New Technology Makes Nursing Home Beds Safer
Posted by
Dan FrithMarch 31, 2009 3:47 PMAs readers of this blog know, I usually write about all that is wrong with the long term care industry. The topics include under-staffing, placing profits over people, medication errors, and on and on.
Today, I am going to share with my readers something that could make elopements, falls from beds, and decubitus ulcers LESS LIKELY. Its called a "Smart Bed" and boy it is smart! The bed has a built-in "movement sensor" which operates on a wireless network. This product is called the "VivaTRAK Activity Monitoring System."
The monitoring system is composed of bed movement sensors, wetness sensors, and wireless communications networking equipment. It provides nursing homes with the ability to electronically prompt staff to take actions and documents when the appropriate care has been provided. The system could improve the quality of care received by residents and benefits the nursing homes by reducing operating costs.
The smart bed could alert the nursing staff when Mrs. Jones gets out of bed at 2:00 AM and attempts to leave the facility. The smart bed could tell nurses that Mr. Smith, who is incontinent of urine, needs to be cleaned up and repositioned so that he doesn't end up with horrible pressure sores on his buttocks.
Want to learn more? Check out wirelessmedcare.com.