EMFIT® bedmat a ‘God-send’ for an Otago mum
Press release
From: Smart Caller NZ Ltd
EMFIT® bedmat a ‘God-send’ for an Otago mum
The day that CCS Invercargill researched and arranged for a trial of an EMFIT® bedmat was a life changing experience for Shona Smith and her daughter Katie.
The Epicare™ bed monitoring system monitors a person with epilepsy who is sleeping. Sensor technology detects all of a person’s movements and it differentiates normal movements from epileptic seizures. Epicare™ alarms when the person is experiencing the convulsion phase of a seizure.
Nine year old Katie has Dosse syndrome (an acute form of epilepsy that has eight different active seizures). Before using the EMFIT® mattress Shona didn’t feel safe to sleep, or leave her daughter alone in her bedroom.
``My life was
continually on auto-pilot before getting the mattress’’,
says Shona.
``If I slept through Katie’s seizures and
she had over five minutes of seizures it could potentially
become life-threatening, particularly as Katie was prone to
have cluster seizures that sometimes last most of the
night.’’
``You can imagine the effect this had on me. I effectively never had any uninterrupted sleep – but with the use of the EMFIT® bedmat that slips under Katie’s mattress, I could sleep in my own bed, knowing that you could trust the EMFIT®alarm, and knowing Katie was being monitored allows me to get periods of sleep.’’ says Shona.
Katie can also lead a more independent life secure in the knowledge that the alarm would alert her mum to a seizure.
Developed in Finland, EMFIT® sensors are extremely sensitive. They measure the slightest touch, breath, heartbeat and movement of a person. The products are an invaluable tool for high care patients.
For Shona these products were life changing and made managing the incidents of her daughter’s epilepsy seizures more manageable.
For more information visit www.smartcaller.co.nz and look under Highcare, Overview
ENDS
NOTES:
The
bedmat product is a bed seizure alarm that is part of a new
generation of Epicare ™ bed-monitoring system to secure a
person with epilepsy. Also in this range are highcare
products for dementia to assist independent living. Smart
Caller NZ Ltd is a registered distributor of EMFIT®
products and distributor of Nurse call systems and BluePhone
medical alarm.
Emfit Epileptic Seizure
Alarm
WHAT IS IT?
Emfit's epileptic seizure alarm monitors a sleeping person with epilepsy. Patented sensor technology detects when a person has convulsive seizures and triggers an alarm. It can also alarm when a person leaves the bed. This can be useful for those who have a tendency to wander unconsciously after a non-convulsive seizure during sleep, or in cases where the person leaves the bed and does not return to the bed within a preset time. Third alarm type included is a hyperventilation seizure alarm for those who may have this kind of epileptic seizure.
WHY IS IT
NEEDED?
Recurrent epileptic seizures can be
avoided by alarming the nurse as the seizures emerge. There
are about 40 different types of seizures and one person may
have several types. Over 50% of people with epilepsy are
normally seizure free. With optimal treatment this figure is
even higher. One of the triggers for a seizure is
non-compliant medication. HOW IT
WORKS?
Emfit
epileptic seizure alarm consists of a film-like sensor and a
control unit. The dynamic film-like bed sensor is placed
under the mattress and it detects the slightest movements of
the person lying on it – even heartbeat and respiration.
The sensor is attached to the control unit with a connection
wire. When a person has convulsive seizures such as
tonic-clonic shakings or similar continued movements that
last over a preset time, which can be 7, 13 or 20 seconds,
the alarm is triggered. The sensor can also notice partial
convulsions and the tiniest movements. It is also suitable
for small children.
Hyperventilation seizure alarm can be enabled with a switch. When switch is enabled the slower frequency movements trigger the alarm as hyper-ventilation seizures.
There is also an alarm for detecting when a person leaves the bed without returning to the bed within a preset time. This can be useful for persons with a tendency to wander unconsciously after a non-convulsive seizure during sleep. Presence and absence notification is based on noticing the heart rate and respiration of the person in bed. The sensor does not have weight limits, making it also suitable for children.
WHO IS IT
FOR?
Epileptic
seizure alarm is a great help for parents who a have
children with epilepsy. It is also helpful in complimentary
professional care where individuals are concerned about
having seizures over night. As the bed sensor does not have
any weight limits, it is suitable for children as well as
adults. It should be noted that also movements caused by
itching, for example, can cause
alarms