Improved fall monitoring system to debut

A new system for preventing falls is coming this month from a long-time industry veteran.

John J. Brasch, who created the WanderGuard in 1985 and sold it to STANLEY in 2002, has developed the SURE Advisor system with the J. Brasch Company. His system features a silent alarm and sensor pad that can be placed under a mattress.

Many of the current systems have pads that don’t have consistent signals or destroy the therapeutic value of a bed surface, or become soiled from resident incontinence, he said.

SURE is “a transformative technology that will change the way things are happening in the nursing home industry,” Brasch told McKnight’s.

He worked on developing the new system for five years and notes it fits in with new regulations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“CMS is already asking for a silent system,” he said. Silent alarms can reduce the stigma for residents, improving dig- nity, and also combat “alarm fatigue” that can occur when noisy alarms repeatedly go off.

Additionally, the SURE system “is under the mattress and is out of the way, and provides more information to nurses at the bedside. It provides management information at all levels.” This includes mobile device notifications to staff, and live views of a unit.

Many facilities are likely creating QAPI programs that look

at both falls and skin integrity, he added. While there are competitors for sensor-based fall monitoring, the 77-year-old noted he brings history and expertise to the long-term care market.

“My focus on what was really needed came from professionals in long-term care,” he said. “We didn’t drive it from an engineering or manufacturing discipline.”

Brasch added he continues to be motivated to create change in the long-term care industry.

“It’s tied to basic values. I still work everyday, and I’m fortunate I can do that,” he said. “My motto is that if I don’t help to get things better, I will wind up with the way things are.”