According to Physiopedia, a significant aspect of having a fall is the “long lie”, a term coined for when a person has fallen and spends a prolonged period of time on the floor because they are unable to get up.

The main cause of a long lie is being unable to get up from the ground independently. This could be due to multiple factors, including:

• Injury from a fall
• Location of a fall
• Muscle weakness
• No one around to assist the fallen individual

This being a contributor to the fact that significant mortality and morbidity are associated with falls in general. Literature defines a long lie as being on the floor for an hour or more. Long lie is a marker of frailty, illness and social isolation.

The fact is falls can still occur even when best practices are applied. Response time is the most important factor. Most older adults who fall don’t remember to push a button or pull a cord for help.

There are many SMART health technology devices on the market that are known as remote patient monitoring (RPM). Bringing technology into daily use is the key to keeping older adults in their home for as long as possible. RPM not only provides a cost-effective care approach, but it also helps improve the home environment.

RPM can be used to treat both chronic and acute conditions, enabling families, clinicians, and agency teams to keep tabs on seniors in-between in-person care or visits.

RPM programs use various types of devices and can be used to track patients’ health over the long term. These can range from smart watches, wearables and virtual devices that don’t use cameras or wearables. Instead, they utilize 4G wave technology and are useful for managing long-term chronic conditions and provide urgent follow up for conditions that require immediate interventions.

One that stands out is the 4G wave technology, a form of 4D radar imaging, fall detection device.

Here is how it works:

• Sensors are installed in the main rooms – standard packages cover two rooms however additional monitors can be added. Typically, it is recommended that they are installed in the bathroom and bedrooms, which is where most falls occur in the home. Falls are detected and responded to immediately.
• Weekly proactive calls by Nurses are provided to focus on fall safety techniques and general check-in on wellness.
• Monthly report provided including actionable solutions to increase safety and reduce falls.

Even though falls are not a normal part of aging, they are happening at an alarming rate. The CDC has declared falls as a public health care crisis and the time is now to identify the right solution to respond to falls that might occur when an older adult is living at home.

Article Provided by:
ComForCare Home Care
503-400-6637
www.ComForCare.com/Oregon/Salem