According to a pilot study conducted through Care Home By RNs using BAM Labs' (Campbell, CA) new Touch-free Life Care (TLC) System, a next-generation wireless sensor-based system that transforms a conventional bed into a smart bed, senior residents were monitored for 60 days with no falls reported, no new pressure ulcers, improved documentation of sleep patterns, and continuous monitoring of motion and turning while in bed.

  The smart bed pilot study gathered data on a variety of observable cases ranging from bed-bound individuals requiring assistance to help prevent falls, dementia patients requiring close monitoring, and seniors whose heart rate and respiratory rate trends allow caregivers to monitor reactions to new medication.

  More than one-third of elderly individuals experience one fall per year, and 40 percent of falls result in an emergency room visit. Expenditures related to falls by elderly residents are anticipated to cost $43.8 billion by 2020.

  The study product uses a wireless sensor placed under any bed mattress, which detects the person’s bio-signals without attaching anything to the body. It transmits that data to the cloud where it is analyzed for heart rate, breathing rate, and movement. This data can be viewed on mobile devices and PCs, or integrated in EMR/EHR systems to track health trends, manage chronic diseases, help prevents falls, inform rehabilitation programs, and enable sleep analysis.

  Conventional hospital beds equipped with remote monitoring capabilities cost as much as $30,000, putting them out of reach for most senior living communities. Conventional patient monitors typically issue loud alerts and require connecting the person with wires. In early use at residential care facilities, the system recorded more than 88 million biometric readings, monitored more than 22,000 sleep sessions, and tracked more than 240,000 bed exits.

  Visit www.bamlabs.com to view the pilot study, “Improving Quality of Care Using the Biometric System."