CARESMART Integrated Smart Care Home
WHY ARE CARE HOMES FAILING?
RESEARCH To asses how we could use the IoT to improve care homes we had to observe how they currently functioned. We asked carers what problems their daily routine contained. “A lot of falls and trips go unrecorded, or the records get lost” “ It’s hard to accurately record the health and care an individual needs”. Laura Pamplin – previous carer
KEY MESSAGES Care homes are under increasing pressure to cut costs whilst maintaining a high standard of care. Many care homes are short staffed Some have not yet adopted IT solutions for managing their homes, patients care plans etc are stored in folders! Carers are disorganized and there is a communication barrier between themselves and the patients.
OUR SOLUTION Several inter-linked smart devices placed within the patients room. Bed, Chair, Walls, floor Toilet These devices communicate with the carers smart phone e.g Shock sensors to record falls, measuring their location and intensity.
MAIN FUNCTIONALITY Contributes to the persons care plan – Actively measures the ableness of the patient over time and suggests further care if needed. Once a care alert is sent to the carers device, the carer must respond to the request- aims to reduce carer negligence and encourage fast response times. Room arrangement: Sensors taking historical data such as falls in a particular place can advise care plans and carers on modifications to the space to reduce the risk of further falls.
TECHNICAL The device we are showing today is a smart chair prototype It uses pressure sensors to work out when somebody is trying and failing to leave the chair. It then sends a notification to the carers phone, if they are struggling, and records the pressure exerted for future analysis of the persons health.
SPATIAL DESIGN
LIMITATIONS The main problem with the evolving space is the need for major renovations to implement the floor sensors. This would restrict it to newer care homes only.
QUESTIONS?