TochTech

TochTech

Project: Evaluation of a TochTech Sleepsense Bed Sensor

2021 –

Project goal: The care and safety of Persons Living with Dementia (PLWD) within assisted living and other communal living models is extremely important.  One key symptom of dementia is disorientation for time and/or place and this can lead to wandering behaviours for residents that are confused. This is especially difficult at night in care homes as staff will be focused on specific care needs for residents and are not able to watch all residents as they are expected to be sleeping in their rooms.  A resident that is wandering could be at risk for falls or may wander into the room of another resident disturbing them or worse.  The result is that care homes need a solution that can monitor and alert staff for residents that have left their beds but do so in a way that does not disturb other residents such as loud audible alarms. Tochtech has developed a pressure sensor that fits under the leg of a bed. It is capable of determining if a resident is in bed or not, no matter where in the bed the resident is lying. The sensor is connected through cloud processing to mobile devices that staff carry providing them with the alerts. The project goal is the assess the Tochtech sensor within a care home setting to determine if the sensor system improves staff ability to support residents that have exited beds through more effective response and staff efficiency.

PI: Bruce Wallace, Mirou Jaana, Frank Knoefel

Students: Laura Ault

Other Funding: MITACS

Care Home Partner: Courtyands / All Seniors Care