Different alarms at the elderly home

Many units have alarms so that the residents can get in touch with the staff. The response time to alarms is important for the individual's experience of security. At the same time, an alarm that is constantly sounding can create stress, for both residents and staff, in the unit.

Different alarms have different purposes. There are alarms where the resident themselves alert if they need help and alarms that go off during certain events, for example motion alarms that go off if the resident puts their feet on the floor.

Response times and follow-up of the alarm function

In a lex Sarah report, it was revealed that staff at a residence did not respond to an alarm. This was a security residence with an external patrol that should have come, but that does not change what can happen. The staff knew that the resident also had a motion alarm. When the motion alarm did not go off, the staff assumed that the resident had accidentally triggered the alarm in their sleep.

In the morning, an inspection was carried out and the resident was then found dead on the floor. Someone had failed to activate the motion alarm. In addition to fall injuries, there are other situations where a long wait can be difficult for the resident. Pain or the need to go to the toilet are examples of such situations.

At other units, staff have disconnected alarms from a resident who "rings too much" or because work at the residents' place makes it impossible to respond to alarms. Concerning motion alarms, sometimes the battery is dead or it has not worked for other reasons, which makes it important to have routines to check that these alarms work

Routine for reviewing alarm times and alarm function

It is often possible to review alarm times and other events in the alarm system. Then you can see if there are unreasonable wait times at certain times of the day. It can be a good way to see if the scheduling is correct and if routines need to be changed. Likewise, patterns among the residents. Someone might always need to go to the toilet at five in the morning or experience pain in the middle of the night. Then the operation can work more proactively.

Reflection questions - alarm
Care staff:
- How do you prioritize between alarms in the unit?
- Does it happen that someone ignores an alarm?
- Can you repair or replace alarms that are broken on weekends, evenings and nights?

Manager, nurse, occupational therapist and physiotherapist:
- How long is it reasonable for a resident to wait when they alarm?
- Do the alarm routines work?
- How long has the person who had to wait the longest in the past month waited to get help?
- Can waiting times be reduced with adjusted schedules?

Residents and relatives
- Does the alarm function feel safe?
- Are the staff easily accessible?

Erland Olsson
Specialist nurse
Sofrosyne - Better care every day