Groundbreaking falls prevention research approved for aged care facilities
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VMCH partners with innovative falls detection technology provider HomeGuardian and leading researchers from Deakin University in a three-year study.
Funding for the falls prevention research comes from an incredible $2.65 million investment from the Federal Government.
The Cooperative Research Centers Projects (CRC-P) Grant program supports short-term collaborative research projects for products that will “solve problems for industry and deliver real outcomes”.
Falls are a significant health concern, with around 1 in 3 older Australians having experienced a fall in the past 12 months.
HomeGuardian’s Artificial Intelligence devices detect when something is wrong, such as a fall, and automatically escalate alerts within two seconds.
Funding will allow VMCH to deploy thousands of devices and support monitoring falls across its residential aged care sites to help identify and enhance preventative measures.
“We are absolutely thrilled to play a key role in such an important initiative,” said Maria Paz, VMCH’s Chief Information Officer.
“This grant will allow VMCH to continue to be a leading innovator in the adoption and development of technology solutions, through industry and research partnerships, to positively impact the broader sector.”
Using predictive indicators to reduce the incidence of falls would make the HomeGuardian device the first product in the global market to provide this functionality, increasing its competitiveness in a $21 trillion industry.
“This technology has the potential to not only help reduce hospital admissions and injuries but also save lives,” added Paz.
The falls detection research program is said to run until December 2025.
This article was originally published in the Third Sector.
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
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