Wired & Wireless Floor Sensor Mats Minimize Fall Risks
One of the most common types of physical injuries in the elderly is falling onto the floor. Protecting patients from injury during a fall requires different strategies than simply preventing the fall itself. An effective intervention for minimizing injury when a patient does fall is the use of wired or wireless floor sensor mats. These sensor mats are placed alongside the bed. Floor sensor mats are suggested for those patients who you worry will get up without calling for help, are able to move in the bed, try to get out of bed without you, and are at risk for injury, such as osteoporotic or fracture risk, or have fracture history. Fall Prevention through the use of Floor Sensor Mats is a crucial part of any successful program.
IMPACT ABSORBING FLOOR STATISTICS
While we may not be able to prevent all falls, we can certainly reduce the harm that falls cause. Research has shown, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29869973/ , that falls onto padded surfaces, such as carpet or impact-absorbing flooring, reduce the force of impact, which lowers the risk of injury. The severity of trauma from a fall onto soft surfaces is much less than from a fall onto harder surfaces like concrete or tile.
Studies also show that impact-absorbing flooring does indeed reduce fall-related injuries. A study by Gustavsson et al. (2015) found that among nursing home residents, falls onto 12mm thick composite impact-absorbing tile flooring resulted in a significantly lower injury rate compared to falls on regular flooring. Specifically, the injury rate for falls on regular flooring was 30.3%, while for falls on impact-absorbing flooring, it was just 16.9%. The relative risk of injury was reduced by 59% with impact-absorbing flooring. This demonstrates the protective effect of impact-absorbing surfaces, and similarly, floor mats offer a comparable level of protection.
FLOOR SENSOR MATS: WIRED & WIRELESS
When healthcare settings have floor sensor mats as part of their Fall Prevention program, nursing staff and physiotherapists typically determine their use. The primary barrier to using them is the concern about potential trip hazards. Indigo Care shares the responsibility of addressing these concerns and ensuring patient protection during falls to reduce injury severity. To prevent tripping, our Wired and Wireless Floor Sensor Mats are made from top-quality PVC with bevelled sloping edges.
PVC FLOOR SENSOR MAT & FOAM CUSHION FLOOR SENSOR MAT
The traditional PVC Floor Sensor Mat and the 40mm PVC Foam Cushion Floor Sensor Mat are available in two options: a wired version with a Y-lead directly connected to the nurse call point, or a wireless version that works with the Wireless Receiver and Wireless Transmitter. The wireless option eliminates extra leads, further reducing the risk of trip hazards.
Some patients may get up from bed and unfortunately start to fall. Wouldn’t you rather the patient fall onto a floor mat and your staff alerted, protecting them from serious injury? We are responsible for creating a safe environment to prevent injury, and it is also a crucial component of fall injury prevention programs.
