How HomeGuardian is revolutionising post-fall care: Amber's story

When Amber’s doctor recommended she get a fall detection device, she thought it was a good thing to have ‘just in case’. Little did she know that installing a HomeGuardian device in her home would end up potentially saving her life.HomeGuardian’s patented fall detection technology utilises non-invasive artificial intelligence to support independent living and incident response. The technology automatically escalates alerts to family, friends or carers in the event of a fall. All without buttons or lanyards, HomeGuardian ensures that those who fall get the post-fall care they deserve.

Amber’s Story

As a child, Amber broke her back. As she got older, she developed osteoporosis - a condition that causes bones to weaken and break. The combination of the two caused chronic pain which led Amber to experience some trouble with mobility.Amber also started having falls, which caused her doctor to label her a “high fall risk”. Amber’s doctor was concerned that due to the nature of her condition, a fall could spell disaster.Amber has carers that visit her home to help her with tasks, but they aren’t around all the time. So the possibility of being alone during a fall was a concern.“If I have a fall sometimes I can get up and sometimes I can’t,” she said.Amber’s doctor consulted her physiotherapist and put a plan in place to ensure she would be able to get back up if she had another fall. Together, they recommended Amber install a fall detection device in her home.

Why is fall detection necessary?

Not only can falling cause significant distress, falls are also Australia’s leading cause of hospital admissions and injury-related deaths. When someone falls, their chance of falling again also becomes higher.Global fall statistics show that of those who fall, over 60 per cent cannot get up by themselves, and over 30 per cent are left lying on the floor for upwards of an hour.An individual lying on the ground unattended after a fall runs the risk of dehydration, succumbing to injuries, or even hypothermia.With two out of three falls happening in the home, it’s more important than ever to ensure those who live independently have access to assistance in the event of a fall, without compromising their right to privacy.

Why Amber Chose HomeGuardian

After speaking with her doctor and physiotherapist, Amber found herself overwhelmed by the amount of fall detection products on the market.“I looked at a detector to wear on my wrist but I couldn’t afford it,” Amber said.Amber came across a photograph of the HomeGuardian device on social media, which prompted her to research the device further.Amber was also impressed with the device’s automatic escalation capabilities, meaning if she had a fall, she wouldn’t need to manually activate anything to know that help was on the way.Following a phone call with the HomeGuardian Care team, Amber also discovered that HomeGuardian offered affordable payment plans.“I was sold,” she said.Within months, Amber had received her HomeGuardian device, which she placed in her bathroom - a room where she’d fallen before.

HomeGuardian to the rescue

One night Amber was alone in her home around 9:00pm, when she lost her balance and slipped on a wet tile. She was laying on the floor injured, cold, wet, and unable to move.“I couldn’t get up,” she said.Within two seconds of incident detection, HomeGuardian began an alert process where it contacted Amber’s carers for help. Reminder alerts continued every 5 minutes until carers arrived and gave Amber the assistance she deserved.“I got a text from HomeGuardian straight away, and then my carers came to help,” Amber said.“It took almost two hours to get me up.”Amber’s carers weren’t scheduled to re-visit until 11am the next morning, meaning without HomeGuardian, Amber would have been stuck on the cold tiled floor, in pain, for upwards of 10 hours.“If it hadn’t been for HomeGuardian I would have been stuck on the floor until my carers came,” she said.

The Results

HomeGuardian’s award-winning fall detection and automatic escalation technology encourages independence whilst ensuring post-fall care.Not only was Amber able to get prompt assistance after a traumatic fall, she was also spared the distress and potential health implications of being stuck on the bathroom floor overnight.Amber continues to rely on HomeGuardian’s fall detection technology in her home, while continually advocating for HomeGuardian’s capabilities.“I’m a high fall risk, and I recommend it for young people with a disability, people with a high fall risk plus the elderly,” Amber says.For more information on HomeGuardian’s fall and incident detection assistive technology, visit homeguardian.ai or call 1300 248 324.

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