Falls are a major concern for many older adults, not only because of the risks of physical injury, but also due to the potential impact on their independence and quality of life. While fall prevention itself is a crucial aspect of maintaining the safety and well-being of older adults, fall risk analysis is also an important piece of the puzzle. There are many solutions on the market that offer prevention OR analysis, but few offer both.
When fall analysis and proactive fall prevention are used in tandem, the results are even more effective. Fall risk analysis can be done easily, whether that means putting a camera in a resident’s room, utilizing in-room sitters, or using more advanced technology. The problem? Sitters can get expensive, and cameras often feel invasive to residents. If residents, or their families, don’t understand the importance of monitoring for analysis, they may try to cover the camera in their rooms to increase privacy.
Many post-acute care facilities are using artificial intelligence (AI) instead, which often utilizes infrared instead of cameras, increasing resident privacy. AI can also be much less expensive than in-room sitters when considering the cost of hourly sitter rates.
Another benefit of using AI is that it’s more likely to utilize proactive fall prevention features. For example, VirtuSense's VSTAlert sensor learns patterns in resident movement and can detect when a bed exit will occur up to a minute before the resident attempts to get up. This gives nurses more time to respond to high-risk moments and prevent a significantly higher number of falls. On average, this technology decreases falls by 75% in skilled nursing.
VSTAlert, with its fall analysis capabilities, identifies the causes of falls to help staff determine intervention paths quickly for frequent fallers. Care team members are then equipped with data to create personalized fall plans.
Additionally, one of the major advantages of VSTAlert is that it's a non-invasive solution. It does not require any wearable device or cameras to be installed in the user's home. Instead, it uses infrared to detect a resident’s location and movement in the room, gathering no identifiable information about the person themselves.
Fall analysis and fall prevention are both essential for ensuring the safety and well-being of those at risk of falls. VirtuSense's VSTAlert, which offers both features, is a more comprehensive solution than a product that only offers one or the other. With VSTAlert, users can prevent falls, identify the causes of falls that do happen inevitably, and take steps to address them.
To learn more about VSTAlert, click here .
