Ensuring society as a whole can benefit from technologies which can help prevent falls and diseases, and mitigate the spread of viruses and bacteria is vital.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières by the end of June, 6200 care home residents had died of COVID-19 which accounts for 64% of all COVID-19 deaths in Belgium. In addition to this, approximately 15,130 people died from Coronary Heart Disease in Belgium in 2018. This means that 16.54% of all deaths in Belgium were as a result of heart disease. On a larger scale, cardiovascular diseases cause 3.9 million deaths across Europe, accounting for 45% of all deaths in Europe.
With such facts and figures, the need for a solution to detect irregular health patterns early on is an essential part of healthcare.
Prevention of falls
According to the World Health Organisation, falls account for 40% of all injury deaths. Falls can result in fractures and hospital admissions alongside a reduced quality of life. Falls are often considered a contributing reason for admission to a nursing home and can be an indirect cause of death if a person is unable to get up from the floor and cannot call for help. Lying on the floor for more than 12 hours is associated with pressure sores, dehydration, hypothermia, pneumonia, and ultimately with higher mortality. Prevention of the consequences of such falls should be an integral part of a healthcare system in nursing homes and hospitals. Our Watcherr Distress System has an integrated fall detection system within its wearable technology. If a user falls and remains on the ground for 30 seconds, a distress call is automatically activated and the nearest healthcare worker will be alerted to assist the patient/resident. This technology allows for overall patient safety and care, giving relatives and staff peace-of-mind.
Mitigation of diseases
Reducing the risk of disease in the elderly is vital to decrease mortality rates associated with viral and bacterial infections. According to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information, illness due to a variety of viral respiratory pathogens in the elderly population is increasingly being recognized. Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are often the leading culprits of lower respiratory illness. Overall, viruses have been implicated in 13%-31% of lower respiratory illnesses in elderly adults, thus mitigation of such diseases is vital to improve mortality rates in the elderly. The Watcherr Distress System can assist with mitigation of diseases thanks to its ability to store key data. Visitors, staff and residents/patients can be tracked; thus, we know who contacted who. This allows healthcare workers to have information of all the contacts made within a specific location, thus preventing the spread of diseases such as influenza and COVID-19. If someone is diagnosed with COVID-19, a detailed list of people who met over the last 14 days can be produced. The list will provide specific details such as name, location of encounter, and the time spent in contact with the person. Such information allows hospitals and residences to act immediately and begin preventative counter measures to mitigate the spread of disease.
Monitoring of irregular heart patterns
Early detection of cardiovascular diseases can be the difference between life and death and by being aware of the early signs of heart problems, you might be able to detect and prevent life-threatening consequences often associated with the disease. Morbidity and mortality rates drastically decrease in patients who receive therapeutic modalities during the first two hours after the onset of acute myocardial infarction symptoms. With increasing statistics of cardiovascular problems, monitoring and detecting irregular heart patterns is essential to preventing fatalities. Our Watcherr monitoring device has a configurable heartrate monitoring system which sets off an alarm to the nearest healthcare worker should the monitor register a heartbeat below or above the minimum pre-configured threshold. This way, heart-related emergency situations can be detected early on and prevent further complications.
Improved cognition with early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, using anti-dementia drugs for a greater proportion of time since the onset of symptoms may be associated with less cognitive decline and a longer survival. In fact, according to the Japanese Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health, it might be possible to slow the progression of dementia through medication and other treatment during the early stages of the disease and by appropriate care for the specific patient. Patients living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease often suffer from disorientation and as a result, might attempt to venture off the premises. Our Watcherr monitoring system can keep patients and residents with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia safe. The system has an instantaneous alarm system using BLE-technology. It senses if a resident is leaving a predetermined area inside the building and senses via AGPS if a resident is leaving outside the building. Once this is detected, a healthcare worker is alerted and can locate the patient or resident and assist them with their needs. This ensures that relatives and loved ones are kept safe, and their whereabouts are always monitored, giving peace-of-mind.
Get help to predict and prevent disease
Should you require any assistance with investing in the latest health tech for your hospital or residential home, get in touch with us.
Some statements are subject to clinical trials and are not commercially available yet. We are demonstrating our systems on 14-17 November 2022 at the Medica Trade Fair (Düsseldorf, Germany) event.
