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In 2022, the proportion of people aged 65 or above in relation to the total population increased by just over a percentage point in Macau. This age group now represents more than 13% of the population. With this trend set to continue, elderly care is now more important than ever. In response to this, the Macau government launched the Home Safety Assessment and Equipment Subsidy Scheme for the Elderly as part of its Ten Year Action Plan for Elderly Services 2016-2025. Furthermore, the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau (GUNA) has launched a series of initiatives to help the elderly, including home visits and elderly care home centres. Both of these have the objective to promote elderly safety and, in particular, awareness of fall prevention. But even with this increased focus on fall prevention, it is still sadly impossible to eliminate falls completely. Therefore, effective fall detection remains critical in case of an incident so assistance can be on hand quickly to prevent fatalities. Now thanks to advances in technology, we can now detect falls by elderly persons even when they are alone without the need for any wearable bracelets, etc. In this blog, we will look closer at these new devices and the benefits of remote vital sign monitoring.

What is remote vital sign monitoring?

Take for instance Guardforce Macau’s contactless vital sign sensor seen in action below. Using Impulse Radio Ultra-Wide Band Radar Technology (IR-UWB RADAR), it continuously scans an area of up to 10 square meters for ToF (Time of Flight) to detect falls. If an incident does occur, the vital sign sensor will locate the heartbeat, breathing rate and movement of the body in the monitored space. If any of these are not detected or move out of the set parameters, the sensor will immediately alert the designated responder via a smart phone to come to the assistance. It is ideal for high-risk locations such as bedrooms and bathrooms.

Vitals is another device offered by Guardforce Macau. Another non-wearable device, Vitals is a two-in-one device which combines a vital sign sensor and bed exit/fall detection. Attached to beds or wheelchairs, the device uses Ballistocardiograph (BCG) sensing technology to detect small vibrations such as heartbeat, breathing and body motion and alerts the caregiver if any of the parameters move outside of the normal range. See it in action here:

Benefits of remote vital sign monitoring

• Early and immediate fall detection to decrease the chances of fatalities
• Perfect for isolated spaces where incidents are difficult to detect
• Automated alerts immediately sent to caregivers in case of an incident
• Remote and discrete monitoring
• No need for cumbersome wearable devices
• Accurate and reliable
• Simple to install and use
• Can be used in more applications such as club houses (sauna, steam rooms, etc.), public toilets (especially handicapped toilets in hospitals, transportation hubs, schools, government buildings, etc.) and even prisons when special attention is needed for some prisoners

Learn more about Guardforce Macau’s vital sign monitoring and fall detection devices

Guardforce Macau is a leading innovator in security and safety solutions. To learn more about its vital sign monitoring and fall detection devices, click here.