Close up image of a caretaker helping older woman walk

A New York-area long-term care provider just got a big assist in its aim to reduce both falls and staff alarm fatigue.

The Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehab, New Hyde Park, NY, recently partnered with vendor EarlySense, giving its nurses and other providers tools to continuously monitor residents. Those include a sensor, placed under residents’ mattresses, which monitors both heart and respiratory rate, along with patient motion. It alerts nurses via pager when vital signs spike, with the ultimate goal of cutting back on readmissions. With a lower alert rate, too, the tech also helps to limit staff alarm fatigue.

“The goal in securing EarlySense technology is to enhance quality of care by better patient monitoring so that early intervention can take place,” Michael Rosenblut, president and CEO of Parker, said in an announcement. “Early detection of patient deterioration in clinical care units is a top priority for all health care institutions, including skilled nursing facilities like Parker.”

Parker’s pilot program with EarlySense kicked off back in September in its Three North West Wing. Early feedback from nurses, they say, has been positive. “Overall, it’s like a pair of extra eyes and ears for our staff,” Colleen Ariola, VP of patient care services, said in the prepared statement.