In an Australian first study, an AI falls and incident prevention and monitoring system using ceiling sensors has been implemented by WA aged care provider Curtin Heritage Living.

Unsatisfied with traditional methods that alert staff after a fall, Curtin embarked on a worldwide search for a better system which could prevent falls when it was building a new facility and renovating an existing facility for residents with dementia.

It landed on Sydney-based provider of AI-powered solutions, Alpha Global and its Digital Angel software which Alpha Global claims leads to a 50 per cent reduction in falls within the first six months post-deployment.

The software, which has been deployed worldwide, uses optical sensors (small form cameras) in the ceiling which enable in-room monitoring to ensure incidents are swiftly responded to and potential incidents averted.

The AI understands what behaviours occur that put a resident at risk of falling, sensors identify this activity and alert support staff to falls and other events such as movement in an at-risk residents’ room or a prolonged period in an ensuite.

An alarm is triggered and an alert sent via integration with nurse call systems to the care team platform to enable assessment and appropriate action such as staff attending to assist a resident with movement and prevent a fall.

Having more information at their fingertips means staff don’t need to run all over the place to see what’s happening behind residents’ doors, freeing up time to spend more time with residents.

Curtin’s managing director David Cox was a finalist in the age services innovator of the year category of the 2022 innovAGEING national awards for implementing the system which cost Curtin about $1 million. There is no cost for residents.

“Before using Digital Angel we were very reliant on traditional technologies that pick up when a resident has already fallen,” he said in a video. “We were using bed sensors and fall sensors (in mats) and very reliant on regular inspection by staff but that didn’t work for us because it still resulted in resident injury and we knew there had to be a better solution out there. We undertook a worldwide search looking for the latest technology.”

Alpha Global helped Curtin initiate an onsite study which most residents consented to and is ongoing. Staff were quick to embrace the technology because they could see advantages.

24/7 optical sensors alert to actions that may lead to falls

Alpha Global’s chief technology officer Ryan Priest said alerts generated from the AI in the trial revealed accuracy higher than 90 per cent. He said the technology was designed for aged care to provide 24/7 monitoring across residents’ rooms in a non-intrusive manner.

“We do this through smart technology such as artificial intelligence and optical sensors that provide a watchful eye over the resident and alarms when appropriate,” Mr Priest said in the video. “It proactively monitors residents and helps eliminate falls by watching actions that occur that can lead to a fall and alerting staff.”

The system is customised to each resident and their care requirements and is scalable so can be activated in all or just selected rooms as well as common areas.

Alerts are generated for different actions, for example when someone is sitting up in bed or starting to move a lot in bed which could indicate a resident who is uncomfortable, in pain or having a seizure, he said.

Other alerts could be for residents moving to the edge of the bed and trying to get up. Evidence shows falls often occur in the early morning when residents leave their bed to go to the bathroom, or late night ensuite visits. Alerts allow staff to monitor residents at low risk of falls or to intervene and enable an early response, assisting residents at high risk of falls.

Alerts can let staff know if residents leave a chair, enter the bathroom, leave their room at night or fall.

Integration with nurse call systems enables alerts on tablets or phones. Live video stream into rooms or silhouette images means staff can monitor the situation but privacy is protected as room sensors only show footage when an alert is sent.

‘Super smart’ technology has prevented falls

Curtin’s head of operations Tim McConnell said the technology was ‘super smart’ and could predict before things happen by detecting motion and movement.

“There’s been a reduction in the time it takes staff to respond to call bells,” he said.

Curtin’s head of care and lifestyle Pele Reeve said the organisation believes falls have been prevented and the technology has led to staff having more time to spend with residents.

“We’ve had examples where we believe that falls were prevented so where we can see somebody who is a really high falls risk has been responded to in a really timely manner and we believe, in those situations, we’ve possibly prevented a fall which is fantastic,” she said in the video.  

“The staff being able to filter the information more and prioritise appropriately means residents get the help they need when they need it and staff can use their time better, so residents appreciate the system.”

Parameters set to suit needs, room numbers light up

Curtin’s relationships manager Sherryn Rietdyk said sensors in the ceilings of residents’ rooms capured their behaviours.

“It is a learning technology that can have parameters set to suit the needs of an individual,” she told Pulse+IT. “The AI tech learns the behaviours of the person – what is a standard behaviour and what behaviour signifies the need for intervention or assistance. 

“The parameters set are driven by the needs of the person.  If the behaviour of the resident indicates preventative assistance is required, notification is sent to the handheld device of the staff. 

“They can see a visual snapshot of the resident and can talk to them via the device for example saying, ‘It’s okay Robert, I’ll be with you in two minutes, stay seated and I will come and assist you.’

“Room numbers on the outside of the room also light up with alerts colour coded depending on need, indicating attention is needed. Parameters can include time of day as residents behave differently during the day and night.”

App developed to link to nurse call system

Ms Rietdyk said Curtin was the first to install the system in Australia but as it was installed in the second quarter of 2022, Curtin was waiting for the full 12 months of data to record a significant sampleand determine if a reduction in falls had occurred.

“Our homes are in Perth but we are quite proactive in sharing our experience with the technology from research to implementation and management,” she said. “We want other care providers to be able to learn from our experiences.

“We paid for an app to be developed to integrate the AI with our existing nurse call system, Advance Care.

“This allows the AI system to ‘send’ information and alert care staff via their handheld devices. It also allows them to speak to the resident from their device to assure them they are on their way to provide attention.”

Ms Rietdyk said the team regularly showed caregivers from other facilities through their facilities to showcase the development. Curtin owns the app’s IP but the app is available for other organisations to use.

Alpha Global also has its own app to link to nurse call.