Irish firm’s solution may cut €20m bill for hospital falls

A new Irish company has developed a way to prevent elderly people from injuring themselves while falling in hospital settings, potentially saving the State almost €20m a year.

Health technology start-up Kinesis Health made the announcement as part of ongoing research into the seemingly minor problem which is a major headache for health services across the globe.

Under plans drawn up by the UCD-linked firm, Kinesis researchers said they can use existing motion-sensor technology to better understand the gait and reflexes of individual elderly people.

And while many would view trips and falls to be an unavoidable reality of growing older, the company said as a result of this information it can develop individual plans to better protect older people at risk of slipping and injuring themselves.

Slips, trips and falls are a major problem for health services worldwide, with an estimated 30%-50% of elderly adults over the age of 65 suffering hospital-setting falls that result in significant injury at least once a year.

In Ireland, the issue accounts for just under 70% of all compensation cases relating to the health service every 12 months, with annual pay-outs regularly approaching 20m.

The Irish research into the area comes after a similar study by the University of Illinois in Chicago, US, earlier this week.

The American study said while conventional efforts to reduce the risk of falls, such as exercises to boost strength and balance are worthwhile, clear information on how an individual person falls — and when — could help to drastically reduce the issue.

The US team based its own calculations on placing elderly people in secure harnesses before asking them to walk along a treadmill designed to trip them up.

Through analysis of how they fall in this safe environment and the experience of the trips for the individual involved, the research said the number of incidents of serious injury can be reduced.