Time Domain Delivers Ultra Wideband (UWB) Real-Time Precision Location of Alzheimer’s Patients, Staff and Equipment at Nesconset Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation

TracPoint solution improves quality of life for residents and staff; increases staff productivity

Huntsville, Alabama – September 4, 2008 – With the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease expected to triple in the next five to 10 years, assisted living facilities are in need of new technology-based solutions to improve the efficiency and quality of care for their growing number of residents. Meeting this increasing need is the TracPoint system, which uses ultra wideband (UWB) real-time location system (RTLS) technology from Time Domain Corporation to monitor residents, staff and medical equipment, improving facility operations and security. The first, real-world deployment of the TracPoint solution announced today, is underway at the 240-resident Nesconset Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Nesconset, New York.

The TracPoint solution, which combines Time Domain’s PLUS 2.0 UWB RTLS technology and software designed and manufactured by Sysgen, is used to monitor the location and status of Nesconset Alzheimer’s patients, staff and the facility’s high-value equipment, including customized wheelchairs, beds and computers. Due to the nature of Alzheimer’s disease, Nesconset required a system that could alert the staff and give the location of patients who wander too far from a designated area or try to leave the premises. The Center also wanted information on patients and equipment locations available in real-time, which would save staff significant time when locating a person or device. In addition to residents and equipment, the Center monitors the location of staff members and has a record of which patients a staff member was caring for at any given time.

Prior to the implementation of TracPoint by Sysgen, Nesconset was using a wandering prevention system that could only monitor elopements, or when a resident passed close to a sensor at an entrance or exit. The previous system also lacked precision, often engaging when residents were 20 feet or more away and triggering dozens of false alarms each day. After installing the TracPoint system, Nesconset was able do much more than just monitor elopements.

The precision of Time Domain’s UWB RTLS technology enables the Center to locate residents, staff and equipment within two feet of their location in real-time, eliminating the “false alarms” of the previous system. Staff can also create individualized safety profiles and care plans by observing patients’ location and analyzing behavioral patterns.

Additionally, the Center can assign rules to each individual UWB tag worn by a resident. For example, Resident A cannot walk through Doorway B. If Resident A does walk through Doorway B, the messaging system alerts the proper staff members, notifying them of the violation and allowing staff members to respond immediately based on the urgency of the alert. With the old system, alerts were only in the form of a loud alarm; however, alerts are now broadcast to staff via email, text messages, cell phone calls, pagers and monitors at the nurses’ station.

The visibility and efficiency provided by the TracPoint system has helped Nesconset prevent elopements, more efficiently distribute patient care, free nurses from nursing stations, increase staff productivity and reduce the loss of high-value equipment.

Download the case study on Nesconset’s use of Time Domain’s UWB technology at www.timedomain.com/healthcarerfidsolutions.php. For more information on Time Domain and the company’s UWB healthcare solutions, visit www.timedomain.com or call 256-922-9229.

About Time Domain

Time Domain is the world leader in ultra wideband (UWB) product development and provides solutions that enable enterprises to maximize productivity of their people and assets using a real-time location system (RTLS).  Our products and professional services deliver "Precise Location for a World in Motion" to the healthcare, retail, and other vertical markets and are sold and supported through a network of certified channel partners.  Time Domain's new Precision Location UWB System (PLUS) products are powered by the innovative PulsON suite of UWB technologies, which are also available for strategic UWB OEM integration.

www.timedomain.com.

About Sysgen

Sysgen, a technology solutions provider, designs and deploys RFID-based solutions. The company has been instrumental in deploying technology driven solutions in hospitals for more than twenty-five years with a focus in RFID-powered solutions for asset tracking in healthcare for more than 5 years. For more information, view www.sysgen.com.

PRESS INFORMATION

Time Domain Corporation
Jennifer Goodman
256-922-9229 x 825
jennifer.goodman@timedomain.com

Bridgeman Communications
Kim Novino
617-742-7270
kim@bridgeman.com