Bjornafjorden local authority with its 26,000 inhabitants is located in Vestland county, west in Norway. The local authority has two care homes: Luranetunet Care Home (main picture) with 175 places and Fusa Care Home (picture below) with 41 places.
Both care homes have had nurse call systems from Sensio for quite some time through, among other things, SmartVakt at Luranetunet and Unity/Sensio Pocket at Fusa. During the year, both got off to a good start with the use of the safety sensor RoomMate and the «digital first» mind set. At Fusa, they have installed RoomMate in all resident rooms, while at Luranetunet they are implementing the safety sensor department by department and are well over halfway through.
We had a chat with (from left) Elisabeth Drange Saelen, Welfare Technology Coordinator in Bjornafjorden local authority, Lisbet Marie Nordang, Assistant Head of Department at Luranetunet and Linn Andrea Hjelle, Special Consultant for Welfare Technology in Bjornafjorden local authority, to hear their experiences with the introduction of RoomMate and digital first.
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Maintains quality and saves money
Part of the background for investing in welfare technology at the two care homes was that Bjornafjorden local authority about a year ago decided to save money by reducing the care factor (number of full-time positions divided by the number of residents), and the introduction of RoomMate came to support the saving decision.
– The welfare technology must contribute to achieving the goal of saving money, while at the same time being an important aid in being able to continue to provide good care and have good welfare services for the local authority’s residents. It is better to jump on the welfare technology train than to be left on the platform, says Elisabeth Drange Saelen, Welfare Technology Coordinator in Bjornafjorden local authority.
Digital first introduction
Earlier this year, it was decided that the implementation of RoomMate at the two care homes should go faster, and that they should carry out a so-called «digital first» introduction.
– This is a training organized by Sensio and runs over many weeks, including eight meetings and six weeks of dedicated follow-up afterwards. The goal is that the employees feel comfortable using the technology and all the functions that are available, that they change their mindset and working method to digital first and ensure that they are able to realize gains from the investment, explains Sissel Ulstad in Sensio.
Central to this implementation process is the transition from active to passive notification, digital supervision as the first choice, broad implementation (the same technology in all resident rooms) and the use of data for services that are adapted to the individual.
This is how digital can first contribute to a positive, digital transformation in elderly care
Lisbet Marie Nordang (picture), Assistant Department Manager at Luranetunet, says that they are implementing RoomMate and digital first department by department to ensure good and safe operations. The largest department with 31 rooms implemented first this spring.
– It takes time to learn and implement new methods of working, but this is now the department that is the most eager and has come the furthest with digital first. Everyone was very inspired by Sensio's training and has taken more ownership of the technology. The good training and close follow-up have been very useful and valuable, she says.
Gains and improvements
Linn Andrea Hjelle (picture), Special Consultant for Welfare Technology in Bjornafjorden local authority, has worked closely with the introduction of RoomMate and digital first at the Fusa Care Home. 
She says that the biggest gains are better resident safety and increased security for the employees.
– We now have the opportunity to be at the forefront and, for example, prevent a potential fall, because we can receive a warning when a resident with a high fall risk wakes up or sits up in bed, and be in place before anything happens. It is a big gain, especially for residents with dementia, at the same time that the employees now have the opportunity to spend their time effectively on those who need help first and foremost, she says.
Lisbet Marie Nordang from Luranetunet also explains the benefit of the night shift not having to disturb the residents unnecessarily with physical supervision. This leads to less disturbance at night, and in some cases, they have gone from doing three physical supervisions per resident per night to now doing one, and instead supplement with digital supervisions. It provides better sleep for the residents and leads to them being more alert during the day, while the night shift is confident that everything is in order with the residents.
– Many employees take some time to trust the solutions and systems, but once they do and see that it works, no one wants to go back to the time before RoomMate and the digital first mindset, says Nordang.
The welfare technology team in Bjornafjorden local authority is also very satisfied with the RoomMate team in Sensio and the close follow-up.
– If unforeseen events occur, they are dealt with quickly. Both the ease of use and the support from Sensio have worked very well, says Lisbet Marie Nordang.
RoomMate in all rooms
Elisabeth Drange Saelen (picture) confirms that they are now working towards getting RoomMate in all rooms in both care homes and says that they will immediately start introducing digital first in one more department at Luranetunet.
– We have learned a lot from the implementation in the other departments, and it is just as important to get everyone on the team from the start – from department heads to super users to those who work with this on a daily basis. In the long term, broad implementation brings benefits in itself, and we look positively at the future with RoomMate and digital first and the safety it creates for both employees and residents, she concludes.
Main picture: Jan M. Lillebo/Bergens Tidende.
