Redefining Resident Care Beyond Falls Prevention using Technology

Falls and the resulting harm caused by falls can significantly impact a person's well-being and mobility. Within care settings, older people are three times more likely to fall than older people living in their own homes with more serious consequences.

In today's dynamic healthcare landscape, resident well-being is paramount and care homes are looking for innovative solutions to improve care outcomes.



Here, one of our Falls Based Prevention Suppliers, Ally Cares, explains how their systems can help in care home settings.

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Ally is the UK’s leading, evidence-based Resident Monitoring System and has impressive proven statistics that underpin its effectiveness in preventing falls, hospital admissions and enhancing overall resident wellbeing and safety, but its true value lies in its holistic approach to care.

Ally's mission is to revolutionise resident well-being by addressing the fundamental issue of unobserved care needs. Traditional nurse call systems require residents to physically press a button to request assistance, but in contrast, Ally combines cutting-edge AI technology with sophisticated sound and motion sensors that enables carers to identify residents' needs even when they are alone in their room from anywhere in their room. 

The Ally system detects a wide range of care needs, including those without physical movement. So, for example, this includes if a resident is calling for help, groaning in pain or discomfort, is confused or coughing as well as changes in a resident’s movements and sleeping patterns.

Ally acts like a pair of eyes and ears in the room when no one is around and offers a non-intrusive approach to monitoring residents which respects their privacy and dignity. Our technology operates discreetly and allows residents to maintain their sense of independence and autonomy.

By continuously monitoring sound and movement patterns. Ally detects changes or unusual behaviour and alerts care staff to potential falls or incidents before they occur, reducing the risk of injury. This is a key benefit of Ally and there’s more the system can help with.

A significant advantage of Ally is the ability to gain valuable insights into a resident’s overall well-being and health. By analysing sound patterns and detecting changes in behaviours, sleep patterns, bathroom use, respiratory and mood changes, our Resident Monitoring system identifies potential signs of illness, allowing carers to intervene early to provide remedial care.

In addition to this, the Ally system helps reduce the burden on care staff which leads to increased staff satisfaction levels. By removing scheduled night checks, carers can respond promptly when care is actually needed and have more time to complete other duties. 

Removing scheduled night checks also benefits residents. Our research shows that 72% of night checks disturb sleeping residents and of these 20% result in residents waking up to the point of needing assistance. Increasing sleep time for residents leads to enhanced engagement during the day, better nutrition levels and improved overall well-being. 

Ally also seamlessly integrates with digital care software. This integration goes beyond falls prevention by bridging the gap of capturing information during unobserved moments. The system automatically records incidents, alerts, and responses as well tracking critical indicators such as chest infections and changes in sleep patterns over time. This rich data complements observed care records and helps to complete the care picture by providing a holistic view of residents' needs over time, allowing carers to make more informed decisions around tailoring each resident’s care plan.

Discover how Ally can play a vital role in shaping the future of resident care at your care home today. Contact the Ally Team on info@allycares.com or visit www.allycares.com for more information or to book a virtual demo.

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As part of Digital Transformation Fund (DTF) there is funding available for allocation to CQC registered homes to support Care Homes to introduce falls technologies to help identify and prevent falls and to engage in small pilots of other technology enabled care (TEC).

If you are interested to learn about your eligibility, what funding is available, and how the WMCA can support you through the selection and purchasing process, please click here.