Citation

Andrew NE, Wang Y, Teo K, Callisaya ML, Moran C, Snowdon DA, Ellmers S, Beare R, Richardson D, Srikanth V. Australas. J. Ageing 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Australian Council on the Ageing, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/ajag.12941

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe the patterns of personal emergency response systems (PERS) use in a statewide cohort of older Australians.

METHODS: PERS data from clients enrolled in the Personal Alarm Victoria program between January 2014 and June 2017 were analysed. Alarm activation reasons were extracted, and a medical record audit was performed for a sub-cohort of patients admitted to a local hospital following an alarm event. Descriptive statistics were used.

RESULTS: There were 42,180 clients enrolled during the study (mean age 80 years, 80% female, 93% living alone). An ambulance attended 44% of the fall-related events and 81% of events coded as unwell. Activation reasons were distributed equally between a fall and feeling unwell, and a repeating pattern of activation reasons was observed. In our sub-cohort (n = 92), the majority of admissions (86%) followed an alarm activation coded as unwell.

CONCLUSION: We demonstrated recurring patterns associated with the reasons for alarm use.

Language: en

Keywords

falls; aging; emergencies; personal emergency response systems