Image source: Nobi
A care home in Cumbria has reported positive results from the pilot use of AI powered ceiling lamps to reduce the number of falls among residents.
Hartland House has been using the technology from age tech company Nobi since May with funding from NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board.
It has said the lamps have cut the number of falls by 84% and enabled much quicker response times when a fall occurs – down from an average of 57 to less than two minutes.
Deborah Gent, adult social care digital lead for NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, said: “The roll out of the Nobi AI powered lamps at Hartland House in Cumbria has been an extremely successful pilot.
“With an ageing population falls are becoming increasingly common and some people are less able to cope and recover from accidents, which can lead to serious injuries and hospital admissions. Falls are the number one reason older people end up in A&E so looking at new initiatives like this is integral to keeping our elderly population safe and reducing pressure on our hospitals.
“The installation, training and support has also been exceptional and the data is starting to show the benefits of a falls prevention solution, rather than one that only detects falls.
“Feedback from staff at the care home has shown us that they are also seeing the benefits of this pilot. With simple, small interventions, residents are falling less frequently, and the remote monitoring promotes better sleep patterns for the residents as they’re experiencing fewer night-time disturbances from carer checks.”
Sensor and stick figure
The lamps include an optical sensor that translates what it sees into a stick figure, which preserves the resident’s privacy, and sends images to an AI element within the supporting platform. This analyses any movements for signs that the resident may be in danger of falling or is getting out of bed.
In addition, the sensor turns on the light when a person gets out of bed at night to help them find their way.
The system provides alerts to staff through their mobile phones, and in the event of a fall provides footage of the 15 seconds before and after to help them analyse the causes through a nurses' station dashboard. All other footage is inaccessible to the staff.
“Usually, care givers know their people, who is at risk of falling and who isn’t,” said Nobi’s CEO Roeland Pelgrims. “For those at risk of falling it immediately sends an alert when they begin getting out of bed and the carer can communicate with them to say they will be there to assist them.
“What we do with fall prevention is the combination of a high tech starting point with Nobi combined with a very human reaction.”
Much quicker response
The company said that academic research has indicated that when elderly people fall and cannot get up independently, only 20% manage to use a traditional nurse call system for help.
This aligns with statistics gathered at Hartland House, where 82% of the residents were unable to use the nurse call system, which means that if they fell during the night they could have to wait up to two hours for a care giver to make a scheduled check on their room.
Gent indicated that the ICB will continue to work with Nobi in the future.
Amended on 23.10.23 pm to clarify that staff cannot continually see footage from residents' rooms.
