You may be surprised to learn that care home residents frequently spend a large portion of their day alone in their rooms. Research has found that residents can be isolated for between 50-80% of the day, creating a significant challenge for care providers.
While it is essential to provide residents with autonomy, this isolation can lead to unintended consequences. The longer residents spend alone, the greater the risk of potential emergencies going unnoticed, such as falls, infections and changes in mental or physical health. This is exacerbated if staff have limited face-to-face time with residents, potentially missing subtle changes in a resident’s health or wellbeing or residents not reporting minor issues. The result? You can end up with problems only being identified when they become severe.
Limited staff-resident interaction
As residents spend more time alone, care teams are tasked with identifying health issues during limited, sometimes rushed, visits. These brief interactions make it difficult to detect subtle changes, such as reduced mobility, increased fatigue or cognitive decline in a resident’s condition.
I know from my own experience with my grandparents that residents do not always report subtle changes in their health or mood during brief check-ins. This is either because they might feel it is not important enough to mention, or they may simply be unaware of the significance of their symptoms or worse they don’t want to burden an already overstretched team.
The increasing pressure on care staff means they must identify changes in a resident’s condition during limited, often rushed, interactions. As staff are responsible for meeting multiple residents’ needs simultaneously, this can often lead to a fragmented understanding of each person’s wellbeing. Subtle signs like increased fatigue, dehydration or cognitive decline may go unnoticed, resulting in missed opportunities for early intervention or adjustments to care plans.
A new approach
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way care is delivered in care homes, addressing many of the challenges posed by resident isolation. AI-powered resident monitoring systems are helping care homes address these challenges by providing continuous, non-intrusive observation of residents, even when staff are not present. These systems combine motion and sound sensors with advanced AI algorithms to track residents’ movements, behaviours and overall health trends in real time, offering a more comprehensive picture of their needs.
AI systems provide invaluable support by collecting continuous data and flagging risks before they escalate. Whether it is a resident’s decreased mobility, changes in sleep patterns or unexplained behaviours, AI monitoring enables care homes to take action earlier, often preventing serious complications.
Robin Hall from Oaklands Care Home shares the benefits of AI monitoring, ‘The digital systems that we use allow our manager to be connected to what is happening at the home. The system alerts us if there is an unusual or an unexpected noise, we can ask our care staff to go at that point. Most importantly our staff and our management team feel more confident that they know what’s going on in the home.’
AI monitoring can detect patterns such as decreased movement or restless sleep, both of which may indicate health concerns. By flagging these issues early, care teams can take action before the situation worsens, ensuring residents receive timely care.
The impact on care
AI resident monitoring technology is transforming the way care is delivered in several key areas:
- Improving sleep quality – with no need for regular hourly
night-time room checks, residents enjoy more restful, undisturbed sleep. This not only enhances their wellbeing but also leaves them better prepared to face the day, benefiting from uninterrupted rest. ‘This kind of technology has been marvellous in enabling our residents to live their very best possible life. It is apparent that these kinds of technologies most importantly improve quality of sleep and not only reduce falls but also decrease subsequent hospital visits.’ Melanie Dawson, Home Manager at The Lawns. - Enhancing care time – care workers no longer need to check on residents every hour, giving them more time to focus on those who need direct care. This improves the quality of care provided and allows carers to spend more time doing what they do best, caring for others. ‘The staff team reported that the system has given them more time to do the more important things that they need to do on a day-to-day basis, especially during the night shift. So, it’s somehow supported them and freed up time from unnecessary checks in the night, so they find it really useful.’ Jay Trondillo, Regional Director at Maria Mallaband Care Group.
- Reducing unwitnessed falls and infections – fewer undiagnosed infections and unwitnessed falls in care homes deliver a positive impact on the overall care system, reducing GP visits, ambulance callouts and hospital admissions, whilst alleviating the strain on an already stretched NHS. This results in cost savings for both private and public healthcare systems. ‘I worked a night shift and listened to several calls of one of our ladies who had a bad cough through the night, we did a COVID-19 test and it picked up a positive result. We also had somebody else who was poorly in the night, and she had a chest infection. So, if we hadn’t listened to the recordings, we wouldn’t have picked it up.’ Nicola Ray, Registered Manager at Oaklands Care Home.
- Supporting higher dependency residents – with the removal of administrative night checks, care homes are now better equipped to take on higher dependency residents, as carers have more time to provide the necessary care.
The use of AI resident monitoring technology also supports proactive care changes using the AI data and insights. Julie Burton, Head of Operations at Azalea Court, recounts a situation where the data from AI monitoring helped secure funding for a resident. ‘AI resident monitoring technology has been a game changer for us. Without the data it provided, we wouldn’t have been able to build a case strong enough to secure the funding we needed to care for this resident. Now, the resident is happy, his family is at peace, and our staff can provide the right care at the right time.’
AI data can provide insights that can guide care decisions, enabling more personalised and efficient care. What AI insights can also reveal is when a resident’s condition improves, allowing for a reassessment of their care needs. At Greensleeves, Susan Graham, Home Manager at Harleston House, experienced the power of AI monitoring when staff struggled to identify why a resident was constantly fatigued.
‘We have discovered things we simply wouldn’t have known. For example, we had a resident who was being woken up by the kitchen fan early each morning, limiting his sleep. We have simply changed our cooking routine, and he is now so much happier. By using this technology we have eliminated so many concerns, it’s amazing to see the impact on the residents.’ In this instance, AI monitoring helped the staff identify an underlying issue that would have been difficult to detect through standard observation alone. The system’s continuous monitoring provided valuable insights that directly improved the resident’s quality of life.
The future of AI in care homes
As AI technology continues to evolve, I believe its potential in reducing resident isolation and improving care will become even more significant. Current systems focus on movement and behaviour tracking. It is likely that future advancements will include predictive capabilities, such as identifying early signs of cognitive decline, mobility issues or even infections before they manifest.
Looking ahead, the role of AI will become more sophisticated and significant especially in anticipating residents’ needs. The role of AI will be key in quickly analysing patterns in resident behaviour and using AI algorithms to predict falls, mental health declines or infections days before symptoms become obvious. If this becomes a reality this would enable care teams to intervene much earlier to provide pre-emptive care and aim to reduce the risks associated with isolation.
Embracing AI
In summary, I believe AI resident monitoring is revolutionising care homes by addressing one of the most critical gaps – the time residents spend alone. With AI, care homes can provide continuous, real-time monitoring, ensuring that even when residents are physically alone, they are never truly unmonitored.
By embracing AI, care homes can improve early interventions, reduce hospitalisations, and ensure residents receive the personalised care they need. As the technology continues to advance, it will play an increasingly important role in addressing the challenges of isolation, ensuring that residents receive the care and attention they need, even when they are alone. Plus, it promises to play an even bigger role in safeguarding the wellbeing of care home residents across the UK.
Has your care setting embraced AI? What has been your experience? Do you have alternative methods for monitoring residents’ wellbeing in their rooms? Leave a comment on this article or join the conversation to share your thoughts.
Thomas Tredinnick is Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Ally Cares.
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