Survey shows that RoomMate makes big gains in elderly care

Combining a digital and passive nurse call system with our RoomMate safety sensor, provides major benefits in dementia and elderly care compared to traditional nurse call systems with active notifications such as pull cords and alarm pendants. This is the main insight of a recent survey among health care workers in 12 municipalities in Norway and Sweden. Some other benefits include increased safety and security, a reduction in the number of falls, faster help for residents and patients, and a simpler and more efficient workday for the employees.

As many as 11 out of 12 municipalities in the survey answered that they had recommended RoomMate further (one participant answered «don't know»).

Download the report from the survey here.

The survey shows that RoomMate:

- Provides increased safety for residents, patients, family members and employees.
- Reduces the number of falls.
- Leads to residents and patients receiving help more quickly.
- Is well suited for people living with dementia.
- Provides increased quality and more time for care.
- Provides a better overview and less disruption with digital monitoring.
- Provides better sleep quality for residents and patients.
- Saves time and resources.
- Is an important resource for the night shifts.

The impact of introducing caring technologies can be game-changing when done well. A key factor in doing this successfully is to ensure staff adoption and buy-in to the change is high. Customer satisfaction among the participants surveyed (Net Promoter Score - NPS) was very high. Our customers gave an average score of 9 out of a possible 10 when asked how likely they are to recommend RoomMate to other municipalities or institutions.

Increase in elderly people

Research shows that the number of elderly people in the Norwegian population will increase dramatically in the future. According to the forecasts from Statistics Norway (SSB), in 2030 Norway will have more residents over the age of 65 than under, and in 2060 there will be a tripling of individuals over 80 years old and a quintupling of those over 90. For the health and care sector, this means an increased demand for care services and an even greater need for assistance, especially among people with dementia, in the years to come. According to the National Centre for Aging and Health, more than 100,000 people in Norway have dementia today, and in 2040 the number will probably be almost double.

The so-called «senior wave», which describes the fact that more and more of us are living longer, is global. According to UN forecasts, the proportion of people over the age of 65 will make up more than 16 per cent of the world's population in 2050, compared to 9.7 per cent in 2022.

– The demographic development, with a sharp increase in the number of elderly people and a doubling of the number of people diagnosed with dementia in Norway over the next 20 years, means that we have to think innovatively about elderly care. This restructuring is necessary to make the Norwegian healthcare system more efficient and that we as a society can secure patient safety and quality of life now and in the future, says CEO Torbjorn Aamodt of Sensio AS, which is behind the safety sensor RoomMate.

Better everyday working life for healthcare workers

The Norwegian Smart Care Lab has conducted a benefit realisation study commissioned by Sensio AS, where managers and care workers in 12 municipalities in Norway and Sweden have been interviewed. The interviews were conducted without employees from Sensio present. All the municipalities had the ground-breaking security sensor RoomMate from Sensio implemented to a large extent in nursing homes and residential communities. The answers they provided emphasise the importance of investing in and implementing innovative welfare and care technology to meet the challenges in the health and care service.

– At Sensio, we are passionate about enabling a safer and more efficient health and care service. This study is confirmation that our solutions give healthcare workers a better every day working life with more time for physical care for residents and patients, says Aamodt in Sensio AS.

* ROOMMATE PROVIDES BIG BENEFITS IN ELDERLY CARE:

- Increased safety for residents, patients, family members and employees.

The results of the survey show that safety is one of the biggest benefits of RoomMate; not only for residents and patients, but also for employees and family members. 90 per cent of the respondents say that a traditional nurse call system with active notifications such as pull cords and alarm pendants does little or very little to ensure the safety of patients with dementia. At the same time, ALL respondents say that a nurse call system with RoomMate with passive notification to a large or very large extent secure the safety of elderly patients and patients with dementia.

- Reduction in the number of falls.

RoomMate aims to reduce and detect falls, and the survey confirms that this is a goal that the safety sensor lives up to. The employees experience being able to detect the risk of falling, and thus intervene before the patient actually gets injured. Several of the participants in the survey say that they now have minimal falls, and that they saw an immediate reduction in the number of falls after implementing RoomMate.

- Residents and patients get help quicker.

Everyone who was interviewed in the survey experienced to a large or very large extent that RoomMate helps residents and patients who have fallen get help more quickly. They also experience increased safety because the fall alarm makes it possible for employees to respond immediately.

- Well suited for people living with dementia.

11 out of 12 municipalities in the survey answered that RoomMate has been implemented for residents with a high degree of dementia. Patients with dementia have a high tendency to fall, and by using RoomMate they can both map, prevent and detect these falls. It is highlighted as valuable to use RoomMate as a tool when it comes to interaction and assistance to elderly patients with dementia.

- Increased quality and more time for care.

RoomMate helps employees to be freed from certain work tasks, and thus can spend more time caring for the residents and patients. The employees feel that they can be present for the patients when they actually need it, and they express that they can provide better quality care. RoomMate also makes it possible for the staff to make individual adjustments based on the individual needs of residents and patients, and thus meet their various needs in a better way.

- Better overview and less disruption with digital monitoring.

Digital monitoring give employees a better overview compared to when they only carry out physical interventions. RoomMate is an example of how healthcare workers can carry out digital interventions in a secure way, which also protect the residents' and patients' privacy.

- Better sleep quality for residents and patients.

RoomMate has proven to be a valuable resource for improving sleep quality among patients in the health and care service. 90 per cent of the respondents answered that RoomMate contributes to better sleep for the residents. Family members are positive about using RoomMate in nursing homes, as digital monitoring at night can reduce anxiety for patients and residents. RoomMate thus not only increases safety but also significantly improves the quality of sleep for the elderly.

- Time and resource saving.

Several municipalities in the survey emphasise that using RoomMate saves time and resources. The employees experience less stress, and they can prioritise their time better and set aside more time for necessary tasks. As many as 65 percent of the respondents find that RoomMate helps to simplify their work and helps them to a large or very large extent to prioritize better.

- An important resource for the night shifts.

Several of those who responded to the survey indicated that the biggest gains for healthcare workers when using RoomMate are related to the night shifts. The night shift workers experience a new way of performing their work. This applies in particular to supervision, where employees now can use digital monitoring as an aid to avoid unnecessary physical check-ins and thus reduce stress.

The survey shows that a digital and passive nurse call system, combined with the safety sensor RoomMate, provides major benefits in dementia and elderly care compared to traditional nurse call systems with active notifications such as pull cords and alarm pendants.