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TekTone brings a new level of visibility into residents’ safety and behaviour

New leading-edge sensors have been integrated into TekTone’s nurse call and emergency call products, helping caregivers carry out rapid response work.

TekTone now offers touchless, fully automatic fall detection for caregivers that can be used in all lighting conditions and even in the dense steam of a bathroom, where 80% of falls occur.

The leading American manufacturer of nurse call systems and monitoring solutions for the healthcare, residential and commercial markets, launched the new technology in partnership with Vayyar, the global leader in 4D imaging radar.

Vayyar’s imaging technology allows caregivers to see the human body without identifying the person, ensuring rapid response in all scenarios, while maintaining privacy at all times. This is a key consideration for care providers whose end users may be resistant to the installation of cameras in their living spaces.

The integrated solution minimises the risk of “long lies” and their catastrophic impact on health and longevity by detecting falls when users cannot operate a traditional wall-mounted alarm system. It also overcomes the limitations of wearables such as pendants, which many people forget or refuse to put on, and which trigger frequent false alerts when accidentally activated.

The solution also identifies “hidden” falls, relatively minor incidents which many older people and those with developmental disabilities fail to report. These falls often do not cause injury, but are the leading predictor of subsequent, more serious falls. Identifying “hidden” falls enables caregivers to make early interventions and prevent injurious falls that lead to hospitalisation.

TekTone technology for caregivers
Credit: National Cancer Institute

TekTone marketing manager Brad Hyder comments: “TekTone is constantly raising the bar for senior care technology and integrating the Vayyar solution will allow us to provide unprecedented protection for older adults across the US. The enhanced visibility we can now offer our customers will also be key to empowering frontline staff to deliver the very best in personalised care.”

In addition to exceptionally accurate fall detection, Vayyar’s cutting-edge sensors gather essential data on users’ behavior, including time spent in room and in bed and bathroom visit frequency. Analysing these patterns reveals issues such as reduced mobility and UTIs. Additionally, caregivers can monitor residents’ level of social activity in order to predict and prevent mental conditions such as depression.

“Integrating our technology with TekTone’s systems opens the door to a new era of data-driven care for hundreds of thousands of seniors,” says Guy Meger, head of Vayyar’s care business unit. “Caregivers need a remote monitoring solution that reveals exactly what’s going on with residents without intruding on their privacy as cameras or other optical systems would.”

As the US senior living industry grapples with issues including a severe staffing crisis, TekTone and Vayyar are now initiating a process of market education to explain how fall verification and predictive care planning are key to easing the burden on frontline caregivers, reducing falls, improving resident health outcomes, and ensuring long-term profitability for operators.

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