Harnessing AI for Fall Prevention: A New Era in Senior Care

Every September, Fall Prevention Month serves as a critical reminder of the importance of safeguarding our loved ones from the dangers of falls. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that “over 14 million, or one in four, adults ages 65 or older (older adults) report falling each year, [with] about 37% of those who fall reporting an injury that required medical treatment.” As the leading cause of injury among older adults, falls can have life-altering consequences, yet many of these incidents are preventable. This month, Maplewood Senior Living is focused on raising awareness, sharing practical tips, and promoting simple yet effective strategies that can help reduce the risk of falls, ensuring that everyone can enjoy their golden years with confidence and peace of mine. At our communities, we are working to implement SafelyYou, an AI fall prevention technology that’s poised to transform the safety and well-being of our residents.

SafelyYou: The Next Generation of AI-Powered Fall Prevention

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing senior care by enhancing the quality of life and independence of older adults. Our SafelyYou innovation combines real-time AI video technology with 24/7 remote clinical support through cutting-edge sensors to detect and help prevent falls. These sensors securely monitor residents’ activity in their apartments and care staff are immediately notified in the event of a fall, ensuring prompt assistance for residents in need.

The benefits of this system include:

• Rapid Response: With a median staff response time of just 90 seconds – compared to the industry average of 40 minutes – help arrives when it’s needed most.
• Reduced ER Visits: Only 0.3% of detected falls required an ER visit, a dramatic improvement from the industry standard of 23.6%.
• Enhanced Monitoring: 100% of falls in SafelyYou-equipped rooms were witnessed by staff, ensuring that no incident goes unnoticed or unattended.

Not only does the SafelyYou product detects falls, but it also helps better equip our staff with data and insights to make more informed, contextual clinical decisions, providing more personalized, higher-quality care.

Enhancing the Quality of Life for Our Residents

At the center of this innovation lies our main purpose: to improve the lives of our residents in meaningful ways. These include:

• Increased Independence: By reducing the fear of undetected falls, our residents can maintain more active and independent lifestyles.
• Improved Peace of Mind: Both residents and their families can feel more secure, knowing that help will arrive quickly in the event of a fall.
• Enhanced Care Planning: The system provides valuable data to help our staff identify patterns and adjust care plans proactively.
• Reduced Healthcare Costs: Fewer emergency room visits can lead to significant cost savings for our residents and their families.
• Preserved Dignity: Quick response times mean less time spent in potentially uncomfortable situations following a fall.

The Catalyst Technology Suite: A Comprehensive Approach to Senior Living Technology

While our AI-enabled fall prevention tool is groundbreaking, it’s just one part of our broader commitment to leveraging technology for the benefit of our residents. The Catalyst Technology Suite represents our holistic approach to senior living technology. It includes a range of innovative features such as:

• Virtual Reality: Our award-winning virtual reality experiences offer residents opportunities for digital travel, transporting them to new and familiar places all over the world.
• Resident Safety Systems: In addition to SafelyYou, our comprehensive safety systems include on-call nursing, real-time location capabilities, and access control to help keep residents safe and sound.
• Smart Apartments: Using voice alone, residents can turn on lights, play music adjust the temperature, call the concierge, or request information like daily menus and weather forecasts. (Available in select communities.)   
• Livestream Learning: Residents can stream live, interactive educational and entertainment programs from museums, national parks, botanical gardens, science centers, and other institutions nationwide.
• AI-Powered Robots: Our robots can initiate hands-free video visits with doctors and family members, engage our residents in activities, and provide entertainment during family visits.
• Electronic Health Record + eMar: Real-time visibility into a resident’s health enables data-driven clinical decisions and proactive care. Our system is integrated with our pharmacy partner for easy access to medication information and orders.

Each element of the Catalyst Technology Suite is carefully chosen and implemented to address specific aspects of senior well-being. You can view all of our available technologies at Maplewood communities here.

Our investment in cutting-edge technology like the SafelyYou system and the Catalyst Technology Suite is a testament to our commitment to staying at the forefront of senior care innovation, which is just the beginning. Looking to the future, we’re excited about the possibility that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced sensors could bring to senior care.

As we continue to observe Fall Prevention Month at Maplewood, we must remember that awareness and practice shouldn’t be limited to just one month. Preventing falls is a year-round commitment that can significantly improve the quality of life for your loved one. By making impactful changes to our environments, we can help ensure the safety and independence of our residents. Let’s continue to educate and support fall prevention strategies, fostering a safer and more secure future for everyone.