Finnish smart floor arrives

Finnish smart floor arrives in Australian aged care homes (nursing homes) thanks to architects ThomsonAdsett

In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, the architectural firm has installed the Elsi Smart Floor system at two NSW aged care homes (nursing homes).

The floors, which were rolled out internationally in 2011, use sensor technology embedded under most flooring surfaces to detect movement. Since then, it has been installed in over 2,000 aged care homes (nursing homes).

The technology is the next step up in monitoring residents as well as predicting their behaviour prediction, according to Rob Puflett, partner at ThomsonAdsett’s Sydney studio.

The practice has put them into two aged care homes (nursing homes) in Sydney’s Gordon and Newcastle – Twilight Aged Care’s Horton House and Tinonee Gardens Multicultural Village.

Some aged care homes (nursing homes) utilise pressure pads to determine when residents get out of bed, but these are often unreliable.

Falls are a main cause of harm in aged care, with almost one in three older Australians being injured in a fall every year.

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A special thanks to our contributors

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Jill Donaldson

Physiotherapist

Jill has been practicing as a clinical physiotherapist for 30 years. For the last 13 years she has worked solely in the Aged Care sector in more than 50 metropolitan and regional facilities. Jill has also toured care facilities in the US and Africa and is a passionate advocate for both the residents in aged care and the staff who care for them. She researches and writes for DCM Media.

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Chris Baynes

DCM Media, agedcare101

Chris has been a journalist and publisher in the retirement village and aged care sectors for 11 years. He has visited over 250 retirement villages and 50 aged care facilities both within Australia and internationally. Chris is a regular speaker at industry conferences plus is a frequent radio commentator.

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Annie Donaldson

Nurse and Carer

Annie has a long career in both nursing and the media. She has planned and co-ordinated the medical support from both international TV productions and major stadium events. In recent years she has been a primary family carer plus involved in structured carer support.