Falls in hospitals and nursing home settings are a major concern because we often deal with delicate and frail patients. Imagine coming in for a fractured leg and falling out of bed in the middle of the night trying to go to the bathroom. And now you have to deal with the hairline fracture in your leg and the ache in your back or head.
These falls can be even deadlier and more harmful for frail and elderly patients. That’s why care assist devices like chair pressure mats and bed alarms for dementia patients are effective in getting timely help.
So, here’s how chair pressure mats will be a beneficial addition to your nursing home:
Falls In Hospitals: Incurred Healthcare Costs
According to recent statistics, 247,000 falls occur in England in inpatient settings. These are the most common and most reported injury incidents in the UK. They don’t just incur hefty healthcare costs each year but also affect the patient’s psychological condition as their recovery times increase along with their hospital stays. Elderly patients are found to be of delicate constitution, and more at risk of falling. More than half of these falls occur at their bedside or when sitting in their wheelchairs.
Preventive features like call bells and emergency call buttons are there for assistance, but due to the need for independence, patients may often ignore help and find themselves in an accidental fall situation. In this scenario, it’s better to have an automatic fall detection system in place so patients can also have peace of mind that help will come regardless of whether they call for it or not.
Therefore, chair pressure mats and bedside sensors are affordable approaches you can install in your hospital or nursing home.
What Do You Need To Know About Chair Pressure Mats?
Chair pressure mats are an effective and reliable patient monitoring system that’s designed to send an alert when an individual is trying to stand up or shift their weight from the chair. It’s a great alternative to hour surveillance and a discrete monitoring solution for elderly and dementia patients. There are also great for people with learning disabilities.
The chair pressure mats are not for preventing falls, but they are rather used for preventing wandering in dementia patients and reducing the risk of injuries caused by a fall. They are excellent tools that can be used both for care and clinical environments.
A chair pressure mat consists of a control box attached to a blue air mattress. Depending upon the elderly’s preference and cognitive abilities, the mattress can be placed below or above the chair cushion. If you’re managing a dementia patient who prefers discretion with their care, they might choose to have it placed beneath the cushion.
The control box uses Airlert technology by analysing air pressure to detect movement in the mattress and triggers the alert system if the patient is either sitting or has left the chair. So when a patient shifts their body on the chair, the alarm won’t necessarily go off. It will only send an alert to the carers through a pager, telecare system, nurse call system, or a smartphone, that the patient has left the chair and has not returned for some time.
One of the best features of these chair pressure mats is their compatibility with almost all kinds of chairs, cushions, and wheelchairs. It offers an effective and dignified solution to dealing with patient falls.
Benefits For The Patients
There are many benefits for elderly patients, some of which are discussed as follows:
Flexible Arrangement Of The Mat
The use of the mat is quite flexible for the patient. They can choose to either place the mat under the cushions or place it behind their back. So, as they lean forward to get up, the carer can be alerted that your elderly patient needs assistance.
Durable And Long-Lasting
The chair mattress is made of a durable material with a protective outer layer. The inside is lined with a layer of foam for comfortable seating.
Discrete Placement
One of the best features of the chair pressure mat is the non-restrictive nature of its placement and usage. It doesn’t make any odd sounds as one sits up or moves around on their spot to get comfortable. Your elderly patients will thank you for this addition, as they’ll be able to get up without any distress and confusion while also subtle alerting their carers.
Comfortable Seating
As the cushion of the chair pressure mat is soft and easy to sit on, it can be chosen by your patient that they want below or above the seat cushion. Also, the cushion is filled with a 3cm thick retardant foam, making them very safe to use.
Maintains Your Elderly’s Dignity
Many nursing homes focus on compassionate care and maintaining their elderly patient’s dignity and privacy. These chair pressure mats are discretely linked to the nurse call system or alert trackers that alerts the attendants through their pager system to go to your patients for assistance. The chair pressure mat itself does not make a noise.
Get Quality Chair Pressure Mats For Your Nurse Call System At Frequency Precision
Now that you know how chair pressure mats can be a protective measure for your patients while also assisting your carers in providing better care, you can make the right decision for your nursing care facility.
Check out the range of care assist devices at Frequency Precision and choose the ones that are right for your nursing home or hospital. We have many care alert devices like wireless bedside nurse call points, wireless convulsion sensors, pressure-sensitive alarm mats, etc. to provide a discrete assistance solution.
You can also get in touch with us to learn more about our products and delivery services.
