There is a Special Angel guarding over our residents at the new St John’s building. You can’t see him of course, but he’s everywhere in the Home.
“My Guardian Angel” (GA) has unique duties and will be working 24/7. His key responsibility is to care for our residents by tracking and collecting data.
The GA at the new St John’s building will be tasked to take care of two main areas, keeping our residents safe and to help optimize his or her health as well as general wellness.
1. Keeping our residents safe
One of the GA’s key duties is to make sure our residents are safe. Through a wearable watch, a first of its kind technology, our elderly residents are monitored closely to ensure their safety and security. For example, if Mr. Wong who is* 77 and frail, happens to slip and fall in the bathroom, the fall is detected by the special watch he will be wearing and alerts the staff to respond immediately. The location of the fall will be shown on the staff’s tablet. There is also an emergency call button on the watch in case there are other situations the residents may need help.
In addition, our virtual geofencing system, again monitored via the watch, enables us to create alerts when residents enter a restricted area during a certain time period e.g, at night when Mr Wong whose eyesight is also not good, cannot see well.
Read: Constructing God's Refuge, a Journey of Faith
2. Ensuring Health and Maintaining A Wellness Plan for Every Elderly resident
Each resident is unique and has different wellness or health needs. The GA is able to monitor and collect individual data which will help customize the care plan for each resident.
Many of our residents like Mdm. Wong* aged 70 are generally in good health. However, the GA monitors her weight, height, temperature, blood pressure and blood sugar regularly over time. If we see abnormal trend in her vital signs, we proactively get advice with a medical consultation. Otherwise, she may feel dizzy and have a fall. Also, when she goes for her check- up with her doctor, a report of her latest measurements will be given to her doctor for a faster diagnosis.
In addition, the GA also tracks our residents’ lifestyle and daily activities through the watch. Mr. Nair* aged 75, suffers from weak legs and is not very mobile. The system monitors whether he takes his regular showers, how much time he spends in bed, and the number of steps he takes a day and whether he takes his meals. If Mr. Nair does not move enough because of his weak legs, a special physiotherapy programme can be created for him to help him maintain muscle strength.
This new state of the art is perhaps one of the first systems of its kind to be implemented in a Home for the elderly, and we hope, together with the dedicated care of our staff, it will greatly improve the quality of life of our elderly residents.
- Contributed by Lester Lee and Pearl Lee.
Management committee members at St. John’s Home for Elderly Persons
* Names are changed
Read: Constructing God's Refuge, a Journey of Faith
St John's Home for Elderly Persons is not a government-subvented Home and depend largely on the public's generosity to enable us to continue our work as a Registered Charity.
Please support our Home by donating generously: https://www.giving.sg/stjohnshomesg
