a Senior Housing Forum partner. She said, “In the industry, I think we
all agree that traditional emergency call systems – with pull strings or
call cords – don’t work very well for residents who have dementia,
right?
“Dementia care residents may forget what the pull cords--
are for and pull them when there’s no emergency. This sets off loud
alarms that frighten and disturb other residents. And, if a resident
doesn’t know to use the cord in an emergency, they are useless anyway.
So why, in new communities or renovations are senior living developers
continuing to put them in dementia care buildings or units?”
Vigil’s system uses intelligent software and passive sensors that
continually monitor resident rooms for unexpected behavior – for
example, agitation or restlessness, extended time in the bathroom,
getting out of bed when they’re typically asleep, or leaving their room.
When unanticipated conduct is detected that information is reported to
appropriate caregivers via silent pager, wireless phone, or email
enabled smart phones. Caregivers check in with residents to see what is
going on.
There are no audible alarms or flashing lights, instead a calm
homelike environment is maintained. Use of these unobtrusive systems for
monitoring residents helps maintain their privacy while safeguarding
their well being. And the data from the sensors is also directed to a
central computer where all alarm activity, sensor activity, and summons
are recorded for further analysis.
Clipped from:
Senior Housing Forum
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