Safe Steps & the Community
At Safe Steps we know that over 50% of people over the age of 85 will suffer a fall this year. The impacts of that fall cost us greatly as a community, both economically and personally. Financially the NHS spends over £2.4 billion a year on falls. Personally it is the impact on a person’s psyche that costs us the most. When an individual falls they lose their confidence and stability, placing them at a higher risk of falling again. It is a terrible fact that 33% of people with hip fractures die within a year.
It is widely understood that when older people attend A&E, they increase their risk of picking up an infection, having a reaction to medication, suffering from cognitive decline or delirium – any of which can result in an increased length of time in hospital and ultimately shorten their lives. So finding ways to assess and treat them at home is crucial.
We need more of a connection between the community and hospital for frail older people. Safe Steps is working with domiciliary care providers to bridge this gap. Domiciliary care is a service provided to people still living in their own homes that require additional support with day to day household tasks, personal care or any other activity that allows them to maintain their quality of life and independent living.
On a daily basis the job of a domiciliary carer revolves around helping clients with their immediate needs such as washing, dressing and maintaining their hygiene, as well as helping them with basic day-to-day or administrative duties. So how do we empower these individuals to keep their charges out of hospital, and at home where they are happy and healthy?
Safe Steps has taken their award winning Falls app and repurposed it through the lens of domiciliary care. The Community App takes these carers through a multifactorial risk assessment based on the NICE guidelines. Some examples of these questions are: “Could current medications be contributing to falls?” and “Is there a history of a long term condition that may affect strength, balance, co-ordination or cause pain, e.g. Stroke (CVA) or Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia, Arthritis? Does this condition require close monitoring of medication?” Once completed, this assessment delivers a personalised action plan to mitigate risk of falling.
This plan is then shared with an “owner” or individual who will be responsible for managing the person’s care. Local service providers will receive updates as can family and friends. These updates can range anywhere from domestic improvements such as: “Client requires single hand rail fitting in the bathroom, by the toilet” to health warnings: “If there are concerns around the person's muscle strength, with a recent deterioration in mobility, refer to CRAFS (Comprehensive Rheumatologic Assessment of Frailty)”.
All of the data captured within the app is then aggregated on to a commissioner dashboard which allows for sharing between different care providers. This paints a more accurate picture of high and low risk individuals within the community and allows for learning and development. To find out more about our Community App please contact us at hello@safesteps.tech.
