Evolution of elderly care needs
For decades, resident alarm pendants have been the cornerstone of safety in senior living. We offer independence and peace of mind and have evolved with the needs of our industry. The first electronic nurse call systems were introduced in his 1970s and featured bulky pendants connected to landlines. Although it had limited functionality, it provided a lifeline for elderly residents who feared falls or medical emergencies. In the years that followed, pendants became smaller and more comfortable, and wireless technology was introduced to increase mobility and independence, but the underlying technology remained largely unchanged.
As we enter the 21st century, the senior housing industry faces a series of challenges that require new advances in technology. Labor shortages and turnover, as well as an aging population, are driving the need for solutions to increase the efficiency of overworked staff. The age and frailty of the population entering assisted living independent living facilities is also increasing, as lower savings rates delay older adults from entering nursing homes. This trend calls for innovation in pendant solutions that can improve response times and get staff to the right location as quickly as possible.
Evolution of alarm pendant hardware
Meeting the modern challenges of the senior housing industry requires new types of pendant solutions and associated infrastructure. As with early pendants, the ability to trigger an alarm with the push of a button is invaluable. However, pendants with sensors that automatically detect falls can help ensure residents receive care when they are unable to press a button.
Because the pendant is wearable and a fall or medical emergency can occur anywhere in the building, caregivers may have no way of knowing with certainty where a fall or medical emergency is occurring. There is a gender. In communities facing staffing shortages, every minute counts, and location accuracy helps enable faster response and support better resident outcomes.
Determining indoor locations using GPS satellite technology is not feasible or cost-effective, so a better solution is needed. Indoor location typically consists of a pendant with 2.4 GHz location technology, a series of locators placed throughout the community, and a gateway device to manage alarms and location information.
One of the main advantages of this type of system is that the infrastructure can be used to enable other efficiency technologies. For example, staff badges with location technology can help you find a caregiver when you need them. The same goes for medical devices such as wheelchairs and medication carts that can be equipped with location-enabled asset tags.
In the words of Garrett Hoffman, Product Manager, Hardware at Inovonics, “We are working hard to ensure that we address all the well-known use cases for location in senior living. Masu.”
Evolution of alarm pendant software
A cloud-based solution is required to enable the full functionality of the pendant. Processing the large amounts of data required to track the location of staff, assets, occupants, and associated alarms is nearly impossible with traditional systems and is incredibly costly to attempt. Masu.
Additionally, cloud-based solutions enable new capabilities. In contrast to systems that only report location at the exact moment an alarm goes off, the cloud can determine location in near real-time. This allows staff to quickly locate residents for medication administration or visits from family members or outside service providers. By leveraging the cloud, the pendant can also help track activity, allowing caregivers to spot changes that indicate improvement or decline and proactively respond to changing care needs. Similarly, alerts can be sent for unusual or emergency events that may indicate distress, such as approaching a restricted area, going to the bathroom at an unusual time, or leaving a room at an odd time.
Most importantly, this advanced location technology opens the door to future applications that can meet new needs of residents, caregivers, and communities. Kevin Hardy, senior product manager of software at Inovonics, said: “Technology actually gives us two things: it makes us more efficient at our tasks, and it makes us more accurate and less error-prone.”
conclusion
From their beginnings as emergency buttons connected to landline phones to today's sophisticated smart pendants, these devices have adapted and evolved to reflect the changing needs of an aging population and the possibilities of technology. Continuing. As we look to the future, it is clear that alarm pendant solutions will continue to play an important role in shaping a future where older adults live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
At Inovonics, we continually develop solutions that leverage advanced technology to easily upgrade your trusted e-call system with new features, capabilities, and insights that help improve tenant outcomes and increase efficiency. .
For more information, contact our partners at https://wireless.inovonics.com/mcknights.
Author: Todd Stanley, Strategic Growth Platform Manager for Senior Living, Inovonics, Contributors: Kevin Hardy, Senior Product Manager, Software, Inovonics; Garrett Hoffman, Product Manager, Hardware, Inovonics.
