– No elderly person should sleep with a wet nappy. It leads to discomfort, urinary tract infection, ulcers in the abdomen and fungus which in turn can lead to many other discomforts. That’s what Lena Johnsen says. She is head of the Gønges department at Alta care center. Here they have been using a diaper sensor for almost a year. According to Johnsen, both patients and staff have had a better everyday life after they adopted the technological aid. – We can change nappies when needed and don’t have to check if the nappies are wet. We also do not need to wake the patients unnecessarily at night to check. They thus get to sleep better and have a better everyday life, says Johnsen. MORE DIGITAL MEASURES: Lena Johnsen (th) at Alta nursing home says that the diaper sensor is one of several digital inspections at the nursing home. They also have technology that alerts if someone falls or wanders out of the home. Photo: Jan-Erik Steine Diaper sensor functions as a digital monitor for elderly people with incontinence. The sensor is attached to the outside of the nappy and alerts when it needs to be changed. The sensor does this by registering moisture. Johnsen learns that the technology makes it possible for employees to do other tasks. They no longer have to go on regular nappy rounds. – We don’t have to go on routine rounds, which frees up time for other things. Wants national scheme Only a small number of nursing homes in Norway have adopted a diaper sensor for residents with incontinence. Of around 36,000 residents over the age of 67 in an institution, only 280 have a nappy sensor. Kai Øivind Brenden is deputy chairman of the Norwegian Nurses Association. He is positive about the use of nappy sensors and other technology in the health service, but is aware that municipalities have different finances and must set their priorities. – How can more nursing homes make use of this technology? – I hope that we will get intensifiers in place through a national and state scheme that contributes to purchasing, implementation, evaluation and training in the use of technology. That you can get the same services regardless of where you live in the country, says Brenden. TECHNOLOGY IS THE FUTURE: Technology is one of several tools for the health service of the future at a time when we have a shortage of personnel, says Kai Øivind Brenden, deputy chairman of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association. Photo: SUNNIVA TONSBERG GASKI He emphasizes that introducing technological aids in the health service will require that all employees receive good training. – One of the barriers we believe is the biggest today is that you receive too little training. As a result, we get resistance to the use of technology, and that is not good, says Brenden. Continuing to learn Even though the staff at the care center in Alta have almost a year’s experience of using nappy sensors, they are not fully trained for that reason. – There have been challenges. It requires a lot of training to be able to use the nappy sensor correctly, and there are still a number of user errors. But we are constantly learning, and we have super users who follow it up, says Johnsen. Linn Kristin works as a nurse and says that it takes time to learn: – We are creatures of habit in many ways, so we have to implement it in our work routines, and that can take some time. NURSE: Linn Kristin Nilsen. She works as a nurse at Alta nursing home. Photo: Jan-Erik Steine Despite the training period, she already sees how the technology helps in her everyday working life: – It helps to make everyday life more efficient, which can be quite stressful at times. – Valuable Leader of the Norwegian Nurses’ Association in Troms and Finnmark, Lena Røsæg Olsen, also thinks that it is good that nursing homes use technology. She also emphasizes that it should not replace human contact. – Now technology is not going to replace human help. It should help so that we provide good care at the right time, and that the elderly think it is a good measure that does not disturb them in their everyday life. Photo: news – What ethical assessments should be made for the use of nappy sensors? – There is always something to look at if it is a hindrance to the patient. Does that mean we leave them more alone, more lonely or that they are intimidated by a technology they don’t understand? As long as there is someone who is present and helpful, I think it is very valuable, says Røsæg Olsen.
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Diaper sensor for elderly with incontinence brings new everyday life – news Troms and Finnmark
