July 05, 2017
CASE STUDIES ON QUALITY OF CARE IN NURSING HOME
Aging populations are a problem globally and the trend towards having fewer children would also mean that there will be less potential care and support for older people from their families in the future.
More people are living longer now and these elderly are experiencing age-related health problems such as dementia, mobility issues which can interfere with their daily lives and lead to declines in independence and quality of life.
With assistive and innovative healthcare devices, the seniors now have more options in selecting the best tools that suit their individual needs. In turn, it would allow provider staff to provide optimal care for their residents by effectively making use of technology.
Studies are underway in The Salvation Army, Peacehaven Nursing Home (TSAPH) to look at areas such as geo-fencing, geo-location, mobile call alert button as well as activity such as sleep monitoring. The aim is to look at quality improvements that would result in positive outcomes on quality of living and providing additional “safety nets” in a homely environment.
Method of “Mini study”
Residents were given devices that were attached to their lanyards. These devices come with :-
Geo-fencing
This allows you to set parameters, identifying safe zones and boundaries (aka geo-fencing), with notifications being triggered when the wearer wanders beyond these areas.
Geo-location
This is an effective way to track a person who is lost or to locate someone to ensure that he/she is safe. This is particularly important for residents with dementia. This would also allow Peacehaven to study daily movement patterns that will aid for example, in the planning of future configuration of facilities.
Mobile Call Alert button
In most nursing homes, emergency buttons are located near the bed or toilets. With the devices, residents can call for help no matter where they are.
Activity & Sleep
Activity and sleep monitoring is important in relation to quality of life, and changes in pattern could indicate changes in the resident’s physical or psychological condition. This could also help give insights to the effects of various intervention programmes such as exercise.
This mini-study is still underway and will continue to be refined with feedback from both the residents and staff of The Salvation Army, Peacehaven Nursing Home' (TSAPH) through sequential PDSA cycles. It is also one of the many quality innovations that Witz-U hopes to carry out with Peacehaven to better the lives of the residents and staff of The Salvation Army, Peacehaven Nursing Home' (TSAPH).