Miami Jewish Health Systems announced that it was awarded a grant of $22,000 from The Miami Foundation.

The grant will benefit Project Fall No More (PFNM), a program using voice-activated sensors, along with training and education, to help elders prevent falls and injuries. The sensors, attached to the chair and bed pads of residents prone to fall, detect when the elder is trying to stand and plays a personal recorded message in the voice of a loved one or caregiver to encourage the elder to stay situated until assistance arrives. This new technology replaces standard alarm sounds with a gentle and familiar voice to make the elder more comfortable and feel safer.

The project aims to increase patient dignity through use of a sensor that provides comfort and familiarity, more similar to a home-like environment than a clinical one. The project also aims to improve patient safety by avoiding alarm fatigue, sometimes leading to medical staff or caregivers to ignore the constant beeping signals that invade hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The funds will be used to purchase 200 voice-activated alarms and accompanying chair and bed pads.