At seventy-six, Judy, a retired high-school teacher and principal, remains active in her community. She considers herself a professional potter, having done it most of her life, and enjoys singing in two choirs. “I’ve always belonged to a choir. I’ve sung in one choir or another since I was eight years old.”
In May 2023, Judy was admitted to the ER of Southlake Regional Health Centre (SRHC) in Newmarket, Ontario, for emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction resulting from a hernia.
Unfortunately, there were complications following the surgery, including an infection. Treatment of this required Judy remaining in hospital for two weeks.
While recovering in a shared room at SRHC, Judy learned about Remote Care Monitoring (RCM) pendants, which members of the medical staff offered to some of the patients she shared
her room with. Listening to the medical team describe the pendants, Judy understood immediately that having one could help her to return home safely. “I knew I was returning
home alone — well, not totally alone — I knew I was getting nursing care, but I thought with my overall weakness this would be a wonderful device to help me stay connected.”
Judy was particularly worried about falling. During her life, Judy says, she has had to deal with numerous medical issues including cancer, quintuple bypass surgery, and surgeries on her knees, feet, and one ankle. The surgeries have left her with mobility issues and the risk of falling.
The pendants have three different capabilities. They can provide falls detection and wandering detection, and they can be used by clients as SOS buttons. When an alert comes in, it appears on a dashboard that is monitored 24/7 by the Grace’s call centre staff. The team then responds and escalates the incident to the appropriate party (e.g., family, 911, etc.)
Judy asked if she was eligible to get a pendant. “I didn’t wait for them to approach me,” says Judy. “Someone, I believe a social worker, came and asked me a few questions, and they determined that I was, in fact, eligible. I would have been approached before being discharged, I know, but I was anxious to know that I could get a pendant. Given my medical history, I knew I would need one.”
When Judy returned home, she was glad she had the pendant. “I was very weak. I had to stay in bed in my living room for two months,” says Judy. “A nurse came every day to dress the post-op wound, but the rest of the time, I was alone. So, I was glad to have the pendant at that time. But even when I became strong enough to get up and begin walking, I knew I would still be in danger of falling because of my mobility issues —the surgeries on my feet and ankle put me at risk.
“One day, I mistakenly pushed the call button,” remembers Judy. “Someone from the call centre answered immediately. I told them I had pushed the button by accident. I then called my friend who is on my priority contact call list to tell her I had mistakenly pushed the call button — I didn’t want her to be worried if the call centre notified her. She said she had already received a text from the call centre. It was reassuring to see how quickly the alert works.”
Judy has been home for a year. She says that she feels safer having the pendant. “It gives me my independence. I can do more by myself knowing if I should have a medical issue, like a fall, I’m connected, and I will get an immediate response from a health care network … I’m not alone.”