UK care home embraces AI technology to support care staff by preventing and detecting falls
Pilot supported by NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB)
Futuristic technology that can detect and even predict and prevent falls is being tested at a residential care home in Milnthorpe. Nobi's smart lamps also eliminate the risk of life-threatening ‘long lies’ where a person falls, typically during the night, and can remain on the floor for an extended period. Falls are the leading cause of hospital admissions in Cumbria, placing pressure on both care staff and the NHS.
Around a third of people aged 65 and over, and around half of all people aged 80 and over, fall at least once a year. Being unattended following a fall is life-threatening and the length of time they are on the floor has a significant impact on the person’s recovery following a fall. Fast assistance after a fall is therefore crucial in terms of saving lives, improving recovery, reducing hospital stays, and decreasing care needs after hospitalisation.
The pilot, involving the installation of intelligent AI-powered Nobi smart lamps in residents’ bedrooms, is taking place at Hartland House, which is managed by the Abbeyfield Lakeland Extra Care Society, part of the worldwide Abbeyfield group.
AI to detect every fall
If a resident falls, the smart lamp detects this immediately and speaks to the resident, asking if they are okay. In the event of no response or a call for help, the intelligent lamp is pre-programmed to send an alert to the care team plus a computer-generated outline image to show where and how the fall has occurred.
As well as ensuring no-one is left on the floor following a fall (the alert to care staff will ensure attendance within minutes), the lamp also helps to prevent falls from occurring. When a resident sits upright in bed at night the lamp will shine soft light upwards to gently illuminate the room, and if they then stand up to go to the bathroom, for example, the smart lamp will illuminate the entire room.
The AI technology built into the Nobi smart lamp is even able to predict certain falls. Changes in walking pace, length of stride and even the resident’s posture when sitting will be detected and can be used to alert caregivers of a potential risk.
"Falls biggest reason for hospital admissions in our region"
The pilot is being funded by NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), which organises health and care services across the region.
Asim Patel, chief digital officer at NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, said,
“We are really interested in how technology can be harnessed to predict and prevent falls in the future and how it can be used to support our care workforce. Falls are the biggest reason for hospital admissions in our region and this puts huge pressure on care staff and the NHS. Piloting this new type of technology is really exciting because not only could it reduce hospital admissions significantly, but it could prevent some of our more vulnerable older people from seriously injuring themselves when they fall.”
Prevent falls by understanding how they occur
Speaking about the lamps, Leanne Scrogham, Registered Manager of Hartland House, said:
“One of the added benefits of the lamps is that they help us to understand falls that occur. When a resident falls they typically can’t remember how or why they fell. But the clever Nobi lamps are able to show us a period of 15 seconds before and 15 seconds after a fall as well as sending us a still image of the person on the floor. This means that we can see how the person fell and if they tripped, stumbled or had a sudden collapse. This sort of information is invaluable, giving us a far better understanding of the incident and how it can be prevented in the future. The lamps also inform us when a resident gets out of bed during the night. This means we are able to go to offer assistance should it be required.
“It is really exciting to be piloting the use of this new technology in the UK and to be able to provide this extra service for our residents, which we are confident will improve our safety standards and offer extra peace of mind to their relatives.”
Nobi also helps carers to detect every fall incident and offer help within 92 seconds:
Leanne: "We've had falls that we would have never known about if we hadn't fitted Nobi."
Never again life-threatening long lies
Commenting on the many benefits of the Nobi smart lamp technology, Christian Geisselmann, Business Development Lead of Nobi UK said,
“Through deployment of Nobi smart lamps, we are able to eliminate life-threatening long lies altogether, can assure care staff and residents’ families that any fall will be attended to within minutes, whilst also significantly reducing the number of falls.
“The support this offers to care staff is significant as it eliminates the need for unnecessary checks and arms them with information about their residents that was never previously available to them. The icing on the cake is the peace of mind the technology brings – both for care staff and families.”
The Abbeyfield group has over 400 care homes, sheltered housing scheme and independent living complexes for older people.
About Hartland House
- Hartland House is a 31 bedroom residential care home offering personalised care for up to 32 residents in a homely setting in the beautiful village of Milnthorpe, Cumbria.
- Offering a home from home environment, Hartland House residents benefit from three beautifully furnished lounges where activities take place and are ideal for catching up with friends and family.
- There is also a lovely conservatory with views over Dallam Park.
- Hartland House is managed by the Abbeyfield Lakeland Extra Care Society, part of the worldwide Abbeyfield group.
- www.hartlandhouse.co.uk
About Abbeyfield
- Established in 1956, the Abbeyfield Society is a charity providing housing, residential care and support to older people.
- The organisation oversees over 420 care homes, sheltered housing schemes and independent living complexes across eight countries worldwide, which provide accommodation, food and social events and activities for over 6,000 older people.
- The charity’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for older people by alleviating loneliness. Living arrangements are based on the unique Abbeyfield model, with values of companionship and community at its heart. Communal spaces, group activities and shared mealtimes are key parts of everyday life for Abbeyfield residents, with houses and homes providing a family-like atmosphere.
- Founded by volunteer Richard Carr-Gomm, volunteering is also a core Abbeyfield principle, with the services of over 2,500 volunteers employed worldwide today by the organisation.
- www.abbeyfield.com.
Liesbeth Pyck
Diana Stephenson
Mike Silverstone