Time Domain’s Real-Time Location System Improves Quality of Care for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Patients at Nesconset Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation

Monitoring residents, staff and equipment through multiple floors and walls improves facility operations and security

Healthcare facilities around the world intricately weave multiple rotations of doctors, nurses, staff and equipment each day to care for patients. This complex system of efficient patient monitoring and staffing and equipment allocation are a constant challenge. But with the use of real-time location system (RTLS) technology, these healthcare facilities, such as the Nesconset Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation, in Long Island, New York, are improving the quality of resident care operations and security by more accurately managing patients, care givers and various facility assets.

Nesconset Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation is a 240-resident skilled nursing facility that includes a special care unit for Alzheimer's disease and dementia patients. The unit serves some of the 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease by providing 24-hour resident monitoring with an RTLS-technology solution from Time Domain Corporation. This solution, called TracPoint, combines Time Domain’s PLUS 2.0 ultra wideband (UWB) RTLS technology with software designed and manufactured by Sysgen Data Ltd. TracPoint monitors the location and status of Nesconset Alzheimer’s and dementia residents, staff and high-value equipment, such as customized wheelchairs, beds and computers. The system alerts staff and gives the location of a resident who wanders too far from a designated area or tries to leave the premises, an event known as an elopement, as well as when they pass too close to a sensor at an entrance or exit. The precision of Time Domain’s technology enables the Center to locate residents, staff and equipment within two feet of their location in real-time, saving staff significant time in finding them.

“The ability of our staff to locate their patients and the assets associated with patients allows for better patient care and faster response times to patient needs,” said Robert Heppenheimer, executive director and owner of Nesconset Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. “Seeing this information in real-time allows us to be proactive in our care and head-off problems before they happen. This, in turn, helps mitigate risks and keeps patients safe.”

TracPoint monitors residents and staff who wear UWB tags called Smart Buddies. Staff members wear the tags to gain access to the location system. Once a reader identifies a resident tag, the system’s software identifies the individualized safety profile and rule set specifically created for the resident. An example of a rule set is that a resident is allowed to freely travel throughout the facility during the day, but staff would be notified if the resident left his or her room at night. When a Smart Buddy violates a rule assigned to it, the system alerts the proper staff members via a Windows Mobile 6 device that immediately communicates the violations to Certified Nurse Attendants (CNAs). The device shows the CNA a map of the facility with blinking icons representing residents, staff and the patient who broke the rule at their exact location. The CNA then responds to the issue based on the urgency of the alert. The system broadcasts alerts to staff via email, text messages, cell phone calls, alarms, flashing lights or all of the above. This integrated messaging system reduces the risk of elopements.

Prior to the implementation of TracPoint, a wandering prevention system alerted Nesconset staff of elopements with a loud alarm. The system, which only monitored elopements, lacked accuracy, often engaging when residents were 20 feet or more away from an exit, triggering dozens of false alarms each day. Also, residents had to be escorted outside by a staff member. Now, residents have the freedom to move throughout the facility safely without an escort, and the staff can track much more than elopements, without the noise.

Besides tracking location, the UWB system automatically gathers information on interactions between Nesconset staff and residents. It records and identifies which resident a staff member was caring for at any given time. This data supports other documentation in monitoring quality of care and enhances data accuracy and compliance reporting. It strengthens the management processes by tracking the use and maintenance of both facility-owned and leased equipment. When working with a customized wheelchair, which can cost thousands of dollars, it is important to know the right patient is in the correct chair and that the chair is maintained and serviced regularly. Besides tracking maintenance information, the staff can verify that equipment, such as respirators, are certified. The entire process increases staff productivity and improves the quality of the work environment.

The TracPoint solution also improves the quality of life for residents and future Alzheimer and dementia patients. After observing residents and analyzing behavioral patterns, staff can create more appropriate safety profiles for patients. In the future, this collected information could help researchers and care givers use the best methods for treating residents afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

With the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease expected to triple in the next five to ten years, healthcare facilities are under increasing pressure to effectively manage the quality of care for residents. Time Domain’s UWB RTLS technology has helped Nesconset improve the quality of life for residents and staff by preventing elopements, freeing nurses from nursing stations to more efficiently manage patient care, and reducing the loss of high-value equipment.

For more information on Time Domain’s healthcare solutions, visit www.timedomain.com/healthcare.php.

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