British Columbia’s Fraser Health Authority has started harnessing the power of sleep technology to monitor and protect long-term care residents. Specifically, the “Sleepsense” device developed by Vancouver’s Tochtech Technologies, which will be utilized in three of the healthcare provider’s unspecified locations.
This gadget sits underneath a bedpost or wheel and collects data throughout the night. The information it obtains then provides insights to healthcare providers about adjustments they can make to help residents sleep better.
“With the system, you can look up 100 residents at a long-term care site and see that 60 are sleeping, 20 are in-bed and awake and 20 are out of bed,” long-term care expert, Kirsten Rossiter, explained in a Fraser Health news release. This makes it easier for staff to help out those in need without disturbing people who are sleeping, she says.
One of the main aims of integrating the device and its system into long-term care facilities is to reduce the number of falls and resulting injuries. Fraser Health says that poor sleep makes residents more likely to slip or trip in the middle of the night. Richmond BC’s Hamilton Village Care Centre, a retirement home, has been using these devices too.
“The system uses artificial intelligence and proprietary algorithms to create individualized sleep scores, which in turn can help inform clinical decision-making,” Fraser Health explained.
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Sleep tech becomes increasingly popular in long-term care facilities
The demand for smart beds, wearables, sleep-tracking apps and devices like Tochtech’s has been growing significantly in long-term care settings ever since the pandemic. Tochtech says that COVID-related issues were its inspiration for developing the Sleepsense device.
Abbotsford BC’s Menno Place also just announced that it had started using advanced sleep sensors in its LCT home. Like Fraser Health, their goal is to prevent tumbles and injuries.
Menno will employ sensors developed by Esprit-AI — an Ontario company dedicated to protecting seniors. They will be integrated with an AI-powered alert system.
Menno Place currently has a partnership with Fraser Health.
Falls are the leading cause of death among Canadian senior citizens.
rowan@mugglehead.com
Michele Thomson
December 13, 2024 at 9:25 am
If you would like to see this technology in action, Buron Healthcare’s Hamilton Village Seniors Village in Richmond has been using this technology for over 2 years. We are very proud of how we integrate the information into how we provide care.