Activity monitoring - is this the future of care alarms

Nottingham on Call is currently piloting a system, which is set to be the future of care alarms.

The Alcuris Memo Hub is a system currently on trial with Nottingham on Call as we look into the future of care alarms and what will be needed as our population becomes older, more active and lifestyles change.

This digital transformation means we will be able to not just be alerted to a problem by the user of a care alarm, we will also be able to monitor a person’s day-to-day movements, and identify if there is any unusual behaviour. 

The Memo Hub will monitor a range of factors within the home, which help to build a picture of an individual’s mobility. These include:

• Time spent in bed in the last 24 hours
• The number of times a resident’s kettle has been boiled
• The number of times a resident’s fridge door has been opened
• The number of bathroom visits made and the time spent in the bathroom
• The number of times a resident’s flat door was opened
• All panic alarm presses.

The future of care alarms does rely on us making sure our monitoring service fit the lifestyles of the people we work with. We do believe that with all this information, being monitored by the right people, we could enable people to live at home, independently for longer.

Alternatively the Memo Hub could be used for a limited time, to help understand whether someone is safe to remain at home, or define what is an appropriate level of support for them.

Our trial has seen the Alcuris Memo Hub fitted into ten people’s homes for six months. The existing care alarms remain in place and there is no cost to the customer for being a part of the trial. 

Activity monitoring – is this the future of care alarms? Dave Miles, Nottingham on Call Development Manager, said: “We’re hoping that this trial will be able to give us a true picture of how beneficial the Memo Hub can be for our customers. While our systems are more than adequate now, we have to invest in finding the best solution for the future of care alarms, and we believe this is a real step in that direction.”