HomeGuardian technology in world-first research trial to predict and prevent falls among the elderly

The Australian Care industry is facing ongoing threats of understaffing and resident prioritisation, prompting Queensland technology company HomeGuardian.AI to pioneer a world-first trial aimed at revolutionising how the sector manages its top risk: the safety and wellbeing of its residents.

Royal Commission data shows that almost one-third of Aged Care residents experience a fall per quarter. At its current trajectory, the industry is facing a shortage of 110,000 workers by 2031 - a statistic that will greatly affect resident prioritisation and the ability to address resident falls.?

As falls are Australia’s leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation and death, it is now more important than ever to take action to support Care staff in addressing the severity of falls amongst residents.

While HomeGuardian’s fall detection devices currently enable better care prioritisation and response to falls in industry settings, a new trial will see the technology develop further in a move that will greatly enhance care levels.?

HomeGuardian.AI is partnering with 澳大利亚迪肯大学 and Villa Maria Catholic Homes ( VMCH ) in a world-first research trial, supported by a $2.65 million Australian Government grant provided via Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P).

The trials will see the installation of over 1,000 HomeGuardian fall detection devices in VMCH residences over a three-year period, where they will be utilised to understand fall indicators and warning signs.

Currently, HomeGuardian devices use non-invasive artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor an environment and understand a person’s normal behaviour. Using these indicators, the device can recognise when an incident (like a fall) has occurred.?

Once the device notices a fall, it automatically alerts emergency contacts to ensure help arrives swiftly. The device creates these alerts without the need to press a button or manually activate an alarm.

Following the research undertaken at VMCH, HomeGuardian’s Artificial Intelligence Research and Development team will be able to enhance the device’s functionality from its existing capabilities as a fall alert and detection device to a fall prevention device.

Integrating fall prevention in the wider Geritech sector would mark a tremendous leap forward in patient prioritisation while enabling those in the Care industry to address resident falls in a way that’s never been seen before.

“Our world-first assistive technology devices already ensure people get immediate help after a fall. We are now on a mission to go one step further and prevent what is the leading cause of injuries resulting in hospitalisation and death,” said Founder Kane Sajdak .

“By predicting falls, our technology has the potential to prevent the leading cause of traumatic injuries and death among the elderly and take significant pressure off healthcare and aged care systems around the world.”

"As HomeGuardian.AI continues to disrupt the Geritech sector, the CRC-P grant marks a tremendous leap forward in preventative care for HomeGuardian.AI and an Australian Geritech startup ecosystem,” said CEO David Pearce .

“HomeGuardian.AI thanks the Australian Federal Government for recognising the severity of falls in the community and taking steps to improve the care that vulnerable Australians deserve,” he said.?

A Deakin University research team will look to recruit one thousand participants and collect?both technical data from HomeGuardian monitoring systems and observational studies undertaken by nurses at VMCH facilities across Australia.

From there, “the HomeGuardian device’s Artificial Intelligence algorithms will be closely analysed and updated to allow fall prediction, and subsequently, predictive care that has never been seen before in the aged care landscape,” Kane Sajdak said.

The entire HomeGuardian team is excited to undertake this crucial research and to make a positive difference in the Geritech Care industry and the lives of vulnerable Australians.

To learn more about this world-first research trial,? read the media release here: https://homeguardian.ai/media-release/?

Data from the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare and Committee for the Economic Development of Australia