the beginning, it is very sensitive but as it learns different patterns the volume of triggers has reduced”
Ally’s technology has been integrated with PCS handsets, which allows carers to get alerts and most importantly listen to the activity in the room without entering to enable them to decide if intervention is necessary. Plus, the delivery of daily reports has enabled Melanie and the management team to monitor residents’ sleep patterns and staff response times, as well as identify potential health issues and invaluable insights to deliver more proactive and person-centred care.
The future of senior care is a proactive approach
Melanie firmly believes that technology is the way forward for senior care. She says:
“Ally’s Resident Monitor solution exemplifies how technology can deliver personalised remote monitoring that is proactive rather than reactive to incidents, ultimately enhancing the well-being of residents.”
“The partnership between Community Housing’s TECS and Ally marks a significant step in revolutionising falls prevention and care for residents in the Hereford and Worcestershire region. By harnessing the power of AI and innovative monitoring solutions, nursing homes like Lawns are setting new standards for senior care, ensuring that residents live their best possible lives while benefiting from improved time management and staff support”