4 questions to Gabriel Dib, President and Founder of Age Impulse
Every year in France, 2 million frail people and seniors fall, causing 130,000+ hospitalizations and 10,000+ deaths, with significant physical, psychological and social consequences. Retirement homes house seniors who have a higher-than-average risk of falling and this is why they are particularly interested in assessing this risk.
1. How is a fall risk assessment carried out in a retirement home?
Gabriel Dib: Management informs residents that a testing session will take place soon, often by placing posters in common areas. Selected or interested residents begin by gathering in a room for a short briefing. Then, each participant is equipped with a belt carrying an Age Impulse sensor and walks normally for 15 seconds, usually inside the building.
Each test produces a personal result displayed by the Age Impulse application on a phone. The result shows an overall score with a green/orange/red color code, and details faulty gait markers. The method is reliable, and is based on a prospective longitudinal study of more than 2 years and on scientific publications.
2. What happens next?
G.D.: After each individual assessment, there is a follow up according to the result.
- If the risk of falling is low, participants can improve their fitness by using the Age Impulse mobile application.
- If there is a potential or proven risk of falling, the participant is encouraged to consult their primary care physician and undergo a treatment to reduce their risk of falling, which can be due to issues with the inner ear, eyesight, nutrition, medications, etc.
- If the risk comes from muscle weakness, the mobile application guides the work of a physiotherapist in line with the faulty marker(s). The patient walks on a treadmill, follows the advice of the physiotherapist, and sees results improve in real time. This makes rehabilitation fun and objective.
- If the risk of falling is proven, the retirement home can offer additional services such as remote assistance and request help from an occupational therapist. The participant is also encouraged to notify their loved ones.
3. What has been the participation and the reactions of residents?
G.D.: Assessments take place regularly in the homes we work with, and include between 10 and 20 participants each time. They are motivating for residents who wish to preserve their quality of life and their independence. The activity is very popular among residents, both for its preventive aspect and for its fun side.
4. What do retirement home managers think?
G.D.: They appreciate the simplicity, speed and reliability of our fall risk assessment: 15 seconds per person, without the need for qualified personnel, and with privacy ensured by hosting personal information in a sovereign Cloud certified for health data.
For retirement homes, there are a number of benefits from this approach:
- Reassure residents and their loved ones by reducing the fear of falling, which is itself a major cause of falls.
- Encourage residents to consult health professionals (doctor, ENT specialist, ophthalmologist, physiotherapist, etc.) to assess and manage their risk of falling.
- Promote physical activity, essential to prevent falls.
- Combat denial, thanks to objective results encouraging the remote assistance and walking aids (walker, cane).
- Create differentiation against competition, by offering a safer environment and providing active support for residents.
- Reduce costs of acquiring new residents and generate attractive financial returns.
- Leverage a dashboard showing an overview of residents and priorities.