© Geriatric Times. All rights reserved.
Innovations
| Geriatric Times |
 |
May/June 2001 |
|
Vol. II |
|
Issue 3 |
New Grab Bar Promotes Safety, May Help Prevent Falls
Falls are a serious health threat for older adults, who comprise 80% of
those killed by falls. Falls are also the leading cause of injury and hospital
admission for seniors. Extend A Hand (EAH), manufactured by Sarff Systems Inc.,
is a new grab-bar assistance device designed to reduce this risk.
The EAH grab bar locks outward 12 inches from the wall, making it closer and
easier to reach than conventional grab bars. While locked in place, the
extension can support over 600 pounds of sustained weight, and it can fold down
and out of the way when not in use. The device is available in three lengths --
16", 24" and 32" -- and can be mounted directly onto existing studs.
According to Sarff, the device "promotes user safety and independence" and
in nursing homes and assisted living facilities it, "decreases chance of injury
to staff due to overexerting while maneuvering a resident." The EAH is
compliant with both the Americans with Disabilities Act and bathroom safety
standards. The EAH is approved for Washington State Medicaid coverage, and
Sarff is seeking Medicare coverage and Medicaid coverage in all other
states.
The EAH can be used in homes, apartments, retirement apartments and
communities, assisted living facilities, advanced assisted living facilities,
adult family homes, nursing homes, therapy centers, and hospitals -- JH
FDA Approves Wrist Device To Monitor Trends, Patterns in Glucose
Levels
On March 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the GlucoWatch
Automatic Glucose Biographer to detect and track trends and patterns in glucose
levels in adults with diabetes. It is an adjunct to standard home glucose
monitoring devices and is not intended to replace them.
The GlucoWatch Biographer consists of two integrated parts -- the biographer
and the autosensor. Together, they use an extremely low electrical current to
pull glucose through the skin, collect and transform the glucose into an
electrical signal, and then convert the signal into a glucose reading. The
biographer, which is worn like a watch, calculates, displays and stores the
glucose readings. The autosensor is a single-use component that snaps onto the
back of the biographer and adheres to the skin, collecting and measuring the
glucose sample.
The manufacturer of the GlucoWatch, Cygnus Inc., expects to begin marketing
the device by the end of this year. The two components are sold separately and
are available by prescription only, and patients who are prescribed the
GlucoWatch are required to undergo a training program.
While studies have shown that frequent (four to seven times a day) glucose
monitoring, along with appropriate insulin adjustments, can reduce many of the
long-term complications of diabetes, most patients with diabetes only take
readings once or twice a day due to the pain and inconvenience of traditional
testing. The GlucoWatch can measure glucose levels as often as every 20 minutes
for up to 12 hours.
Some of the suggested uses for the GlucoWatch include: when the patient's
normal routine is disrupted; during periods of dose adjustment or other therapy
transitions; for detection of underlying problems in patients with higher than
expected hemoglobin A1c results (relative to standard testing
results); at nighttime to detect causes of nocturnal or fasting hypoglycemia or
hyperglycemia; and as an educational tool to show patients the effects of
dietary choices and activity levels.
Most subjects experienced mild to moderate skin irritation at the extraction
and adhesive sites after use of the GlucoWatch. Intense erythema or edema was
seen in less than 1% of extraction and adhesion sites. The irritation resolved
within a few days, with no indication of contact sensitization.
The GlucoWatch offers multiple language support and two units of measurement
(mg/dL or mmol/L). Glucose levels can be stored using seven "event" choices to
measure how day-to-day activities affect them. The GlucoWatch also can be
programmed to sound an alarm for both high and low glucose levels, as well as a
rapid decline alert -- EAD
New Underpant Hip Protectors May Prevent Fractures Due to Falls
Falls are a determining factor in almost half of nursing home admissions.
Hip fractures in the elderly are devastating, costly, traumatic, life-altering
and life-threatening events. A controlled, two-year study recently conducted by
the Elder Service Plan of East Boston examined the use of HipSavers,
manufactured by HipSaver Co. Inc. These hip protectors are underpants with soft
thin pads of laminated, shock-absorbing elastomers covering each hip.
The authors of the study hypothesized that if the energy load from a fall
could be transmitted at a slower velocity or dissipated over a larger area,
injury could be prevented. Home-care members similar in age and sex were
assessed for risk of falling. Study participants who had two or more falls in
the previous four months were defined as being at high risk and were
non-randomly assigned to wear the padded underwear (n=29). Less at-risk members
(n=438) did not wear them. The total falls reported were 568 in the 467
members. The group not wearing HipSavers had 369 falls resulting in 16 hip
fractures. The HipSavers group reported 199 falls but no hip fractures. (The
study did not include measures of osteoporosis, bone density, nutrition or
endocrine factors, which may cause potential differences between the groups'
likelihood for fractures.)
Edward Goodwin, president of HipSaver Co. Inc., said in a statement to the
press, "Hip protectors are evolving as the preferred point of incident
intervention. Newer, user-friendly designs and support from primary health
[care] providers will facilitate the widespread use of hip protectors" --
AV
FDA-Approved Device Provides Definitive Quantification of Obstructive Sleep
Apnea
Affecting as many as 20 million Americans, sleep apnea is the most
widespread and most severe of sleep-disordered breathing problems. Sleep apnea
accounts for close to $20 billion in the nation's health care expenditures,
according to Sleep Solutions Inc.
Sleep Solutions Inc. offers a way to perform sleep studies in the patient's
home, thus eliminating the need for an overnight stay in a sleep laboratory.
The Internet-enabled Bedbugg At-Home Diagnostic Service is approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration and utilizes a system for monitoring
sleep-disordered breathing based on proprietary sound analysis technology. The
Bedbugg Diagnostic System provides a definitive quantification of obstructive
sleep apnea (OSA) by collecting sleep data that are then returned to Sleep
Solutions. A comprehensive summary is sent to the physician for review and
diagnosis.
Sleep disorders represent a growing area of opportunity because there are so
many unmet needs in both diagnosis and treatment. "Awareness of sleep apnea as
a widespread and serious health problem is growing, yet 95 percent of sleep
apnea sufferers don't know they have it," explained Bruce Adornato, M.D., Sleep
Solution's medical director, in a statement to the press -- AV