Across the Country, State Health Organizations, Nursing Homes, State and Private Quality

Across the country, state health Reducing and Discontinuing organizations, nursing homes, private and government quality Resident Alarms improvement organizations have all been studying the Our goal is to provide the best impact of personal alarms on quality of care for our residents. the lives of residents in skilled We work to ensure that their safety, nursing homes. well-being and quality of life are what they wish it to be.

The findings, for the use of personal alarms, have not If you have any questions or been positive: concerns regarding our goal to reduce the use of personal alarms “By keeping people from moving, on our residents, please contact our restraints adversely affect people’s director of nursing, administrator and/or social services respiratory, digestive, circulatory at your convenience. and muscular systems, contribute to Our goal is to provide the best depression and isolation, and inhibit possible care for our residents. sleeping. However, just as restraints A growing concern has been the cause harm by keeping people from continued use of personal alarms moving, so do personal alarms. that attach to or are placed next to There is no evidence to support or near the body of the resident. alarms’ usefulness in preventing falls and injuries. In spite of that, We find this practice to be staff, and sometimes families, intrusive and undignified to the gravitated to the use of alarms.” quality of life of our residents.

We strive to maintain the safest environment possible, but the ~ ”Rethinking the Use of Personal Change use of personal alarms has not Alarms.” Quality Partners of Rhode Island, proven to be of assistance in state Quality Improvement Organization, under contact with the Centers for Medicare & meeting this goal. Medicaid Services, 2007. Personal alarms are alerting Many states are now moving Alarms have been shown to devices that emit a loud warning towards an “alarm-free” have many negative effects on signal when a person moves. environment within their the lives of the residents. nursing homes: The most common types are: Alarms contribute to the  Pressure sensitive pads “The noise produced by alarms immobility, restrictiveness, placed under the resident agitated residents so much that discomfort, restlessness, while they are sitting on residents fitted with alarms did not agitation, sleep disturbance, chairs, in wheelchairs or move at all to avoid activating the skin breakdown and when sleeping in bed alarm. This put them at a greater risk for decline. Residents with dementia incontinence of the resident.  A cord attached directly experienced an increase in agitation on the person’s clothing when fitted with an alarm.” with a pull-pin or magnet ~ Case Study, MASSPRO a Massachusetts adhered to the alerting Quality Improvement Organization device

 Pressure sensitive mats on the floor “Alarms contributed to a lack of sleep; they wake both the resident using one  Devices that emit light and the roommate. After staff removed beams across a bed, chair all restraints, including alarms, falls or doorway decreased.” ~Director of Nursing, Oakview Terrace Nursing Home, Freeman, South Dakota In light of this recent evidence and to improve the lives of our residents, we will conduct a “Falls management: the next step is systematic and careful moving beyond the use of alarms.” assessment and evaluation for ~ Indiana State Department of Health, Falls Management Conference, 2007 the successful removal and reduction of personal alarms in our care center.