The Hamilton Village Care Centre will be the first long-term care facility within Vancouver Coast Health to implement the Sleepsense alarm onto residents’ beds.
Tochtech’s Sleepsense will send notifications to healthcare workers whenever a resident gets out of bed, has not returned to bed or has a medical emergency while in bed. Sleepsense bed exit alerts are sent to smartphones or other integrated nurse call systems used by Hamilton Village Care Centre. Additionally, the sensor will collect sleep quality data, such as heart and breathing rate, allowing caregivers to adjust care plans or intervene and avert potential medical emergencies.
Jessica Yang, CEO of Tochtech Technologies, said that the aging population needs quality sleep to recharge their physical and mental health for the next day.
“Sleep can tell a lot,” Yang said, “having the report can help the caregivers plan accordingly and help the resident to settle down.”
The sensors are placed under the bed frame, so will feel less invasive to the residents’ privacy. Yet, it can detect a wide range of body movements and vital signs without disrupting sleep, regardless of where the sleeper is positioned.
“You can drop sesame seeds into the bed, and it can sense the vibration and the change of weight,” Yang said.
Melissa Bawtinheimer, general manager of Hamilton Village Care Centre, said that Sleepsense’s pilot phase has yielded much positive feedback, and she is excited to proceed with the installation in early February.
“The ability to analyze the sleep data without the staff standing over the residents to see if they’re asleep, really does give us a leg up in terms of supporting their overall health quality,” Bawtinheimer said.
Before having Sleepsense, the Hamilton Village Care Centre couldn’t accurately evaluate the residents’ sleep quality, making pinpointing the reason behind constant fatigue more tricky.
“They potentially could be at greater risk for fall, or something medically going on that’s new that we weren’t aware of,” Bawtinheimer said, stating that having the sleep data available can make the caregivers more proactive and support the residents’ quality of life.
The Hamilton Village Care Centre will install up to 65 units, covering half of the residence and more when the centre receives additional EquipCare Funding.The centre’s caregivers will be trained to familiarize themselves with the system as it is scheduled to go live in early March.
The residents’ family members will also be able to access the sleep data through Sleepsense’s online portal.
Tochtech’s Sleepsense has won the 2020 AGE-WELL competition and is planning to become more flexible for hospital and private residents.
