New smart watch technology to predict and prevent falls among older people is being trialled in Northern Ireland.
The ‘Move More Live More’ project brings Ulster University together with Age NI, the Public Health Agency, and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust to tackle the problem of falls, which are known to have a catastrophic effect on the elderly.
Falls are a major cause of disability and they are the leading cause of death as the result of an injury in people over the age of 75, particularly following a hip fracture.
Sandra Aitcheson, assistant director of nursing at PHA
Falls cause “fear, anxiety, social isolation, reduced mobility and moving on ultimately to [loss of] independence and sometimes admission to nursing home,” Sandra Aitcheson, assistant director of nursing at the PHA, told the BBC, adding “Falls are a major cause of disability and they are the leading cause of death as the result of an injury in people over the age of 75, particularly following a hip fracture”.
Participants aged over 65 are invited to join the project which involves wearing a smart watch which uses various health indicators such as rates of activity, sleep, heart monitoring and oxygen saturation. A benchmark level is established for the wearer. Predictive analytics then recognise any changes that could be a sign of that person being at risk of having a fall. Alerts and follow-up are then triggered.
“If those alerts are at a level that gives cause for concern, that data is passed through to a call centre,” said Vicki Caddy from Age NI.
An individual will phone the person who is wearing the device, check everything is OK, see whether they need any assistance, whether they need any health advice and also see whether they are moving as much as they were and why not.
Vicki Caddy from Age NI
As well as alerting health professionals to intervene, the technology aims to boost education and well-being. A participant told the BBC: “If I am sitting for a long time, it tells me to get up and move.” In a testament to the transformative power of the programme, she added: “It does not have to tell me that often now – it used to in the beginning, but now I know up here I have to walk. My walking would have been almost nil, and I sat around a lot. Today, with my watch I can do 8,000 steps and hope to go to nine [thousand] and maybe 10 [thousand].”
“It is brand new and people in Northern Ireland are being invited to be among the first people really to try it out,” according to Caddy. “We have about 600 of these watches available, but we have places for up to 1,300 people.”
If it works, the technology could become part of the AI solution to the health and social care crisis across the UK, but it is not intended to replace human interaction or professional healthcare contact.
“There is a real safety net around this,” Caddy said. “It is not just someone wearing a watch and relying on the technology. There is very much a human interface behind this as well.”
