Case study: From hospital to home - supporting recovery thanks to assessment of need and the right technology
Published: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
We recently supported a resident with complex needs following their discharge from hospital - making sure they could be at home safely, with independence and with reassurance to his family.
Background and context
The resident lives at home with his wife, whose first language is not English. He also has communication difficulties himself, making it important that he has a reliable way to get help in an emergency.
Their daughter also lives with them, but works night shifts, and his wife leaves for work at 5am - meaning he is alone for long periods during the early morning and overnight.
Recently, he was admitted to hospital with encephalitis - a medical condition that causes inflammation of the brain. As a result of this, he was in a coma for two days.
Following his discharge from hospital, there were concerns about his cognition and falls risk - particularly when getting in and out of bed.
Referral and assessment
We received an NHS hospital referral to support the resident's discharge home. The initial request was for a care alarm and falls detector to make sure he could access help if needed.
Due to the complexities around his medical condition, communication difficulties, and household circumstances, the referral was escalated to an Assistive Technology Service Occupational Therapist (OT) for assessment.
OT assessment and family discussion
The OT contacted the gentleman's daughter to discuss his situation in more detail.
The daughter explained to the OT that her father sleeps alone - but not well, that he has a slatted bed - which would make bed sensors unsuitable and that he may struggle with wearing multiple sensors - although agreed to trial a wrist worn falls detector.
During their discussion, the OT explained the differences between hard and soft falls detection and explored alternative options as falls detectors only pick up hard falls - i.e. an actual drop to the ground.
Given her father's circumstances and the limitations of the bed sensors, it was agreed that a motion sensor to pager system would be more suitable to alert family members to movement during the night.
Installation and equipment provided
An installation was arranged and included a care alarm, wrist-worn falls detector and the motion sensor to pager system.
The installation was carried out jointly by a Nottingham on Call engineer and a Community Care Officer, making sure both the technical setup and support planning were fully co-ordinated in one visit.
Outcome
As a result of the assessment by the Nottingham on Call Assistive Technology Service Occupational Therapist due to the complexities of the case, the customer received a tailored package that addressed his specific needs and home lifestyle.
This included:
- improved safety at home through the installation of a care alarm and automatic falls detection
- night-time risk management achieved through the motion sensor to pager system, allowing family members to respond if her moved or fell during the night
- reduced hospital re-admission risk by providing reassurance and rapid access to help when alone
- family reassurance, as both his wife and daughter can now respond appropriately to alerts.
The package was installed within one week of the initial referral, making sure a prompt and effective response to support the resident's discharge and continued independence at home.