The aging population continues to grow in Australia and across the first world. In a recent 2017 study people aged 65 years and above estimated to grow from 15% to 22% by the year 2057.
As people get older, the possibility of falls and fall-related injuries also grow due to the loss of bone and muscle strength. Additionally, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has reported that over 100,000 seniors aged 65 years and above were hospitalised due to fall-related injuries.
Falls pose a significant danger to both the older population and those living with dementia. It can become challenging to help your senior loved one live their sunset years in dignity, whether they are in an aged care facility or at home.
What is Fall Detection?
Emergencies and accidents happen all the time – more so in seniors or people living with disabilities.
Falls are one of the most common incidents that happen in homes and aged care facilities, making fall detection technology an indispensable part of care provision in the care sector.
Fall-related injuries mostly occur with:
Seniors
Falls are the second-largest cause of death in older people. They cause severe head and hip injuries, which may require surgery or worse, can be fatal. It is therefore vital to have fall detection technology like the SOFIHUB Home or TEQ-FallsAlert to safeguard the care of older adults who live alone or in residential facilities.
People living with disabilities
Most people love it when they are in control of their surroundings, and persons living with disabilities are no exception. People living with conditions like MS, epilepsy, and chronic fatigue could use fall detection technology like the SOFIHUB Beacon. Since falls and other minor injuries are common in disabled people, fall detectors in the form of wearable personal alarms help a great deal.
These fall detection technologies use strategically-placed motion sensors to detect when a fall occurs to send an alarm to medical personnel, designated caregivers, or pre-programmed emergency contacts. Thus, remote care is made easier eliminating the need for home visits (prohibited during the current global pandemic) as well as easing communication which makes it quicker for emergency first responders to provide help.
Can Fall Detection Technology Help During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Older adults often have compromised immune systems due to underlying health conditions like diabetes, pneumonia and cancer. In these pandemic times, they are more prone to contracting the Coronavirus, which could be fatal as their immune systems cannot fight off the disease.
Fall detection technology comes in handy, helping to enforce social distancing and reducing in-person visits from caregivers and loved ones, which protect the health of the person under care.
Most seniors can end up feeling lonely and isolated, with no visits from loved ones. Still, the good news is that these fall detectors also come with in-built communication technologies that help them to stay connected with loved ones.
Thus, both the health care provider and senior have peace of mind knowing that if an emergency were to happen, the fall sensors would immediately detect it and send out an alarm call for help.
Since the Coronavirus can cause shortness of breath leading to dizziness and falling, fall detectors and alarms will ease the worry from you and your loved one under care. Should the senior in aged care contract the virus, caregivers can quickly receive the alert and contact emergency first responders to attend to the patient in good time, which could save their lives.
Some Final Words
With the increasing population of older adults in Australia, falls and fall-related injuries are likely to increase. In most hospitals, most emergency admissions consist of fall-related injuries that are both fatal and non-fatal, with most casualties being head or hip-related.
The elderly and people living with disabilities can benefit most from SOFIHUB Remote monitoring, personal alarm and aged care residential monitoring systems. The devices are helping to curb fall-related injuries, especially during these times where the care sector is stretched due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Get in touch with SOFIHUB today to learn more about how our digitised care products can help you.