Efficacy of simple home-based technologies combined with a monitoring assistive center in decreasing falls in a frail elderly population (results of the Esoppe study)

Accessible Home Environments for People with Functional Limitations: A Systematic Review

“…Home modifications were carried out either as a sole intervention [21,22,24,29,30,31,32] or part of a multicomponent programme [25,26,27,34]. Furthermore, the safety component of these, such as hazard reduction, tended to be integrated with the accessibility interventions.…”

“…Home modifications were mainly focused on architectural changes or fitted devices such as grab bars, targeting mobility issues; a few focused on lighting improvements or adjustments targeting vision. One cohort study had a distinctive intervention which consisted of the installation of a light path near the bed, coupled with tele-assistance: this aimed to reduce falls at night among frail older adults [34]. One randomised trial used a factorial design to evaluate the effect of each intervention, and possible interactions between interventions: home safety programmes; exercise programme; and social visits [23].…”

“…Two studies reported on reductions in the likelihood of falls and injuries [23,34]. One randomised trial reported 41% fewer falls by one year follow-up in the home safety programme with a group of older adults with severe visual impairments, compared with those who did not receive this programme [23].…”

“…One randomised trial reported 41% fewer falls by one year follow-up in the home safety programme with a group of older adults with severe visual impairments, compared with those who did not receive this programme [23]. Also, Tchalla 2012 identified a significant reduction in falls at home and post-fall hospitalisations among frail older adults after the use of a light path coupled with tele-assistance [34]. Two studies reported a significantly lower mortality rate at up to 2 years in the intervention group over the control group, after the implementation of the multicomponent programme, which included home modifications as well as training control-oriented strategies to promote healthy behaviours [26,27].…”

Telemedicine and Geriatrics in France: Inventory of Experiments

“…In terms of dependence, the trend seems positive, with a marked improvement according to the French index for measuring independence (GIR), but this has yet to be validated over a longer period. During the experiment, there were no known cancellations of the DTA package [43]. …”